Word 97 macros for formatting illustrations
I format illustrations before I add them to the collection and these macros greatly simplify the task. Many texts from the Internet contain paragraph marks (carriage returns) at the end of each line, and generally the sentences are separated by a single space. I prefer paragraphs separated by a blank line and two spaces between sentences. Other macros double the paragraph marks or halve them, or removed those pesky >>>> symbols in forwarded email. Formatting like bold and italics cannot be used in Access 97 so I include macros which convert these to All Caps.
To use the macros, unzip the document, open it in Word, and select and copy all the text. Then press ALT+F8 to open the macro list. No matter which one is listed, click the EDIT button on the right. Hit CTRL+END to go to the end of the macros, and press SHIFT+INS to paste the new macro material into the list. Each macro begins with "Sub [macro name]()" and ends with "End sub". Click the SAVE icon to preserve the new macros.
By far the easiest way to use macros is to put them on a toolbar (they contain icons at the top of your screen). When you right-click on an toolbar it will pop up a list of all available bars. I added my macros to the formatting bar but you can modify any of them. To add the new macros, right-click on the bar you want to use and choose CUSTOMIZE. A pop up box has tabs for Toolbars, Commands and Options. Click on Commands, then scroll down to MACROS and click on it.
On the right side will be a list of macros with names something like "Normal.NewMacros.[name]". Use the elevator button to scroll down to "Normal.NewMacros.Illustration..." [the "_Prep" may be off to the edge and unreadable]. Left-click on the name and hold the button down as you drag it to the toolbar. When you reach the bar a fat "I" symbol will show you where it will be inserted. Release your button and the toolbar should have an entry that reads "Normal.NewMacros.Illustration_Prep". That takes up a lot of toobar space, so you want to abbreviate it. You can do this by changing the name to an icon, or what I prefer, changing it to a two letter abbreviation. While you are still in the Customize view, right-click on the new entry on the toolbar. The pop up box will say "Name: Normal.NewMacros.Illustration_Prep". Change it to "IP" (without quotes) or something that makes sense to you. If you want, you can go to the bottom of the pop up box and choose Begin A Group to add a dividing line on the toolbar in front of the macro. Press Enter and the macro remains on your toolbar. (To remove it, right-click to Customize and drag the macro from the toolbar.)
To see how the macro works, open a potential illustration, click the IP on the toolbar and the macro will run. It is not instantaneous because the macro has to run through a lot of repetitious routines. When the screen stops blinking the macro is done. Not all errors are caught so it is a good idea to visually scan the finished illustration yourself.
Here is the zipped document which contains the macros: Illustration formatting.zip
This document contains a number of macros. Here is a brief description of the macros included:
Macro |
description |
Illustration_Prep |
This is the main macro for formatting; basically it removes "carriage returns" from the end of each line and separates sentences with two spaces. Note that it is composed of multiple macros which you can run by themselves or use in other macros. |
double_paragraph |
Doubles the paragraph marks (ie, carriage returns) to add a blank space between paragraphs. |
paragraphs_halved |
Converts double paragraph marks to single ones. |
paragraph_to_linebreak |
Converts paragraph mark to newline character - "illustraton_prep" will not modify them. |
bold_alone_caps |
Converts only bold text to All Caps, since Access 97 does not allow bold text. |
bold_and_italics_to_caps |
Converts both bold text and italics to All Caps, since Access 97 does not allow bold or italics. (Avoid using this when large blocks of text, such as blocks of Scripture, are in italic text.) |
tabs_removed |
Converts tab characters to two spaces (tabs do not display in Access 97); the amount of space can be modified. |
RA |
Removes ASCII carriage returns at end of each line, but preserves paragraph divisions. |
paragraph_and_space_doubled |
Paragraphs which are set apart by use of leading spaces are converted to a blank line separating paragraphs. |
remove_arrows |
Removes the ">" symbol that is often added in email when it is forwarded. |
Rev. David Holwick
Ledgewood Baptist Church
May 16, 2001