Mass Style modification?

[bhebert]

After upgrading from an earlier version of Word, I discovered that
spell checker wasn't checking entire documents. After some aggravating
research, I found out why. Parts of the documents were flagged "Do not
check" in the language setting.

The real problem is that I have several complex multi-style document
templates that I work from and somehow, in translating from the earlier
version to 2004, EVERY style was converted to include "do not check."
[MS: That's not a good default by the way, as most of us do want to
check spelling in our documents.]

In any event, I now realize that I need to change every style in every
template that I use in order to disable the "do not check" settings.

Please, is there any way that I can do this in a single operation. Or
must I do each style individually? (And no, the problem is not that
"Normal" style is set "do not check." It isn't. And my custom styles
aren't based on normal.)

Dreading the answer...

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi bhebert,

Open one of the documents, select all and go to Tools> Language. If just
some of the paragraphs in the document were flagged with "Do not check...",
then the "Do not check" box will display a dash. Click on it once and the
dash will change to a check mark; click on it again and the box will go
empty. Click okay and your entire document will no longer be set to "do not
check...."

This shouldn't be difficult to do for each document (as opposed to each
style).

--
***Please always reply to the newsgroup!***

Beth Rosengard
MacOffice MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm>
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Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org>

 

[bhebert]

Thanks. I've done that, but it isn't enough. It creates a clean slate,
but as soon as I start applying styles the styled paragraphs become "do
not check" (because that is how the styles are defined).

To avoid that problem, I need to redefine all of the styles. I'm hoping
there might be a way to do that en masse, but am doubtful.

Do the style definitions live in a text file somewhere that could be
edited to delete the do not check settings?

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hmmm. Now I understand the problem. There may be a way to mass convert the
styles using a macro but VBA is not my forte. There are a couple of other
regulars on this newsgroup who are quite VBA literate and may be able to
help. They usually check in here at least once a day so keep checking back.

In the meantime, how did you upgrade from X to 2004? I have never heard of
this happening before. The styles should not have altered and they
typically don't.

Do the templates exist elsewhere anymore? You could have someone mail one
to you, open it in Word 2004 and see if it's okay. If so, you could repeat
the process with the rest of the templates.

Sorry not to be of more help.

--
***Please always reply to the newsgroup!***

Beth Rosengard
MacOffice MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm>
(If using Safari, hit Refresh once or twice ­ or use another browser.)
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org>

 

[bhebert]

Actually, the source files are Word 5.1 for Mac. We jumped several
versions all at once.

<grumble> Boy am I nostalgic for the simple functionality of 5.1. I
feel like I need to use a machete to hack away all of the bells and
whistles that Word 2004 keeps strewing in front of me. I must have
spent half an hour just turning stuff off. </grumble>

 

[Clive Huggan]

Hello b,

The file structure of Word documents changed profoundly after 5.1 (PC and
Mac are now the same). When, screaming, I made the migration from Word 5.1a
to Word 2001, I decided to build my styles from scratch in the interests of
robustness. Given that my styles concatenate, it did not take long.

If you've only recently moved from Word 5.1, you might find value in some
notes on the way I use Word for the Mac, titled "Bend Word to Your Will",
which are available as a free download from the Word MVPs' website
(http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNe w/Bend/BendWord.htm).

The notes started off when I moved from 5.1 to 2001. Despite growing in size
(the page extent is now about 170 pages) and covering significant changes
in Word 2004, the underlying starting point is still migration from 5.1.

[Note: The document is designed to be used electronically and most subjects
are self-contained dictionary-style entries. Be sure to read the front end
so you can use the document to best advantage and select the right settings
for reading it.]

I have yet to meet one person who denigrates Word 5.1 <nostalgic sigh>. But
the world moves on (not necessarily upwards).

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is at least 7 hours different from the US and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
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[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Here you go:

Sub CancelNoProofing()

' Sets the Language of Styles in Mac Word
' Macro written 11 Aug 2005 by John McGhie

For Each aStyle In ActiveDocument.Styles
With aStyle
If .Type = wdStyleTypeParagraph Or .Type = wdStyleTypeCharacter Then
.NoProofing = False
End If
End With
Next ' aStyle

End Sub

If you do not know how to install a Macro, Daiya's article is here:

http://daiya.mvps.org/installMacroMac.htm

Cheers

Thanks. I've done that, but it isn't enough. It creates a clean slate,
but as soon as I start applying styles the styled paragraphs become "do
not check" (because that is how the styles are defined).

To avoid that problem, I need to redefine all of the styles. I'm hoping
there might be a way to do that en masse, but am doubtful.

Do the style definitions live in a text file somewhere that could be
edited to delete the do not check settings?

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410

 

[bhebert]

Thanks.