ABSTRACT
This chapter describes several customization techniques. Software customization allows for the modification of commercial software in order to meet the unique requirements of an organization. A macro is an instruction that performs a series of keystrokes or commands to carry out a specific task. The macro is subsequently executed by pressing a hot key, clicking an icon or a button, or selecting the macro from a menu. Templates are documents that contain predefined styles and macros. The Microsoft suite of packaged software uses the Visual Basic for Applications programming language to add custom procedures to a standard program. Other manufacturers support Visual Basic or comparable languages. A set of forms might be created to allow a user to define queries or add, delete, and edit records in a database. With the increasing popularity of the World Wide Web, customization often includes web page design.
