Why to Use XLEV8 Custom Macro Files
You may have some personal macros that you want to be able to run from the ribbon, keyboard shortcuts, or the search macros box, just like the XLEV8 add-in macros. You may also want to be able to easily share these macros with your colleaagues, without having to constantly update the code on their computers. You can do this for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint by creating custom macro add-in files. Once you have created and installed these files, the macros pretty much become a part of the XLEV8 add-in! After your colleagues have set them up the first time, all they have to do is copy and paste any updated file versions to reflect the changes. No copying and pasting code between computers is needed.
How to Use XLEV8 Custom Macro Files
Please note that creating and installing custom macro files is an advanced process and requires carefully following the instructions to work properly. Also note that you must install the Excel custom macro file first! The Excel file is where you will list out the macros to reference for all of the add-ins, so it must be set up first in order for the custom macros to work in any of the applications. In the example files below, we have included a zipped file that contains example custom macro files that you can use as a guide.
Creating the Excel Custom Macro File
To use custom macros in Excel, you must have a file named XLEV8_Custom.xlam (an Excel add-in file type) located in the same folder as the XLEV8 Excel add-in. If you aren’t sure where it is, you can always search for the XLEV8.xlam file to find it, but it is usually saved at or near this path:
C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns\
An example XLEV8_Custom.xlam file is included in the zipped folder below in the example files section. This file has one usable example custom macro listed in the sheets for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint – feel free to remove them from the lists if you don’t want them.
Excel - Instructions for Installing
- Download the zipped folder from below in the example files section and extract it (right-click and select Extract All).
- Copy the XLEV8_Custom.xlam file from the extracted folder to the same folder that the XLEV8.xlam file is saved in.
- Save and close any Excel files you have open, and then open a new, blank workbook in Excel. With Excel open, click the FILE ribbon tab, then the OPTIONS button toward the bottom, then Add-ins.
- At the bottom of the window, select the “Excel Add-ins” option in the Manage list, and click the Go button, then cick the Browse button.
- Navigate to the Addins folder that was located above. Select the XLEV8_Custom.xlam file and click the Open button, then click the OK button. The file should now be installed as an add-in file type. With add-in files, you can’t see the underlying workbook without modifying the settings.
Note: if you don’t want to use the example XLEV8_Custom.xlam file from the zipped folder below, you can also run the Create Custom Macro File macro, which will create a workbook with the necessary sheets, which you can save as a .xlam file type, following the instructions in the workbook (which are similar to steps 3-5 above).
Excel - Instructions for Editing
- Run the Edit Custom Macro File macro. This will allow you to temporarily see the workbook so that you can make changes to the macro lists for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Add, update, or remove macros from the lists in the Custom_Macro_List sheet (Excel), Custom_Word_Macro_List sheet (Word), or Custom_PowerPoint_Macro_List sheet (PowerPoint).
- Do not change the Button IDs in column A! If any of these are changed, the custom macros will not work correctly. These are used to display your custom macros in the XLEV8 ribbon tab under the Custom group menus.
- The macro name in column B must match the exact macro name in the Visual Basic code within the custom macro file.
- The macro label in column C can be whatever you want, but generally I would use the macro name without underscores.
- Insert the date added in column D so that you know when you added the macro for reference.
- Include a brief description of the macro in column E. This will appear in the ribbon and the Search Macros box.
- You must run the Edit Custom Macro File macro again once you have made changes to the listings in order to save your changes. This will hide the workbook.
- To edit the Excel macros themselves, simply add, update, or delete them within a module of the XLEV8_Custom.xlam file in the Visual Basic Editor.
Creating the Word Custom Macro File
To use custom macros in Word, you must have a file named XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm (a Word macro-enabled template/add-in file type) located in the same folder as the XLEV8 Word add-in. If you aren’t sure where it is, you can always search for the XLEV8_Word.dotm file to find it, but it is usually saved at or near this path:
C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP\
An example XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file is included in the zipped folder below in the example files section. This file has one usable example custom macro included – feel free to remove it from the code if you don’t want it.
Note that Word add-in files work differently from Excel. You cannot directly edit the module code for the custom macro file within the Visual Basic Editor for files saved as add-ins. When you try, a message will be displayed saying the project is unviewable.
Word - Instructions for Installing
- If you didn’t already do so above for the Excel custom file, download the zipped folder from below in the example files section and extract it (right-click and select Extract All).
