Hi


This may take a bit of explaining so please bear with me.

Also - Please note this is for discussion and people to provide ideas to point me in a direction - although I have not found a solution that doesnt cost the earth to do what I want it to, this doesnt mean its not out there, or there is a solution that with tweaking would serve...

The Problem

I have a contract to put together which is based on a historical template - this comprises of approx 40 different docs which range in dozens to hundreds of pages long per doc.

This 'contract' then acts as a framework under which future defined works packages are let.

On of the documents in the frame is purely for defined terms.

In the other docs the defined terms are Capitalised to show they are Defined.

In the Defined Terms doc each term is listed alphabetically with the Term in bold followed by the definition. This could be a two column table or done by tabs.

There are no page or doc references, although I think it would be better if there were, but historically this type of contract is put together manually.

What I need is some guidance on how to approach this, and if anyone has done this sort of thing before... I have a little experience in VBA in Excel, but have never dabbled in Word macros before... this doesn't take it off of the table as a solution, but I would be happy if there was another more conventional way of doing this.

I have an immediate need, but would also like to learn / develop a solution as I can see the need for this many times in the future.

Lastly - I see there being two main ways to achieve what I need

Possible Ways Forward

1 - create the list of terms and definitions in one doc, and find a way of marking those terms each and every time in all the other docs with a book mark back to the original, or

2 - Loop through all the Capitalised terms in all the docs in a folder and create a list of unique items in a new doc, to which the definitions can be added - this wont book mark / link them as with 1 but may be the easier way of doing this...

Potential problem - Defined Terms are only defined by Capitalisation, which may cause issues with determining if the first word in a sentence is a Defined Term or not... perhaps 2 needs to utilise a bookmarking or tagging system first and then create the extract...

Thanks in advance for any comments, and for just making time to read this...
GreenBoy

It would be very hard to separate Defined Terms from other initial cap instances such as proper nouns (people/place/product names) let alone separating out sentence starts or headings.
I would approach this either by:
1. Building a 'database' of the defined terms and then using a macro to find these in your documents
2. Tagging the instances of Defined Terms with either an Index entry or a Character Style and then using a batch macro to harvest all these to store in your 'database' of terms.

Both above methods are similar and are just looking at what comes first - 'chicken or the egg'

However, this question does also trigger me to think about 'Smart Tags' which is a feature that I never used and is probably exactly what you should be using. If you do a google search for Smart Tags you might be able to make use of this feature. Here are a few links I just hit on but you may find better ones if you go looking. I'm not sure if the functionality is still available in the GUI but it may still be available for use.
What is a Smart Tag?
Smart Tags or Actions in Word 2010 and before - Office Watch
Creating Smart Tag for Office 2019 - 2002: Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint

Adding on to your reading, links like this might also provide more rabbit-holes to explore
3 ways to add glossary terms to a Microsoft Word 2016 document - TechRepublic
How to add a traditional glossary to a Microsoft Word document - TechRepublic

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

Thank you Guessed

This is a great start.
I have already been down the Glossary hole and the tech republic articles are very good, and I can also recommend shauna kelly for the same thing.

I think the database solution shows the most possibilities and I will certainly look at the links provided.

Thank you for the suggestions and being generous with you time.

Keep safe
GreenBoy

Look into AutoText or some other Building Block as a storage receptical for your tagged terms to insert them into other documents.
Automated Boilerplate Using Microsoft Word

If you want the definition as a mouse-over pop-up look at my free-download using the AutoTextList field to pop up text. Pop-Up Text Add-In for Microsoft Word
That has a limit of 255 characters for the definition, though. This is similar to one of the methods described in one of the TechRepublic articles but does not use the HyperLink field.



Lene Fredborg has code for using the Hyperlink field and an Add-In that allows for more text than 255 characters. Add Screen Tips to Text in Word by Lene Fredborg, MVP

These could also be saved as AutoText or Building Blocks for easy insertion. I would recommend using names that are related to the terms but not the same as the terms. i.e.
Items stored as AutoText or Building Blocks could be used in a BB Gallery Control which could be on the Ribbon or in a QAT entry.
Build & Deploy Custom Building Block Galleries by Greg Maxey

If you are doing document assembly, you may also want to look at Boiler - Insert a selection of documents by Graham Mayor, MVP

See, for example:
https://www.msofficeforums.com/word/...ned-terms.html
https://www.msofficeforums.com/word-...generator.html

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Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]