Remove normal columns and their content in main story range

RobiNew · #1 11-16-2023, 10:39 AM

I'm trying to create a Word macro to remove all columns and their content, but I find that the Column object works only for tables. Mine are normal columns in the main story range. Can someone help? Thanks!

Italophile · #2 11-16-2023, 10:44 AM

See PageSetup.TextColumns property (Word) | Microsoft Learn

RobiNew · #3 11-16-2023, 11:16 AM

Thanks a lot, Italophile! But this doesn't work.

Code:

ActiveDocument.Sections(3).PageSetup.TextColumns(2).Delete

Italophile · #4 11-16-2023, 12:45 PM

Does Intellisense show that TextCoumns has a Delete method? Does the Help text suggest that columns can be deleted?

No.

But the documentation I referred you to does state, very clearly, that there must be a minimum of 1 column, and it shows you an example of how to set it back to a single column

Code:

 myDoc.PageSetup.TextColumns.SetCount NumColumns:=1

RobiNew · #5 11-16-2023, 03:03 PM

Thank you! But you can obtain the same result by deleting column breaks with Find/Replace. The code I am trying to find deletes the content of the second column before removing it.

RobiNew · #6 11-17-2023, 07:41 AM

Hi, everybody! I have devised a different approach. But how do you get rid of the last page? Thanks!

Code:

Sub DeleteFromNrToEnd()
Dim rng As Range
ActiveDocument.PageSetup.TextColumns.SetCount NumColumns:=1
    Set rng = ActiveDocument.Range(0, 0)
    Set rng = rng.GoTo(What:=wdGoToPage, Name:=4)
    Set rng = rng.GoTo(What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="\page")
    rng.End = ActiveDocument.Range.End
    rng.Delete
End Sub

Can this one be improved?

Code:

Sub DeleteFromNrToEnd()
Dim rng As Range
ActiveDocument.PageSetup.TextColumns.SetCount NumColumns:=1
    Set rng = ActiveDocument.Range(0, 0)
    Set rng = rng.GoTo(What:=wdGoToPage, Name:=4)
    Set rng = rng.GoTo(What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="\page")
    rng.End = ActiveDocument.Range.End
    rng.Delete
With ActiveDocument
    LastChr = .GoTo(wdGoToPage, wdGoToLast).Start
    .Range(LastChr - 1, ActiveDocument.Range.End).Delete
End With
End Sub

vivka · #7 11-18-2023, 03:50 AM

Hi, RobiNew! I've tested your code and it does delete the last page (if I understand correctly your objective). For me the following code also deletes the doc's last page:

Code:

Sub Delete_Last_Page()

Dim rng as range    
    Set rng = ActiveDocument.range.GoTo(wdGoToPage, wdGoToLast)
    rng.End = ActiveDocument.range.End
    rng.Delete
End sub

RobiNew · #8 11-18-2023, 04:36 AM

Thank you, Vivka! Nice to see you again. Your code deletes the last page with text. If it is empty, you need the code I posted.

vivka · #9 11-18-2023, 04:55 AM

Thank you, RobiNew!

RobiNew · #10 02-28-2024, 08:54 AM

I've taken up again the second macro at #6 above, but I get problems.
I have a docx of 7 pages. I need to go to page 4 and then delete pages 4 to 7. The macro works all right on its own, but it deletes all the pages of the docx when inserted into a larger (very large) macro. Can someone fancy why? Thanks!

Code:

Sub DeleteFromPgToEnd()
Dim oRng As Range
    Set oRng = ActiveDocument.Range
    Set oRng = oRng.GoTo(What:=wdGoToPage, Name:=4)
    Set oRng = oRng.GoTo(What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="\page")
    oRng.End = ActiveDocument.Range.End
    oRng.Delete 'doesn't delete the last empty page
  oRng.Collapse wdCollapseEnd
  oRng.Start = oRng.Start - 1
  oRng.Delete 'deletes the last empty page
End Sub

vivka · #11 02-28-2024, 12:04 PM

Hi, RobiNew! Welcome back!
Try your slightly changed code:

Code:

Sub DeleteFromPgToEnd()Sub Del_From_Pg_To_End()
'Delete pages from PgNum till the doc's end.

Dim rng As range
Dim PgNum As String
    PgNum = InputBox("Enter the number of the page")
    Set rng = ActiveDocument.range.GoTo(wdGoToPage, PgNum)
    rng.End = ActiveDocument.range.End
'If there's a page break before the PgNum page, the pages won't get
'deleted, so move the rng's start:
    If rng.Characters.First.Previous = Chr(12) Then
        rng.Start = rng.Start - 1
    End If
    rng.Delete
End Sub

RobiNew · #12 02-29-2024, 01:19 AM

Hi, Vivka! Thank you very much for your code variant. Except for "wdGoToPage, PgNum" (which should be "wdGoToPage, Name:=PgNum") it works all right. However, like mine it deletes all the pages of the docx when inserted into a larger (very large) macro.
If I use a Selection version of the code, it works also when inserted into the larger macro. Surely there must be a way to make the Range version work irrespective of the code context!

vivka · #13 02-29-2024, 07:07 AM

Hi, RobiNew! It's difficult to find a problem without seeing the whole code. I'd recommend inserting

Code:

rng.Select

before

Code:

rng.Delete

to see rng. Probably it needs resetting.

RobiNew · #14 02-29-2024, 09:50 AM

Hi, Vivka! Solved. All I had to do was to insert 'ActiveWindow.View.Type = wdPrintView' before the code in question (even if the the View was not on Normal). Thanks for being always ready to help!

vivka · #15 02-29-2024, 09:53 AM

Nice, you did it!

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