Mike has a document that contains quite a few words surrounded by quote marks. He would like the quoted words to be marked for inclusion in an index and for the quote marks to be removed.
The best way to make such a change in your document is through the use of a macro. The macro needs to search for the quoted text, figure out where it starts and stops, delete the quote marks, and then add the index mark. (The mark is added through the use of an XE field.)
There are probably many ways that such a macro could be constructed. The following is one that could be used:
Sub QuotesToIndexEntries() Dim iOpenQuote As Integer Dim iCloseQuote As Integer Dim sP As String Dim sPhrase As String Dim iParas As Integer If Selection.ExtendMode Then Exit Sub iParas = Selection.Paragraphs.Count Selection.StartOf unit:=wdParagraph, Extend:=wdMove For J = 1 To iParas Selection.MoveEnd unit:=wdParagraph sP = Selection.Text iOpenQuote = InStr(sP, Chr(34)) If iOpenQuote = 0 Then iOpenQuote = InStr(sP, Chr(147)) While iOpenQuote > 0 iCloseQuote = InStr(iOpenQuote + 1, sP, Chr(34)) If iCloseQuote = 0 Then iCloseQuote = InStr(iOpenQuote + 1, sP, Chr(148)) End If If iCloseQuote > 0 Then sPhrase = Mid(sP, iOpenQuote + 1, _ iCloseQuote - iOpenQuote - 1) Selection.Collapse Direction:=wdCollapseStart Selection.MoveRight unit:=wdCharacter, _ Count:=iOpenQuote - 1, Extend:=wdMove Selection.Delete unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.MoveRight unit:=wdCharacter, _ Count:=Len(sPhrase), Extend:=wdMove Selection.Delete unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.Fields.Add Range:=Selection.Range, _ Type:=wdFieldEmpty, _ PreserveFormatting:=False Selection.MoveLeft unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.Delete unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=2 Selection.TypeText Text:="XE " + Chr(34) + _ sPhrase + Chr(34) Selection.MoveRight unit:=wdCharacter, _ Count:=1, Extend:=wdMove End If Selection.MoveEnd unit:=wdParagraph sP = Selection.Text iOpenQuote = InStr(sP, Chr(34)) If iOpenQuote = 0 Then iOpenQuote = InStr(sP, Chr(147)) Wend Selection.MoveStart unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1 Next J End Sub
In order to use the macro, just select the text you want to affect prior to running it. (If you want to affect the entire document, press Ctrl+A before running the macro.)
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 (3804) 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: Adding Quoted Words to an Index.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!
One of the switches you can use with the index field allows you to specify how index entries should be separated from the ...
Discover MoreWhen generating an index, Word normally uses a dash to indicate page ranges. You can change the character used for these ...
Discover MoreThere are several ways you can create an index in Word, but the first step is always to figure out what should go in the ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments