September 2007

There were 2 posts published in September 2007 (this is page 1 of 1).

Deleting Multiple Comments

While editing in Word, you may use Word's Comments feature (Insert > Comment) to insert questions for your client--or possibly your client has used comments to insert questions for you. In either case, there will probably come a time when you need to remove the comments so the file can be used for typesetting. But deleting comments one at a time can be a real pain.

The solution? A trusty macro, of course. Here's a simple macro that will delete all the comments in a document:

Dim aComment
For Each aComment In ActiveDocument.Comments
aComment.Delete
Next

If you don't know how to use such macros, you'll find instructions here:

http://lists.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1706922855

But what if there are comments you don't *want* to delete? For example, what if the only comments you want to remove are the ones you created? The following macro will do the trick:

Dim aComment
For Each aComment In ActiveDocument.Comments
If ActiveDocument.Comments(1).Initial = "JML" Then
aComment.Delete
End If
Next

Just put your own initials in the macro in place of "JML" and off you go--comments deleted; problem solved.

_________________________________________

RESOURCES

Making Word Work for You: An Editor's Intro to the Tool of the Trade, by Hilary Powers

ISBN: 978-1-880407-22-6

If you've spent much time in user groups related to Microsoft Word and freelance copyediting, you're probably familiar with the helpful and distinctive postings from Hilary Powers, an expert word-whacker and one of the most respected and successful freelancers I know. When Hilary talks, people listen. And now for the big news: Hilary has released her long-awaited book, Making Word Work for You! You can learn more about the book here:

http://www.the-efa.org/res/booklets.html

Here's the "official" description: "Successful freelance editor Hilary Powers explains how to get the most out of Microsoft Word when editing manuscripts on screen. Among the subjects she covers are personalizing the program and the screen to meet your needs and taste, deploying Word's custom features, domesticating Track Changes, creating and using macros and templates, coping with the snares and pitfalls Word users often encounter, and finding useful resources and program add-ins. With this guidance, editors can increase their page-per-hour throughput--and their income."

Making Word Work for You is available from the Editorial Freelancers Association as a printed booklet and as a downloadable PDF file, both for a price that is less than a lunch at the food court in the mall. If your time is worth anything, you *must* read this book. Nobody--and I mean nobody--understands how to wring productivity out of Microsoft Word the way Hilary does. Don't wait--get this book *now* and follow Hilary's advice. You'll be glad you did. You can buy the book here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/1175135

Many thanks to Hilary for providing such a valuable resource.

Deleting Multiple Bookmarks

Bookmarks in a Word document are useful for many things, such as, well, marking your place, marking ranges for index entries, and marking text for cross-references. But they can also get in the way--for example, if you've finished editing a document for a client and have several dozen bookmarks you've created but now need to delete, or if you're getting ready to import a Word document into QuarkXPress or InDesign, which don't like bookmarks.

The usual procedure for deleting bookmarks is to click Insert > Bookmarks, select a bookmark, and click the Delete button--over and over and over again, since Word won't let you select more than one bookmark at a time.

The solution? A trusty macro, of course. Here's a simple one that will delete all the bookmarks in a document:

Dim aBookmark
For Each aBookmark In ActiveDocument.Bookmarks
aBookmark.Delete
Next

If you don't know how to use such macros, you'll find instructions here:

http://lists.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1706922855

But what if your client included bookmarks that you don't *want* to delete? What if the only bookmarks you want to remove are the ones *you* created? Well, if you've started those bookmarks with a unique identifier, such as your initials, the solution is easy. For example, my initials are JML, so I name my bookmarks something like this:

JMLchapter12

JMLsection14

Then, when I'm finished editing, I run the following macro to delete them:

Dim aBookmark
For Each aBookmark In ActiveDocument.Bookmarks
If Left(aBookmark.Name, 3) = "JML" Then
aBookmark.Delete
End If
Next

Just put your own initials in the macro in place of "JML" or use some other unique code such as "zzz" (yes, the macro is case-sensitive).

Bookmarks deleted; problem solved.

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

After reading "The Need for Speed" in the June 14 newsletter, Bill Rubidge wrote:

One suggestion I would add, since it is so basic, is "Learn to use the keyboard whenever possible, rather than the mouse. And I'm not necessarily suggesting learning and memorizing the keyboard commands--I'm just suggesting using the keyboard Alt keys to access the Word menus and move through them to the command you want and would otherwise access via numerous mouse moves and clicks. Once you display the keyboard commands (use the options to do this), learning to use the keyboard instead of the mouse is pretty quick."

Many thanks to Bill.

_________________________________________

RESOURCES

PDF XChange Viewer

I've long used Adobe Reader to view PDF files:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Unfortunately, not having the full version of Acrobat, I haven't been able to annotate PDF files for such things as indexing or typesetting corrections--until now.

What's changed? I've discovered the free PDF XChange Viewer:

http://www.docu-track.com/downloads/users/

The Docu-Track website says you can use the program to "View, Print, Export Text & Images, and add content to PDF files, type on PDFs in any font, fill and save forms, and much more!" It also describes the program as "the free alternative to the Adobe PDF Viewer/Reader--fully featured, faster, and still free!"

Note that it's "still" free--implying that later it may not be, so you'd better get it while you can:

http://www.docu-track.com/downloads/users/