MacScript is a function in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) that allows you to run AppleScript code from within a VBA macro in Microsoft Excel for Mac. By using this function, you can perform tasks on your Mac that would otherwise be outside the capabilities of VBA, essentially extending your VBA script’s functionality to control other applications on macOS.
Since Microsoft has been updating Excel for Mac, the MacScript function was deprecated in newer versions. If you’re using Excel 2016 or later for Mac, you won’t be able to use MacScript directly as it used to be in older versions. Instead, you might need to use AppleScriptTask to call an AppleScript script stored on the disk.
However, if you are indeed working with an older version of Excel for Mac that supports the MacScript function, you can use it like this:
Here’s an example VBA macro using MacScript (in older versions of Excel for Mac):
Sub RunAppleScript()
Dim script As String
Dim result As String
' AppleScript command to say "Hello World"
script = "say ""Hello, World"""
' Run the AppleScript command via MacScript
result = MacScript(script)
' Optionally, use the result
MsgBox result
End Sub
In the above example, the MacScript function is used to execute a simple AppleScript command that instructs the Mac to audibly say “Hello, World”.
If you are working with Excel 2016 or later for Mac and need to execute AppleScript, you need to save your AppleScript on disk and call it using AppleScriptTask as outlined below:
1. Write an AppleScript script and save it with the scpt extension in the ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.microsoft.Excel folder. For example, create a file named HelloWorld.scpt.
2. Your AppleScript could look like this:
applescript
on run argv
say “Hello, World”
return “Done”
end run
3. From your Excel VBA module, use the AppleScriptTask function to call your AppleScript file.
Sub RunAppleScriptTask()
Dim result As String
result = AppleScriptTask("HelloWorld.scpt", "run", "")
MsgBox result
End Sub
Remember that AppleScriptTask is the approach for automation scripts in newer Excel for Mac versions where direct inline AppleScript execution via MacScript is no longer supported.
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