Last week we talked about Microsoft Word's Spike feature, which lets you cut as many blocks of text as you want (like sticking them on a spike) and then paste them all at once in your chosen location. You can read last week's newsletter here:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.topica.com\/lists\/editorium\/read\/message.html?mid=1701584333<\/p>\n
But what if you want to *copy* rather than cut the text to add to the Spike? You can do it with a special Word macro called CopySpike--*if* you have the Macros8 template that comes with Word 8 (97 or 98) and you are using Word 8 or Word 9 (2000). I thought the macro was also in the Macros9 template for Word 2000, but it's not. And the Macros8 template isn't available at the Microsoft Web site. What's an editor to do?<\/p>\n
Use one of our custom macros, below, which will run in Word 6, 7 (95), 8 (97 or 98), or 9 (2000) on Macintosh or PC.<\/p>\n
FOR MICROSOFT WORD 6 OR 7 (95):<\/p>\n
'THE MACRO STARTS HERE\nIf GetSelStartPos() <> \nGetSelEndPos() Then\t'Text is selected\nSpike\t\t\t'Add entry to spike\nEditUndo\t\t'Undo the cut\nElse\nMsgBox \"Please select text before running this macro.\", \n\"No Text Selected\"\nEnd If\n'THE MACRO ENDS HERE\n<\/pre>\n<\/span>
\nFOR MICROSOFT WORD 8 (97 OR 98) OR 9 (2000):<\/p>\n
'THE MACRO STARTS HERE\nIf WordBasic.GetSelStartPos() <> _\nWordBasic.GetSelEndPos() Then\t'Text is selected\nWordBasic.Spike\t\t\t'Add entry to spike\nWordBasic.EditUndo\t\t'Undo the cut\nElse\nWordBasic.MsgBox \"Please select text before running this macro.\", _\n\"No Text Selected\"\nEnd If\n'THE MACRO ENDS HERE\n<\/pre>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
TO CREATE THE MACRO AND ASSIGN IT TO A KEYBOARD SHORTCUT:<\/p>\n
1. Copy the appropriate macro from this newsletter.<\/p>\n
2. Click the \"Tools\" menu at the top of your Word window.<\/p>\n
3. Click \"Macro.\"<\/p>\n
4. In Word 97, 98, or 2000, click \"Macros.\"<\/p>\n
5. Make sure \"Macros Available In\" shows \"Normal.dot.\"<\/p>\n
6. Type a name for the macro in the \"Macro Name\" box--maybe \"Copy2Spike\" to differentiate it from Microsoft's CopySpike macro.<\/p>\n
7. Click \"Create.\"<\/p>\n
8. Paste the macro at the current insertion point.<\/p>\n
9. In Word 6 or 7, click \"File,\" then \"Close,\" then \"Yes.\" In Word 97, 98, or 2000, click \"File,\" then \"Close and Return to Microsoft Word.\"<\/p>\n
10. Click the \"Tools\" menu.<\/p>\n
11. Click \"Customize.\"<\/p>\n
12. Click the \"Keyboard\" tab or button.<\/p>\n
13. In the \"Categories\" window, click \"Macros.\"<\/p>\n
14. In the \"Macros\" window, click \"Copy2Spike\" (or whatever name you gave the macro).<\/p>\n
15. With your cursor in the \"Press new shortcut key\" box, press the keyboard shortcut you want to use to run the macro--ALT + CTRL + F3, for example.<\/p>\n
16. Make sure the \"Save Changes In\" box shows \"Normal.dot.\"<\/p>\n
17. Click the \"Assign\" button.<\/p>\n
18. Click the \"Close\" button.<\/p>\n
TO USE THE MACRO:<\/p>\n
1. Select the text you want to copy to the Spike.<\/p>\n
2. Press the keyboard shortcut you set to run the macro (such as ALT + CTRL + F3).<\/p>\n
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each entry you want to copy to the Spike.<\/p>\n
4. Place your cursor at the spot where you want to insert the contents of the Spike.<\/p>\n
5. Press CTRL + SHIFT + F3.<\/p>\n
The contents of the Spike will be inserted into your text, and the Spike will be empty once more. (Remember that the Spike pastes each of its entries as a separate paragraph, so you probably won't want to unload it in the middle of a sentence somewhere.)<\/p>\n
If you do have Word 8 and the Macros8 template, just open the template in Word and follow the on-screen instructions to install and run Microsoft's version of the CopySpike macro. (You should find the template in C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOfficeMacros.)<\/p>\n