Certain data connections are not accessible on Excel for the web, including with charts that may use these external connections.

It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications.

It has been a very widely applied spreadsheet for these platforms, especially since version 5 in 1993, and it has replaced Lotus 1-2-3 as the industry standard for spreadsheets.

It has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering, and financial needs.

In addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited three-dimensional graphical display.

It allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors for different perspectives (using pivot tables and the scenario manager ).

It has a programming aspect, Visual Basic for Applications, allowing the user to employ a wide variety of numerical methods, for example, for solving differential equations of mathematical physics, 9 10 and then reporting the results back to the spreadsheet.

It also has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely hide the spreadsheet from the user, so the spreadsheet presents itself as a so-called application, or decision support system (DSS), via a custom-designed user interface, for example, a stock analyzer, 11 or in general, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports.

In a more elaborate realization, an Excel application can automatically poll external databases and measuring instruments using an update schedule, 15 analyze the results, make a Word report or PowerPoint slide show, and e-mail these presentations on a regular basis to a list of participants.

Of the 484 current functions, 386 may be called from VBA as methods of the object WorksheetFunction 18 and 44 have the same names as VBA functions.

The function sq is introduced using the Visual Basic editor supplied with Excel.

Programming with VBA allows spreadsheet manipulation that is awkward or impossible with standard spreadsheet techniques.

Excel 2007 Code Directly Using

Programmers may write code directly using the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which includes a window for writing code, debugging code, and code module organization environment.

The user can implement numerical methods as well as automating tasks such as formatting or data organization in VBA 20 and guide the calculation using any desired intermediate results reported back to the spreadsheet.

Excel 2007 Mac Excel 2011

VBA was restored in the next version, Mac Excel 2011, 21 although the build lacks support for ActiveX objects, impacting some high level developer tools.

These actions can then be repeated automatically by running the macro.

The macros can also be linked to different trigger types like keyboard shortcuts, a command button or a graphic.

The actions in the macro can be executed from these trigger types or from the generic toolbar options.

Certain features such as loop functions and screen prompt by their own properties, and some graphical display items, cannot be recorded but must be entered into the VBA module directly by the programmer.

Advanced users can employ user prompts to create an interactive program, or react to events such as sheets being loaded or changed.

Some code that is used in Excel 2010 cannot be used in Excel 2003.

Making a Macro that changes the cell colors and making changes to other aspects of cells may not be backward compatible.

User-created VBA subroutines execute these actions and operate like macros generated using the macro recorder, but are more flexible and efficient.

In early versions of Excel, these programs were written in a macro language whose statements had formula syntax and resided in the cells of special-purpose macro sheets (stored with file extension.XLM in Windows.) XLM was the default macro language for Excel through Excel 4.0.

Beginning with version 5.0 Excel recorded macros in VBA by default but with version 5.0 XLM recording was still allowed as an option.

All versions of Excel, including Excel 2010 are capable of running an XLM macro, though Microsoft discourages their use.

For example, suppose that the important design requirements are displayed visually; then, in response to a users change in trial values for parameters, the curves describing the design change shape, and their points of intersection shift, assisting the selection of the best design.

Excel 2007 For Mac