Change Code to Comments

Fast solution

When you're testing procedures, you can temporarily convert a block of VBA code to comments that will be ignored during a trial run.

Doing so manually by inserting an apostrophe before each line of code can be a real chore.

To simplify this task,

1. Open any module in the Visual Basic Editor (VBE)
   
2. Choose View >Toolbars>Edit from the menu bar to display the Edit toolbar.
   
3. Select the lines of code that you want to turn into comments.
   
4. Click the Comment Block button on the Edit toolbar (it's the sixth button in from the right end of the toolbar).

Each line of the selected code is now preceded with an apostrophe. To convert the comments back to executable code, select the appropriate lines and click the Uncomment Block button, which is immediately to the right of the Comment Block button.


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Thumbnail Views

Little pages

The Thumbnail view can be used to see the layout of a page or to jump from one page to another.

With Word 2003 and 2007, Thumbnail views are available in Normal, Print Layout, Outline, and Reading Layout views. Go to View>Thumbnails to display the Thumbnail pane to the left of your document. In 2007+ go to View>Navigation tab>Show.

Thumbnail versions of your document will appear in a new pane to the left of your current document. Click on a thumbnail page and Word 2003/7 will automatically jump to the selected page.




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Calculation Tool in Word

Select and Add

In Excel an instant answer is displayed on the Status bar, when a series of numbers is selected.

If you would like to calculate lists or columns of numbers in Word, look at ToolsCalculate. It will display the answer AND let you paste the result in your document.

ToolsCalculate can be added to a menu or tool bar. Pre-2007, it is available through Tools>Customize.

1. On the Commands tab, select All Commands in the Category list, then scroll down the Commands list until you find ToolsCalculate.
   
   
2. Drag it to the menu bar and hover the mouse over "Tools" until the Tools menu drops down.
   
   
3. Drop Tools Calculate somewhere on the menu or drop it on a toolbar.
   
   
4. Close the Customize box.

For directions see:
MVPS.org FAQ

1. Type the numbers you want to calculate, along with the appropriate mathematical operators.
   
   Word can calculate numbers in a line, in a column or row in a table, or in a column separated from other columns with tabs. Word can also calculate numbers interspersed throughout the text in one or more paragraphs if you include a space on either side of each number.
   
   
2. Select the numbers and operators.
   
   
3. From the Tools menu, choose Calculate.
   
   Word calculates the result and displays it for a few seconds in the status bar. The result is stored on the Clipboard.
   
   
4. To insert the result into your document, position the insertion point and choose Paste from the Edit menu (CTRL+V) or click the Paste button on the Toolbar.

This is left over from the halcyon days of Word 2.0 when Woody Leonard and Ed Bott were but children.


In 2007-10+,

1. Click the Office logo
   
2. Go to Word Options on the bottom of the box.
   
3. Go to Customize.
   
4. Select All Commands and find Calculate.

The Calculate icon will now appear on the Quick Access toolbar.




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Theses by the Numbers

Colour or Color?

The University of Calgary has a step by step tutorial on how to write a thesis.

1. Choose a template
   
2. Download a template
   
3. Guidelines
   
4. Styles & their Relevance
   
5. Saving your files
   
6. Writing - hints & tips
   
7. Creating the Front Matter
   
8. Assembling Chapters
   
9. Page Numbers
   
10. Printout & Submission

Included are Word Thesis Templates
Some of the hints may provide you with some help even if you use the letter "U" in a more parsimonious manner.


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Adjust a Page Border

Fix the box

There is a border around your title page, but the bottom line doesn't print. Usually the reason is that the bottom line (or on a landscape page, the right border) falls within your printer's unprintable area. Here are some suggestions for finding just where that area is and how to adjust your border so that it will print.

• Find your printer's unprintable area
  
  Your printer manual may specify the unprintable areas. Inkjet printers, in particular, often have a large unprintable area at the bottom of the page.
  
  Here's a way to discover them for yourself in Word.
  
  
  1. Choose File>Page Setup>Margins tab. Change all four margin settings to 0". Choose OK.
     
     
  2. You're told that one or more margins are set outside the printable area of the page. Choose Fix.
     
     
  3. Word adjusts the margin settings to your printer's minimum values. Jot down your printer's settings for your future reference, then Cancel the dialog.
  
  
• Adjust the Page Border
  
  
  1. Set the insertion point on the page that's bordered, then choose Format>Borders and Shading> Page Border tab. Choose Options.
     
     
  2. At the Border and Shading Options dialog, note that the default settings are to have all four borders set to 24 pt (which is 1/3"), and to have Measure from: set to Edge of Page.
     
     
  3. To maintain the measurement from the edge of the page, yet move the borders in more toward the center, set the measurements for each of the four margins to 31 pt (the maximum allowed).
     
     For an alternative setting, set Measure from: to Text. Now the Margin settings measure outward from your text margins. You can set the Margin values anywhere from 0 pt to 31 pt.
     
