Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: Determining if a Text Selection Exists.
There are numerous times when you are writing macros when you will need to determine if the user has made a selection. The following VBA code will let you know if a selection has been made. The variable designated to be a flag (InSelection) is first set to False, and then the Type property of the Selection object is used to determine if there is a selection. If so, then InSelection is set to True.
InSelection = False If Selection.Type = wdSelectionIP Then InSelection = True
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 (8927) applies to Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Determining if a Text Selection Exists.
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2017-10-20 11:37:35
Big Fan
Thank you Rick and George for posting working code!
2015-05-12 14:29:59
Derek Brown
For what it's worth, I have for many years nested as required a macro "SIP" which sets a public variable "IP" at 1 if the cursor is at an Insertion Point, and at 0 if not -- macro name and variable name are easier to remember than the lengthy vba codes.
Same sort of macro for whether the cursor is in a table ("SIT", "IT") or at the top of a document. Similarly, my "SSEL" macro generates variables for what the features of a Selection are (length "LSEL", leftmost character and its ASCI, rightmost character and its ASCI, Trimmed length etc.).
2015-05-12 11:27:30
Rick G.
I agree with George, Allen wrote the logic the opposite of what it should be.
Also, you could skip the initialization statement:
InSelection = False
and just write:
InSelection = Selection.Type <> wdSelectionIP
2015-05-12 10:01:38
George
This is exactly the opposite of the correct test; wdSelectionIP indicates the selection is an insertion point, i.e., not in a selection. The correct code should be
If Selection.Type <> wdSelectionIP Then InSelection = True
2015-04-16 19:00:44
David
How to determine if the selection is a paragraph?
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: 
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