Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Checking for Matching Parentheses.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 7, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021
Unless you are writing very short documents, cleaning up can be one of the hardest parts of writing. The following macro double-checks your document, paragraph by paragraph, to determine if you have a balanced number of parentheses. The macro counts the number of left parentheses in each paragraph of your document and makes sure you have the same number of right parentheses. If you don't, the macro inserts a paragraph before the unbalanced paragraph indicating the error.
Sub CheckParens() Dim WorkPara As String Dim CheckP() As Boolean Dim NumPara As Integer, J As Integer Dim LeftParens As Integer, RightParens As Integer Dim MsgText As String Dim OpenChar As String Dim CloseChar As String OpenChar = "(" CloseChar = ")" MsgText = "***Unbalanced parens in the next paragraph" NumPara = ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Count ReDim CheckP(NumPara) For J = 1 To NumPara CheckP(J) = False WorkPara = ActiveDocument.Paragraphs(J).Range.Text If Len(WorkPara) <> 0 Then LeftParens = CountChars(WorkPara, OpenChar) RightParens = CountChars(WorkPara, CloseChar) If LeftParens <> RightParens Then CheckP(J) = True End If Next J For J = NumPara To 1 Step -1 If CheckP(J) Then Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory, Extend:=wdMove If J > 1 Then Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, _ Count:=(J - 1), Extend:=wdMove End If Selection.InsertParagraphBefore Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.Style = "Normal" Selection.TypeText Text:=MsgText End If Next J End Sub Private Function CountChars(A As String, C As String) As Integer Dim Count As Integer Dim Found As Integer Count = 0 Found = InStr(A, C) While Found <> 0 Count = Count + 1 Found = InStr(Found + 1, A, C) Wend CountChars = Count End Function
Note that there are actually two macros here. The CountChars function is called from within the main CheckParens macro. It is this latter macro (CheckParens) that is the one you should actually invoke on your document. When the macro is finished, you can search through the document, looking for the wording "***Unbalanced parens" to see where you may have problems.
Note, as well, that the way this macro is written, you could easily modify it to search for other "paired" characters. All you would need to do is change what is assigned to the OpenChar, CloseChar, and MsgText variables. For instance, if you wanted to check for unmatched brackets, you could change those variables in this way:
OpenChar = "[" CloseChar = "]" MsgText = "***Unbalanced brackets in the next paragraph"
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1018) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Checking for Matching Parentheses.
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2024-09-08 07:08:40
Dori Schmetterling
Thank you, Tomek.
Now I see it.
My next challenge: how to deploy a macro; never done it before but, I am hopeful, I'll manage :-)
2024-09-08 06:15:56
sandeep
Kiwerry, please give me details.
sandeepkothari2010@gmail.com
2024-09-07 19:57:13
Tomek
@Dori Schmetterling
Read the tip again, the last paragraph and the following code has your answer.
May be Allen added it after you read it in reaction to your comment.
🦋
2024-09-07 08:37:39
Dori Schmetterling
Can I get this to work for brackets? I quite often open a bracket but forget to insert the closing bracket.
Thanks.
2024-09-07 06:15:36
Kiwerry
Thanks very much for a useful tool, Allen.
I modified it slightly by adding a couple of lines to inform the user how many problematical paragraphs had been found, and telling him/her how to locate them. If any reader wants details, add a comment here.
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