Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Tracked Changes Notification when Opening.
Robin is looking for a way to notify users, when a document is opened, as to whether there are any tracked changes in the document. This is not a standard feature of Word, but it can be added easily enough with an AutoOpen macro. If you want the macro to simply indicate whether Track Changes is turned on, you can use the following:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: 
Sub AutoOpen()
If ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = True Then
MsgBox "Track Changes is On."
End If
End Sub
Note that this macro doesn't let you know if there are actually any changes in the document, so it doesn't help in the situation where Track Changes is turned off, but unresolved changes from a previous editing session still exist. In that case, you need to expand the macro slightly.
Sub AutoOpen()
On Error Resume Next
If ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = True Then
MsgBox "Track Changes is On"
With ActiveWindow.View
.ShowRevisionsAndComments = True
.RevisionsView = wdRevisionsViewFinal
End With
Exit Sub
End If
If ActiveDocument.Revisions.Count > 0 Then
MsgBox "Document contains revisions"
With ActiveWindow.View
.ShowRevisionsAndComments = True
.RevisionsView = wdRevisionsViewFinal
End With
Exit Sub
End If
End Sub
This version of the macro checks two conditions, displaying a message box if Track Changes is turned on and also displaying a message box if there are any changes existing in the document. In both cases, the macro also changes the view of the document so that changes are visible on-screen.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (409) applies to Microsoft Word 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Tracked Changes Notification when Opening.
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