How to process a word document line by line looking for "tags"

Hello,

Hopefully I am in the right place, seems strange to have word macro issues in an excel help forum If I am in wrong place I would appreciate some redirection tot e correct place.

I have a reasonable knowledge of Excel macros and the VBA needed to do "complex stuff" but have very little experience with macros in Word (2010).

My problem overview is that I need to process (parse) a document looking for predefined "tags" and then process the tag basically to add an entry into an Index of "tags" in a new section at the end of the document.

I can understand the steps I need to do but have no clue as to how to do it in Word (in excel I would have a "better than fighting chance" but alas not in Word)

If someone can point me to threads that can assist me that would also be very much appreciated

Cheers

Jmac1947

Hello Paul,

Thanks for the response. I suspect that my relatively careless use of english has caused a potential confusion. I am really not looking to simply index the document (although you have prompted me to look at the word feature that I don't think I have ever used before).

I am looking at parsing a word document line by line.

In essence I ignore all lines until I get to a tag that tells me I am starting a new group. I process all lines until I get to the next new group marker. In between the two "new group markers" there are a variable number of of "sub event tags" that I need to record as well.

I don't actually have a soft copy of the document to process as yet, this is me trying to see how it might be possible to achieve my goal.

The context is processing a transcript of proceedings. A new witness is called (aka a new group tag) and then a number of events can take place such as examined by "A", cross examined by "B", questioned by Judge, recalled, re-examined etc. until the witness "withdraws" and a new witness is called (aka a new group tag is found)

There are a couple of complexities to worry about but basically that is the process. As I find the tags I need to write them, along with appropriate page number, into what is effectively a summary of the tags which can be called "an index".

What I don't have any clue about is how to process a word document line by line, how I know the last line, how I know the page number etc.

As I alluded to in OP, I have a pretty fair grasp of VBA in the excel worksheet processing mode but no idea about word

John

Thanks Paul,

That is about exactly the process I was thinking about and trying to describe.

Unfortunately the end user is fixed on a simple "one touch macro" resolution to the issue, mostly I suspect because the group is looking to reduce the actual work involved in doing your suggestion.

I do like your thinking however and will see what I can "conjure up" as a demo for the user, maybe they will change their "hard and fast" requirements.

I do appreciate your help.

I see you are reasonably prolific in this part of the VBA forum. Can you possibly point me to a simple example of how you would process a word document in the manner I am used to in excel (fine the last row, process each row from x to last row "doing stuff".

A reasonable alternative that doesn't mean more work for you is "is there a word macros for dummies" type of background material available


John