- Copy the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file from the extracted folder to the same folder that the XLEV8_Word.dotm file is saved in.
- Save and close any Word files you have open, and then open a new, blank document in Word. With Word open, click the FILE ribbon tab, then the OPTIONS button toward the bottom, then Add-ins.
- At the bottom of the window, select the “Word Add-ins” option in the Manage list, and click the Go button, then cick the Browse button.
- Navigate to the Word startup folder that was located above. Select the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file and click the Open button, then click the OK button. The file should now be installed as an add-in.
Note: if you don’t want to use the example XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file from the zipped folder below, you can save your own XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file in the Word startup folder that the XLEV8_Word.dotm add-in file is saved in.
Word - Instructions for Editing
As stated above, you cannot directly edit the module code for the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file within the Visual Basic Editor when it is open as an add-in, but you edit it by following the directions below.
- Save and close any Word files you have open.
- Navigate to the Word startup folder that was located above and copy the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file to another location (such as your desktop or references folder).
- Open the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file from the separate location. This should open a new blank document.
- To edit the Word macros themselves, simply add, update, or delete them within a module of the separately-opened XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file in the Visual Basic Editor. If you add or remove any macros, make sure you follow the steps above for editing the Excel custom macro file (you should update the listing on the Custom_Word_Macro_List sheet).
- Once you are done making updates to the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file, save it within the Visual Basic Editor, and close it and any Word files you have open.
- Copy the edited version of the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file (the one that is NOT in the Word startup folder) and paste over the XLEV8_Custom_Word.dotm file that IS in the Word startup folder. The next time you open Word, your changes should be reflected.
Creating the PowerPoint Custom Macro File
To use custom macros in Word, you must have a file named XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam (a PowerPoint add-in file type) located in the same folder as the XLEV8 PowerPoint add-in. If you aren’t sure where it is, you can always search for the XLEV8_PowerPoint.ppam file to find it, but it is usually saved at or near this path:
C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns\
An example XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file is included in the zipped folder below in the example files section. This file has one usable example custom macro included – feel free to remove it from the code if you don’t want it.
Note that PowerPoint add-in files work differently from Excel and similar to Word. You cannot directly edit the module code for the custom macro file within the Visual Basic Editor for files saved as add-ins. Unlike in Word, you can see and change the code, but the file is read-only and cannot be saved.
PowerPoint - Instructions for Installing
- If you didn’t already do so above for the Excel custom file, download the zipped folder from below in the example files section and extract it (right-click and select Extract All).
- Copy the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file from the extracted folder to the same folder that the XLEV8_PowerPoint.ppam file is saved in.
- Save and close any PowerPoint files you have open, and then open a new, blank presentation in PowerPoint. With PowerPoint open, click the FILE ribbon tab, then the OPTIONS button toward the bottom, then Add-ins.
- At the bottom of the window, select the “PowerPoint Add-ins” option in the Manage list, and click the Go button, then cick the Add New button.
- Navigate to the Addins folder that was located above. Select the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file and click the Open button, then click the OK button. The file should now be installed as an add-in.
Note: if you don’t want to use the example XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file from the zipped folder below, you can save your own XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file in the Addins folder that the XLEV8_PowerPoint.ppam add-in file is saved in.
PowerPoint - Instructions for Editing
As stated above, you cannot directly edit the module code for the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file within the Visual Basic Editor when it is open as an add-in, but you edit it by following the directions below.
- Save and close any PowerPoint files you have open.
- Navigate to the Addins folder that was located above and copy the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file to another location (such as your desktop or references folder).
- Open the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file from the separate location. This should open PowerPoint and a new blank presentation. If a blank presentation does not open, from the FILE ribbon tab, click New and create a blank presentation.
- To edit the PowerPoint macros themselves, simply add, update, or delete them within a module of the separately-opened XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file in the Visual Basic Editor. Note that there are two versions of that file displayed in the projects window. Make sure you edit the one that does NOT say read-only in the title bar! If you add or remove any macros, make sure you follow the steps above for editing the Excel custom macro file (you should update the listing on the Custom_PowerPoint_Macro_List sheet).
- Once you are done making updates to the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file, save it within the Visual Basic Editor, and close it and any PowerPoint files you have open.
- Copy the edited version of the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file (the one that is NOT in the Addins folder) and paste over the XLEV8_Custom_PowerPoint.ppam file that IS in the Addins folder. The next time you open PowerPoint, your changes should be reflected.
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