Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 9, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021
Patrick has a document in which there are "start" and "stop" character sequences that indicate where italics should begin and end. For instance, in the text sequence "$$$This is some text!$!" the "$$$" indicates the start of italics and the "!$!" indicates the end. Patrick wonders if there is a way he can use Find and Replace to (1) remove the character sequences and (2) format the text between those character sequences to italics.
This type of Find and Replace may sound difficult, but Word actually makes it quite easy, provided you use wildcards in your F&R operation. Follow these steps:
That's it; only a single find-and-replace operation is needed. The "find" pattern (in step 4) indicates you want to find anything (*) surrounded by your indicated markers. Important! that the backslashes before the exclamation marks in step 4 are important, as they cause the characters to be treated as actual exclamation marks.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3851) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
The most powerful search engine in Word uses pattern matching, but the way you specify special characters in a ...
Discover MorePattern matching is a type of searching you can do in Word that is very powerful. Despite its power, it remains rather ...
Discover MoreThe Find and Replace feature of Word is very powerful, allowing you to finely target exactly what you want to search. ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2022-07-18 16:28:37
Therese Grisewood
Hi Allen,
I'm one of your subscribers from Ireland. I'm hoping you can help me.
I need to create a vocabulary list from each chapter of my proposed Spanish book. How do I create this? Is there a trick I need to know?
Thanks for all your tips each Saturday. I read them and save them. I also have some of your videos. I'm working through Macros and used them in my Spanish book.
Thanks again and stay safe in the sun. Imagine we have over 85 degrees Fahrenheit in Ireland today. Unheard of high temperatures for our little country.
Therese Grisewood
tquinn38@gmail.com
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments