myExcelVbaEmacsKey

My configuration of Excel vba to use Emacs key bindings

Features

• Emacs-like selection moving (forward: C-f, backward: C-b, next: C-n, previous: C-p)
• Move end/start in the active row (end: C-e, start: C-a)
• Kill/Insert row (kill: C-k insert: C-i)
• Keep windows common keybindings (Copy: C-c, Paste: C-v, Cut: C-x)
• Scroll up/down (up: C-u, down: C-d)
• Other powerful functions
  • SheetForward / SheetPrevious : Select the next/previous sheet
  • CreateSheet : Create the new sheet named by your input
  • MoveRow / MoveCol : Move the selection toward the row/column direction by inputted number/alphabet
• Refered to EmacsMode.bas in this

Requirements

• Excel

I saw this program work on Excel 2007 and Windows7.

Install

Use only on the specified book

Import the module file (myEmacsKey.bas) as the standard module and execute the procedure MyEmacsMode.

1. Open the Excel book.
2. Click Developer>”Visual Basic” on Ribbon (or Alt + F11).

   → VBE (Visual Basic Editor) is opened

3. Select the desired project in Project explorer and File>”Import File…” on menu bar (or right click on the desired project and click “Import File…”)
4. Select the module file (myEmacsKey.bas) and import.

   → The new module is created under the module hierarchy on “Project explorer”

5. Return to the Excel book window and click Developer>macro on Ribbon and execute MyEmacsMode.

Use globally

Create Personal.xlsb (which is always opened internally ,whatever book is opened) and import the module file (myEmacsKey.bas) on it. Additionaly you have to register MyEmacsMode procedure as follows so that it can be read every time the book is opened.

1. Create Personal.xlsb seeing Copy your macros to a Personal Macro Workbook. You may delete the macro which is made only to create this file.
2. Open VBE and import above module files.
3. The following codes are put into ThisWorkbook under the project of PERSONAL.xlsb. The procedure MyEmacsMode is read every time Excel is opened.

Private Sub Workbook_Open() 
  Call MyEmacsMode          
End Sub                     

Default key bindings and function descriptions

Key Binding	Function Name	Description
C-f	ForwardCellModified	select forward cell
C-b	BackwardCell	select backward cell
C-n	NextLineModified	select next line
C-p	PreviousLine	select previous line
C-M-f C-M-b	MoveCol	Move the selection to the row directed by the inputted number
C-M-n C-M-p	MoveRow	Move the selection to the column directed by the inputted alphabet
M-g	MoveRowCol	Move the selection to the cell directed by inputted ID
C-l	Recenter	Scroll up/down to center the active row
C-u	ScrollUp	Scroll up by one page
C-d	ScrollDown	Scroll down by one page
C-M-j	SmallScrollDown	Scroll down by one row
C-M-k	SmallScrollUp	Scroll up by one row
C-M-l	SmallScrollRight	Scroll right by one column
C-M-h	SmallScrollLeft	Scroll left by one column
C-+	WindowZoom	zoom in the active window
C--	WindowShrink	zoom out the active window
C-TAB	SheetForward	Select the forward sheet
C-S-TAB	SheetPrevious	Select the previous sheet
C-!	FirstSheet	Select the first sheet
C-(	LastSheet	Select the last sheet
C-k	KillRow	Kill the active row
C-S-k	KillMultipleRow	Kill the multiple rows by the inputted number
C-i	InsertRow	Insert a new row
C-S-i	InsertMultipleRow	Insert the multiple rows by the inputted number
M-<	BeginningOfUsedRange	Select the first cell in the used range
M->	EndOfUsedRange	Select the last cell in the used range
C-M-a	BeginningOfUsedRangeRow	Move the selection to the first row in the used range
C-M-e	EndOfUsedRangeRow	Move the selection to the last row in the used range
C-g	GroupCommand	Group the selected shapes
C-u	UnGroupCommand	Ungroup the selected group shape
C-t	CreateSheet	Create the new sheet you named after the active sheet
C-s	Search	Open the search dialog
C-r	Replace	Open the replace dialog
C-y	paste	original paste
M-s	MySaveFile	Save the book
C-M-r	MyFindFile	Open the dialog and select the file to be opened
S-ESC	Enable_Keys	Deactivate this emacs key bindings

Modify

Since the configuration meets only my needs, I encourage you to modify some configurations especially about key bindings. Modifying is enabled only by modifying imported module directly on VBE or by importing the module file (myEmacsKey.bas) you edited.

Future works (I want your ideas to solve them)

• Move the window of InputBox where it does not prevent viewing
• Use the other input method not to create the window instead of using InputBox
• I want to assign C-M-... commands to M-... keys, but many M-... keys were shadowed by the default access keys. I want to make them disable.
• Translate C-m into Enter like Emacs
• Create the undo procedure