Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 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: Repeating In a Macro.

Repeating In a Macro

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 20, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


2

One of the most common things you need to do when creating a macro is to repeat a block of actions for each occurrence of something within a file. This may sound strange, but those who program know the situation very well—you need to search through a file and then take some action, repeat the search and repeat the action, and so on until the end of the file is reached. The general approach is as follows:

Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
[set up for your search]
Selection.Find.Execute
While Selection.Find.Found
    [take some action]
    Selection.Find.Execute
Wend

The first line in this example moves to the beginning of the document. You then use whatever commands necessary to set up for your search. When the Selection.Find.Execute line is encountered, Word performs the actual search. Then Selection.Find.Found is used to control the While ... Wend loop. This property (Selection.Find.Found) is set to True each time an executed search actually results in something being found. Thus, the whole While ... Wend loop is repeated over and over again, as long as whatever you are searching for continues to be found. As the last step in the loop, the Selection.Find.Execute statement is used to once again perform the search.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1083) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Repeating In a Macro.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Moving Breaks Quickly

Breaks in a document can be easily moved from one place to another using familiar editing techniques. The trick is to ...

Discover More

Adding a File Path and Filename

If you need to stuff the current workbook's filename and path into a cell or a header or footer, you'll appreciate the ...

Discover More

Using Text Boundaries

Text boundaries can help you better visualize where text can appear in your document. The feature is easy to turn on and ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (menu)

Writing a Macro from Scratch

Creating macros can help extend what you can do in Word. If you work with macros, you know that creating macros from ...

Discover More

Using Message Boxes

If your macro needs to communicate with a user, one simple way to do it is to use a message box. Here's how to use this ...

Discover More

Saving Changes when Closing

If you write a macro that makes changes to a document, you may want that macro to save those changes. There are several ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six minus 6?

2015-05-13 12:12:47

Dawn

What goes in the "take some action" section in your example?


2015-03-29 00:05:57

Redeer

I currently have a macro like this that goes character by character (i.e. slowly). It is changing the color of the character if the Selection.Find.Found color is not blue.
Is there any way to have it iterate through the whole document paragraph by paragraph or sentence by sentence?


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.