Advice on cleaning up a Word document
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- gamma jay
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Advice on cleaning up a Word document
I have a large legal document that is styled in a specific legal format using custom styles and paragraph numbering. As with many large documents that have been reviewed and past through many hands, there is a mess of "sub" styles where it lists Heading 1 + Bold+ Line Spacing, etc... in the Styles list. Also, paragraphs do not seems to link to their appropriate styles (for example, I click on a second level paragraph, and it shows the Heading 1 style activate in the gallery on the home tab). lastly, Outline numbering is out... I enter to create a sub point in the main numbering of 3. and the number that gets generated is 2.1 instead of 3.1.
My question is this...
What is the best route to follow to "clean" up this document?
-- Select ALL and clear formats by assigning Normal style to it...and starting afresh? Not really wanting to as the doc is about 50 pages long.
-- Work paragraph at a time and reformat to new clean styles
-- Delete ALL unused styles and relink data to appropriate styles
-- etc...
Can I get some thoughts and ideas...maybe some tips and tricks on cleaning up the document, the styles and the numbering?
Many TX.
My question is this...
What is the best route to follow to "clean" up this document?
-- Select ALL and clear formats by assigning Normal style to it...and starting afresh? Not really wanting to as the doc is about 50 pages long.
-- Work paragraph at a time and reformat to new clean styles
-- Delete ALL unused styles and relink data to appropriate styles
-- etc...
Can I get some thoughts and ideas...maybe some tips and tricks on cleaning up the document, the styles and the numbering?
Many TX.
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- Administrator
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
With really messy documents, what works best for me - unpleasant as it may be - is to copy the entire document (Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+C), then paste it as plain text into a blank new document.
Create only the strictly necessary styles in the new document.
Keeping the old and new document open side by side, work through the new document and apply styles as needed.
Any pictures, shapes etc. will have to be copied from the old document into the new one.
Page setup will have to be redone.
A lot of work, but in the end more efficient than trying to repair a 'mutilated' document, in my experience.
Create only the strictly necessary styles in the new document.
Keeping the old and new document open side by side, work through the new document and apply styles as needed.
Any pictures, shapes etc. will have to be copied from the old document into the new one.
Page setup will have to be redone.
A lot of work, but in the end more efficient than trying to repair a 'mutilated' document, in my experience.
Best wishes,
Hans
Hans
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- gamma jay
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Actually that gives me an idea. If one has a blank template on which the original "mutated" document was based, one can paste as text into the template and reassign the already setup styles to the paragraphs as you work your way from top to bottom. Good strategy.
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- GoldLounger
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
I would go with Hans' method any time.
I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living
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- gamma jay
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
On a similar note:HansV wrote: Create only the strictly necessary styles in the new document.
Does anyone have a macro that can quickly delete ALL the styles EXCEPT ones that are actually in use in a given document.
I have seen one or two on the web, but they looked extremely bloated and cumbersome.
Not urgent, just inquiring... TX
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- Administrator
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Go with one of the bloated, cumbersome macros. Simple ones won't do what you want.
Best wishes,
Hans
Hans
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- gamma jay
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
I should put that statement in the Proverbial Contradictions Thread....HansV wrote:Go with one of the bloated, cumbersome macros. Simple ones won't do what you want.
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- PlutoniumLounger
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
http://www.chrisgreaves.com/DocumentConversion/Rudi wrote:Can I get some thoughts and ideas...
P.S. Want to see my Styles suite?
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He who plants a seed, plants life.
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- gamma jay
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Hey Chris,
is there any chance that I can borrow a spanner from that rather large toolset...
is there any chance that I can borrow a spanner from that rather large toolset...
Last edited by Rudi on 20 Jun 2014, 11:38, edited 2 times in total.
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- 4StarLounger
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
A simpler cleanup method might be to copy & paste - with formatting, then use Ctrl-A, Ctrl-Spacebar in the copied document. That should remove all direct formatting, leaving you with much less to clean up. Find/Replace can also be used to exchange unwanted Styles with the correct ones prior to the unwanted Styles' deletion.
Except for Linked and BuiltIn Styles, the following macro deletes all unused Styles in a document.
Except for Linked and BuiltIn Styles, the following macro deletes all unused Styles in a document.
Code: Select all
Sub DeleteUnusedStyles()
Dim Doc As Document, bDel As Boolean
Dim Rng As Range, StlNm As String, i As Long
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Set Doc = ActiveDocument
With Doc
For i = .Styles.Count To 1 Step -1
With .Styles(i)
If .BuiltIn = False And .Linked = False Then
bDel = True: StlNm = .NameLocal
For Each Rng In Doc.StoryRanges
With Rng
With .Find
.ClearFormatting
.Format = True
.Style = StlNm
.Execute
End With
If .Find.Found = True Then
bDel = False
Exit For
End If
End With
Next
If bDel = True Then .Delete
End If
End With
Next
End With
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]
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- Microsoft MVP
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
The Ctrl+A, Ctrl+spacebar to clear direct formatting will get rid of those. Even without it, though, you can suppress their display as styles. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S to open the Styles pane, and click the Options link at the bottom of the pane. In the Options dialog, under "Select formatting to show as styles", uncheck all three boxes.mess of "sub" styles where it lists Heading 1 + Bold+ Line Spacing, etc...
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- gamma jay
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Oh...the VALUE of a forum...
These are awesome contributions! My TX to everyone that has replied. Certainly some food for thought and I have a lot of testing to do with the given advice.
Grateful
These are awesome contributions! My TX to everyone that has replied. Certainly some food for thought and I have a lot of testing to do with the given advice.
Grateful
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- gamma jay
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- Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Hi Chris,
I'm running Office 2013 32bit.
It seems your Add-In is not compatible with this version.
I am however very grateful for your willingness to assist and share this Add-In of yours.
Cheers
I'm running Office 2013 32bit.
It seems your Add-In is not compatible with this version.
I am however very grateful for your willingness to assist and share this Add-In of yours.
Cheers
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Regards,
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
Rudi
If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.
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- PlutoniumLounger
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Hi Rudi. Sad news indeed.Rudi wrote:Hi Chris,I'm running Office 2013 32bit. It seems your Add-In is not compatible with this version.
I will rustle up (if I can) a copy of 2013 and see what happens on my 64-bit.
I'm unlikely to find a 32-bit m/c nowadays.
Cheers
He who plants a seed, plants life.
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- Administrator
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Re: Advice on cleaning up a Word document
Chris,
Do you really run a 64 bit version of Office? That's quite unusual. Most of us run 32 bit Office with 64 bit Windows - because so many things are incompatible with 64 bit Office.
Do you really run a 64 bit version of Office? That's quite unusual. Most of us run 32 bit Office with 64 bit Windows - because so many things are incompatible with 64 bit Office.
StuartR