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Create autotext
entries from a Word table |
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Word 2007 has changed how autotext
works, and the removal of auto-complete from that version renders it
less convenient, but there are still plenty of people using earlier
versions, who wish to maintain lists of autotext entries. It is at those
users that this page is aimed.
Word provides the
mechanism to edit entries individually, but it is possible to maintain a
list of autotext entries in a Word table and apply them to a Word
template.
The list of entries is stored in a document
containing a two column Word table, which is saved here with the name
"D:\My Documents\Test\AutotextTable.doc".
The name and path of the document are unimportant as long as they are
entered into the macros in place of this name and path. |
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The first column contains the
autotext names. The second column contains the texts associated with
those names.
Autotexts are filed in Word according to the
style that was attached to the text when the entry was created. If the
entry contains the paragraph mark that terminates the entry (circled in
red), it will be stored with the formatting that is associated with the
applied style otherwise it is merely stored under the style name and
when inserted adopts the formatting of the paragraph the text is
inserted into. Manual formatting is retained in either instance. |
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The following macro loads the table
document, reads each entry from the table, and enters it into the Normal
template overwriting any existing autotext entry of the same name.
If you don't know how to use macro listings, see
http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm |
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Sub
AutoTextFromTableAdd()
Dim aTextDoc As
Document
Dim cTable As
Table
Dim rName As
Range, rText As Range
Dim i As
Long
Dim sFname As
String
sFname = "D:\My Documents\Test\AutotextTable.doc"
Set aTextDoc = Documents.Open(sFname)
Set cTable = aTextDoc.Tables(1)
For i = 1 To
cTable.Rows.Count
Set rName = cTable.Cell(i, 1).Range
rName.End = rName.End - 1
Set rText = cTable.Cell(i, 2).Range
rText.End = rText.End - 1
NormalTemplate.AutoTextEntries.Add name:=rName, _
Range:=rText
Next i
aTextDoc.Close wdDoNotSaveChanges
End Sub |
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The following macro deletes from the Normal
template the list of autotext entries stored in the table. |
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Note: |
If you plan to reduce the number of autotext entries
by deleting some unwanted items from the table, run the following macro
BEFORE deleting the entries from the table, or they will remain
in the Normal template after the changes have been made. The macro only
deletes entries named in the table! |
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Sub
AutoTextFromTableDelete()
Dim aTextDoc As
Document
Dim cTable As
Table
Dim rName As
Range, rText As Range
Dim i As Long
Dim sFname As String
sFname = "D:\My Documents\Test\AutotextTable.doc"
Set aTextDoc = Documents.Open(sFname)
Set cTable = aTextDoc.Tables(1)
On Error Resume Next
For i = 1 To
cTable.Rows.Count
Set rName = cTable.Cell(i, 1).Range
rName.End = rName.End - 1
NormalTemplate.AutoTextEntries(rName).Delete
Next i
aTextDoc.Close wdDoNotSaveChanges
End Sub |
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In the example above the first entry from
the table is formatted in Heading 1 style and thus appears in the
Heading 1 listing. When inserted, because the paragraph mark is
included, the entry is formatted with the Heading 1 style thus: |
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In the case of the entry "text2" this
does not include the paragraph mark so is formatted with the style of
the paragraph into which it is inserted, but retains the manual
formatting thus: |
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