     
  4. Click OK>OK. Use the Standard toolbar's Print Preview tool to evaluate your results.
  
  

The border is measured from your text margins, not from your actual text. So, if your bottom border still doesn't print, increase the size of your bottom margin, then adjust the other margins as needed for a balanced appearance.


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Unicode is Huge

More symbols and letters

This free download lets you see and select more characters in the Unicode set. The Unicode Character Grid shows all assigned characters and private use characters in Unicode 6+.



BablePad

Here's a blog covering Scripts, Unicode, Character Encoding and BabelStone Stuff
BableStone Blog


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Format Cleansing

Go back to a simpler time

There can come a time when a document becomes too complicated and the formatting appears more like mud.

For most documents it's a good idea to use styles. These help standardize the formatting for the whole document. But what happens when the paragraph or word doesn't appear in the correct style? While a style is set for each paragraph, it can be overridden by separate formatting for all or part of the paragraph. When you paste in text from another document or web page, it will bring with it the formatting on the source page.

Here's a quick shortcut that will remove all additional formatting from a selection and leave you with normal formatting.

Ctrl+SPACEBAR Remove character formatting

Ctrl+Q Remove paragraph formatting

To clear up the whole document try:

Ctrl+A Then one or both of the shortcuts.

To just get back to Normal Style use:
Ctrl+Shift+N


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Insert Page Numbers

Don't get framed

If you use Insert>Page Numbers to number your document, the character will be contained in a frame.

This can, sometimes, make formatting the Header or Footer difficult.

A more versatile solution is to use Insert>Field.
Look for PAGE and NUMPAGES.

See:
Word.MVPS.org:
How to control the page numbering in a Word document

"Page X of Y" gives wrong numbers

YouTube:
Placing the page number correctly on a landscape page


There is, also, an excellent discussion about how Word handles numbering at the
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ Site


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Declaring Multiple Variables

Declare each one

When setting up a macro in VBA, if you want to declare multiple variables in one line of code, be sure to specify the type for each variable, even if the variables are the same type. Avoid code like the following:

Dim strFName, strLName, strMI As String

In such a case, only the last variable, strMI, is actually declared as a String type. The first two variables are designated by default as Variant data types.

To correctly declare the three variables, you would use the statement:

Dim strFName As String, strLName As String, strMI As String


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Place Marker

If it's broke, fix it

To return to your last edit point, press Shift+F5. For instance, if you have copied and want to return to where you were in order to paste.

Press Shift+F5 again to go to up to the last three edit points, or a fourth time to return to where you started.

In Word 97 you could use this when you first open a document, to go straight back to where you last edited.

There was a change with 2000+ that broke this. The \PrevSel1 bookmark is destroyed when the document is saved.

The Word MVP site has a fix and some other interesting suggestions:

GoBack (Shift+F5) doesn't work in some newly-opened documents

Here are some more bookmarks:
Predefined bookmarks


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Format Again by Keyboard

Shortcut to copy

This is one of those tips that you probable skimmed past some time ago.
Rather than using the Format Painter, here's a keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the text with the formatting you want.
   
2. Ctrl+Shift+C.
   
3. Select the text to be formatted.
   
4. Ctrl+Shift+V will paste the new formatting.

It's the Shift key that adds the functionality to our old friends Copy/Paste.


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Digital Signatures

How do I know it's real?

If you find a need to provide some sort of certification that your document has not been tampered with and is the real thing, you might consider a digital signature.

This Microsoft Support article discusses the process.

What is a digital certificate?

What is a digital signature?

What occurs when I use a digital signature?

What Word files can I sign?

How can I obtain a digital signature?

• Method 1: Obtain a digital certificate from a certification authority
  
• Method 2: Create your own digital certificate

Description of digital signatures and code

Here's information for Excel.

Digital Signatures for Excel


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Protected Spell Checker

Correct the protected

Unfortunately, Word's protection feature disables a huge number of important functions, even if you only protect a single section of a document.

Besides the spellchecker, many other items on the View, Insert, Format, Tools and Table menus are disabled, as well as most items on the Drawing, Database, Visual Basic and Picture toolbars.

This MS Word MVP FAQ Site article lays out the steps needed to

Enable the spellchecker in a protected document.

One of the important elements is "NoReset=True". The act of removing and then re-protecting a document will reset the data without this line.

In Office 2007+ Protection is found on the Review tab:

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May I Comment on Your Balloon?

Markup stuff

How to turn off balloons for comments and track changes in Word.

This article describes how to turn off the balloons that appear for comments and track changes in the right side margin of your Microsoft Word 2002 or Microsoft Office Word 2003 document.

To turn off or hide the balloons for comments and track changes in the right side margin of a Microsoft Word document, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
2. On the Track Changes tab, do one of the following: In Word 2003, change the Use Balloons (Print and Web Layout) box to Never.
   • In Word 2002, click to clear the Use Balloons in Print and Web Layout check box.
     
3. Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

Note This process only hides the balloons for comments and track changes. These steps do not remove any changes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Comments
Using Tracking and Reviewing Features in Microsoft Word


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VBA Help

From Microsoft

Here is a Help reference covering the vagaries of VBA.


Office VBA Language Reference


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Save Clean Document

Protect your layout

Sometimes a Word document does not open as well laid out as you intended.

The page numbers may be off (the numbers may be repeated).

Formatting marks may be displayed (not a big thing, but not neat).

This can happen if:

• You open the document from a Microsoft Outlook e-mail attachment.
  
• The Allow starting in Reading Layout option is turned on in Word.
  
• The table of contents in the document is three or more pages long.
  
• The document was saved in the page layout view.

Microsoft offers these suggestions to prepare your baby for its best look. When you send a Word document as an e-mail attachment, make sure that you save the document in normal view before you send the document. Turn off reading layout view

1. Start Word.
   
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
3. Click the General tab, click to clear the Allow starting in Reading Layout check box, and then click OK.

Turn off all formatting marks

1. Start Word.
   
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
3. Click the View tab, click to deselect the All check box under Formatting marks, and then click OK.

Manually update all the page numbers

1. Open the Word document.
   
2. Select the table of contents in the document, and then press F9 to update all the page numbers.

Support.Microsoft.com
The page numbers in the TOC are incorrectly displayed


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Plain Numbers

I'd Like to Make It Clear

Plain Figures is a method of transforming statistical and financial data into figures, tables and graphs that people readily understand.

Have you ever:

• squinted your eyes trying to see the numbers in a PowerPoint presentation?
  
  
• scratched your head at a charity leaflet with an indecipherable pie chart titled 'Where your donation goes' ... and set it aside?
  
  
• missed discussion at a meeting because you were busy trying to figure out the figures?
  
  
• put aside a graph or table, thinking "I'm not good with numbers."?

Then you know how important the clear display of numerical information can be. Common problems People have trouble using numerical information for many reasons. Most commonly, authors don't know:

• what to include: when unsure what numbers are important, people frequently display them all, overpowering the reader with irrelevance.
  
  
• which format to use: the choice between text and table, table and chart, bar and pie.
  
  
• how to use the technology effectively: computer software generates graphs easily, but the results hide your point behind incomprehensible chartjunk.
  
  
• how to explain the information: selecting the right words for titles, columns and captions.

Plain Figures is a partnership between Sally Bigwood, located in Wakefield, Yorkshire, UK, and Melissa Spore, who divides her time between Toronto and Saskatoon, Canada. Sally and Melissa are sisters and both have dual citizenship in the United States.
 PlainFigures.com


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Echo Document Data

Enter once — use again

Enter data in one place in a document and have it repeated elsewhere.

There comes the time when you need to enter a clients name at the beginning of a document and you know that it will be repeated again many other places.

Greg Maxey has collected a number of ways to make the task easier.


Repeating Data


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SQL Warning in Word

Merge Ahead!

When you open a Word  mail merge main document that is linked to a data source, you may receive the following message:

Opening this will run the following SQL command:

SELECT * FROM C:\file_name.log

Data from your database will be placed in the document. Do you want to continue?

This message helps protect you from unintentionally sending data to a malicious user.
To suppress this message, you must first create the following registry key:

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Locate, and then click the following registry key:
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options
   
   (Use 12.0 for Word 2007)
   
   
3. Click Edit, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
   
   
4. Under Name, type:
   
   SQLSecurityCheck
   
   
5. Double-click SQLSecurityCheck.
   
   
6. In the Value data box, type:
   
   00000000

See
Microsoft KB 825765

Installing Office XP SP3 appears to cause the same problem. For Word 2002 (XP also known as 10.0) you need to place the registry key in: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Word\Options

(Thanks to Brian Livingston at WindowsSecrets.com for pointing the way to a solution)


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PowerPoint Bloats Word

Diet tips

For various reasons, it can be helpful to send a PowerPoint show to Word. You can have great looking handouts and be able to format the document in ways that are not possible in PowerPoint.

The problem can be the size of the resultant file.

One of the easier, more practical ways to slim the doc down is to break the OLE links.

The size of a Word document may be 20 to 50 times larger than a PowerPoint presentation when you send the presentation to Word.

1. Start PowerPoint.
   
   
2. On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Microsoft Office Word.
   
   
3. Click Paste link, and then click OK.
   
   
4. In the resulting Word document, click Links on the Edit menu.
   
   
5. Select all the links that are listed, and then click Break Link.
   
   
6. Click Yes when you are prompted.
   
   
7. Save the Word document.

When you eliminate the OLE overhead, you can reduce the size of the Word document by 90 percent

Support.microsoft.com
 Size of Word Document


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