Excel 2010 Bible

Chapter 39: Introducing Visual Basic for Applications

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FIGURE 39.1

The Developer tab.

About Macro Security

Macros have the potential to cause serious damage to your computer, such as erasing files or

installing malware. Consequently, Microsoft has added macro-security features to help prevent

macro-related problems.

Figure 39.2 shows the Macro Settings section of the Trust Center dialog box. To display this dialog

box, choose Developer ➪ Code ➪ Macro Security.

FIGURE 39.2

The Macro Settings section of the Trust Center dialog box.

By default, Excel uses the Disable All Macros with Notification option. With this setting in effect, if

you open a workbook that contains macros (and the file is not digitally “signed”), the macros will

be disabled, and Excel displays a Security Warning above the Formula bar (see Figure 39.3). If

you’re certain that the workbook comes from a trusted source, click the Enable Content button in

the security warning area, and the macros will be enabled. Excel remembers your decision; if you

enable the macros, you will not see the Security Warning the next time you open that file.