VBA Format text in brackets to Italics but only after cross references

Shelley Lou · #1 12-24-2024, 01:48 AM

I have some code that will format text within brackets to italics. I would like to modify the code to look for text in brackets only if they appear after a cross reference field or a cross reference manual number after clause, paragraph, part or schedule and format with italics. What do I need to add to the code to achieve this? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Before Image.JPG

After Image.JPG

Cross Ref in Brackets Test.docx

Code:

Sub DPU_BracketText_Italics()
Dim oRng As Range
Set oRng = ActiveDocument.Content
With oRng.Find
.ClearFormatting
.text = "\(*\)"
.Font.Bold = False
.Forward = True
.Wrap = wdFindStop
.MatchWildcards = True
.Format = True
Do While .Execute
With oRng
.MoveEnd Unit:=wdCharacter, count:=-1
.MoveStart Unit:=wdCharacter, count:=1
.Font.Italic = True
.Font.Bold = False
.Collapse wdCollapseEnd
End With
Loop
End With
End Sub

macropod · #2 12-24-2024, 03:26 AM

For example:

Code:

Sub DPU_BracketText_Italics()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
With ActiveDocument.Range
  With .Find
    .ClearFormatting
    .Text = " \(*\)"
    .Forward = True
    .Wrap = wdFindStop
    .MatchWildcards = True
  End With
  Do While .Find.Execute
    If .Characters.First.Previous.Fields.Count > 0 Then
      .Start = .Start + 2
      .End = .End - 1
      .Font.Italic = True
    End If
    .Collapse wdCollapseEnd
  Loop
End With
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Shelley Lou · #3 12-24-2024, 04:16 AM

Hi Macropod, thank you so much for this it is very much appreciated - only tested on one document so far but seems to be working as it should.

Shelley Lou · #4 01-07-2025, 08:21 AM

I marked this thread as solved but on further testing, the code isn't working as expected. I ran it on a document containing text within brackets after cross reference fields and general text in brackets. The code formats all text within brackets to italics and not just the text in brackets after a cross reference field. Any advice what I can add to the code to prevent the code from formatting all text within brackets to italics?

Capture.JPG

macropod · #5 01-07-2025, 01:13 PM

Hi Shelley,

The only way the macro will italicize the text between a pair of brackets is if they're preceded by a field. I can only conclude that the problem text was either:
• preceded by a field when the macro was run and the field was deleted/moved afterwards; or
• italicized by some other process.

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