So, this has always bugged me. In the Access world, there is a difference between Macros and VBA. Macros, in Access, are a series of pre-defined functions or commands. They can do many things, and you can string them together to get automation of tedious tasks. You can convert a macro to VBA (but not the other way around). Maybe the Macro is even stored in the background of the file as VBA (although you cannot see it in the VBE until it has been converted, so I do not think this is the case).
So, anyway, I can kind of see how people who don’t know much about Access macros or VBA might think the terms are interchangeable. But why is it called a “Macro” in Excel? This isn’t just ignorant people using the wrong term. Microsoft has labeled the tool “Macros”. Now, granted that the only thing that comes up in the “Macros” is procedures in Modules, but it is still VBA.
Using the Recorder will yield you a “macro”, true, but it will have limited functionality and zero customizability without learning VBA. The Access Macros at least have a form-based “wizard” that will give you a list of possible actions to take, and then give you the parameters for those actions. Recording a “macro” in Excel will not give you any of that. To modify an existing “macro” you need to learn some VBA. So why not just call it VBA, or “Procedures”?
It seems to me that if they were to use the same word, it should at least be very similar between the two Office applications.
Is there something I am missing? Is there a valid reason to use the same term? Or is only so that developers can say “It uses macros” and then users will hear “It uses magic”?
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