Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 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: Determining a Paragraph's Style in VBA.

Determining a Paragraph's Style in VBA

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 21, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


Word allows you to use styles to format both paragraphs and individual characters in your document. These styles can greatly simplify the consistent application of formatting across an entire document. If you are writing a VBA macro, you may have a need to determine the name of the style applied to a particular paragraph. You can do that by using the Style property with a Paragraph object, as follows:

sParStyle = ActiveDocument.Paragraphs(J).Style

When this line is executed, sParStyle (a string variable) will contain the name of the style used on the document paragraph specified by the index value J. In other words, if J has a value of 5, then sParStyle will contain the name of the style used for the fifth paragraph in the document. (When counting paragraphs, don't forget that "empty" paragraphs are also significant. Paragraphs, in Word, are determined by each press of the Enter key.)

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11363) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Determining a Paragraph's Style in VBA.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Searching for Optional Hyphens

If you have a document that contains optional hyphens (special characters that mark where a word can be split between ...

Discover More

Creating Additional Clocks

Want to keep track of what time it is in various areas of the world? Windows makes it easy by allowing you to display ...

Discover More

Controlling How Body Text is Displayed

When working in Outline view, you can control how Word displays the body text under each heading. You can specify that ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Determining the Day of the Month

When writing macros, you may need to know which day of the month a particular date represents. Here's how to use the Day ...

Discover More

Finding Long Lines

Word is very dynamic in how it "flows" text from one line to another and one page to another. In most cases we are ...

Discover More

Adding a Macro to the Quick Access Toolbar

One of the easiest ways to quickly access a macro is to assign it to the Quick Access toolbar. Here's how you can make ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

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.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.