Chapter 31. Automating Presentations with Macros

The true power of computers lies in their capability of automating work that would otherwise have to be done by people. Even though PowerPoint embodies years of user feedback and incorporates many time-saving features, sometimes the developers at Microsoft didn't include a feature or shortcut that you would find useful. What they did include with PowerPoint, however, is a powerful programming language. PowerPoint contains Visual Basic for Applications ( VBA ), a subset of the Visual Basic programming language. With VBA, you can create macros that go way beyond mere keystroke recording. In fact, by using the language, macro programmers can now work with many of PowerPoint's internal components . With VBA, you can "teach" PowerPoint to automatically perform many routine tasks at the click of a toolbar button.