Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Noting Table Rows Containing a Character.

Noting Table Rows Containing a Character

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 2, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365

Heidi has fifteen documents, each comprised chiefly of one long table. She needs to create a macro to search row-by-row and somehow highlight (either by shading, bolding, changing font, etc.) any row that doesn't have a parenthesis character anywhere in the row. Alternatively, she can also highlight rows that do contain a parenthesis character—she just needs to be able to distinguish between rows that do and rows that don't. There are many ways that such a macro could be approached, but one that searches for an opening or closing parenthesis is relatively easy. The following example will do the search, row by row, and if either character is found, it will highlight the row by making the background yellow.

Sub HilightRows()
    Dim TargetText1 As String
    Dim TargetText As String
    Dim oRow As Row
    Dim iCol As Integer

    'initialize the target characters to find
    TargetText = "("
    TargetText1 = ")"

    'Make sure we're in a table
    If Selection.Information(wdWithInTable) Then
        'Clear all the old shading
        Selection.Tables(1).Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorWhite
        'do all the rows
        For Each oRow In Selection.Tables(1).Rows
            If InStr(oRow.Range.Text, TargetText) > 0 Then _
              oRow.Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorYellow
            If InStr(oRow.Range.Text, TargetText1) > 0 Then _
              oRow.Shading.BackgroundPatternColor = wdColorYellow
        Next oRow
    End If
End Sub

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 (11435) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Noting Table Rows Containing a Character.

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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Moving Items On a Menu

Want your copy of Excel to reflect the way you want to work with the interface? Fortunately, you can modify where various ...

Discover More

Insert AutoText Tool Unavailable on Header and Footer Toolbar

When creating headers or footers, you might notice at some time that the "Insert AutoText" tool on the Header and Footer ...

Discover More

Deleting Duplicate Text Values

Got a list of data from which you want to delete duplicates? There are a couple of techniques you can use to get rid of ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Jumping to Tables

If your document contains quite a few tables, you may find it helpful to jump quickly from one table to another. There ...

Discover More

Viewing Formulas in Table Cells

Word allows you to insert simple formulas, using fields, in table cells. If you want to see these formulas in their ...

Discover More

Keeping Table Rows Together

When you create a table that extends beyond a single page, you may want to make sure that the information in a table row ...

Discover More

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.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 2 + 2?

2018-05-06 23:51:39

Stella

Why do you define 'iCol' as 'Integer' and then not use 'iCol' anywhere in the macro?

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.