Microsoft Office

Part VI
Programming Excel with VBA
Inserting Custom Functions
Excel’s Insert Function dialog box is a handy tool that enables you to choose a worksheet function; you even
can choose one of your custom worksheet functions. After you select a function, the Function Arguments
dialog box prompts you for the function’s arguments.
Function procedures that are defined with the Private keyword do not appear in the Insert
Function dialog box. So if you create a function that will be used only by other VBA procedures,
you should declare the function using the Private keyword.
NOTE
You also can display a description of your custom function in the Insert Function dialog box. To do so, follow
these steps:
1. Create the function in a module by using the VB Editor.
2. Activate Excel.
3. Choose Developer ➪ Code ➪ Macros.
Excel displays its Macro dialog box.
4. In the Macro dialog box, type the name of the function in the box labeled Macro Name.
Notice that functions don’t normally appear in this dialog box, so you must enter the function
name yourself.
5. Click the Options button. Excel displays its Macro Options dialog box. (See Figure 40.3.)
6. Enter a description of the function and then click OK. The Shortcut key field is irrelevant for
functions.
The description that you enter appears in the Insert Function dialog box.
FIGURE 40.3
Entering a description for a custom function. This description appears in the Insert Function dialog box.
Custom functions are listed under the User Defined category.
Figure 40.4 shows the Function Arguments dialog box, which prompts the user to enter arguments for a
custom function.
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