I am trying to learn VBA - after previous attempts that defeated me. (I was OK with WordPerfect. Not WordPerfect VBA)


As a starting attempt, I have documents with superscripts in the form "(X)" where "X" may be up to 3 characters depending on the number of total footnotes. I want a macro that will remove all those superscript references. I assume that this would have already been done, if anybody can point me to appropriate code. If I can get some code that might be a good way of starting to learn VBA. Co-Pilot wrote some code for me but it didn't work.

The footnote references are linked to the footnotes so if you want to remove one, you also remove the other.

__________________
Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

You don't even need a macro for that. A basic wildcard Find/Replace will do:
Find = \(*\)
Replace = nothing
where the Find format is specified as superscript.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks Paul. I couldn't make that work as "Replace = nothing
where the Find format is specified as superscript" is beyond my abilities.
In any event, my aim is to learn to write VBA macros.

Thanks Paul (in Canberra). I selected "Find what: \(*\)". "Options: Use Wildcards". "Format: Superscript" but the result was "All done. We made 0 replacements"
In any event, my aim is to learn to write VBA macros so this task is to get me started.
I'd be interested to know why the replace did not work, but I'm more interested in trying to learn VBA.
gcp in Sydney

This is the code that Co-Pilot wrote for me, that doesn't work. It has elements of Paul's replace that, as a novice, I can follow. As I sat, I am trying to get my head around VBA and I hope that making this work will give me some good tuition.

Sub DeleteSuperscriptText()
Dim rng As Range
Dim startPos As Long
Dim endPos As Long

Set rng = ActiveDocument.Content
With rng.Find
.ClearFormatting
.Font.Superscript = True
.Text = "\(*\)"
.Forward = True
.Wrap = wdFindStop
.Format = True
.MatchWildcards = True

Do While .Execute
If rng.Font.Superscript = True Then
startPos = rng.Start
endPos = rng.End

' Adjust the range to select the characters between "(" and ")"
rng.SetRange startPos + 1, endPos - 1

' Delete the characters
rng.Delete

' Move the cursor to the next non-superscript position
Set rng = ActiveDocument.Range(rng.End, ActiveDocument.Content.End)
If rng.Find.Execute(FindText:="", Forward:=True, Wrap:=wdFindStop) Then
If rng.Font.Superscript = False Then
rng.Collapse wdCollapseStart
Exit Sub
End If
End If
End If
Loop
End With
End Sub

I tested it and it worked for me. Are your parentheses superscripted?

As a macro, the Find/Replace becomes:
or even:
Avoid generative AI VBA code - it's frequently bug-ridden. Even Word's macro recorder would have done better in this instance.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks Paul. DemoB() works. Some of the footnotes had square brackets, so I added that to the macro. Thanks for your help. Little by little I'm getting there.

To cater for both, you could use a single Find expression with:
"[\(\[]*[\)\]]"

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Sorry to bother you. I lost my macros and couldn't find them. Normal.dotm was in templates but it apparently didn't have any macros in it. I have now re-entered your DemoB() but it won't run as it did before. I have made sure that it was copied exactly from your code below. Any hints?

It's possible the problem isn't with your Normal.dotm but that you've managed to change your system's VBA security settings so as to disable all macros. See under File|Options|Trust Center>Trust Center Settings. The 'Disable all macros with notification' option should be checked.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks Paul. I had checked that and just checked it again. The macros are enabled as is "Trust access to the VBA project object model". I didn't think it was the security settings as my other macro works fine on the same document.

Unless you really know what you are doing and are using VBA code to manipulate other VBA code, "Trust access to the VBA project object model" should be disabled.

The footnotes were hyperlinked, so I added
Selection.WholeStory
Selection.Fields.Unlink
And it now works.
Thanks for the help

Instead of
use

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]