Accessing the Dirty Flag

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 3, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


Jerry has made a macro for version control that asks the user if she wants to save the document with a new version number. It runs automatically when a document is opened. However, Jerry would prefer to let the macro run only when a document is actually changed or altered in any way by the user. He wonders if there is an event that registers when a document is actually edited? Or is there, perhaps, a property that registers whether a document has been changed?

There is no event, but there is a property. What you want to do is check the Saved property of whatever document you are processing. If the property is True, then there have been no changes. If the property is False, then there are unsaved changes. (In other words, the True of False state of the Saved property indicates whether the document has been saved or not.)

If you want to do your prompting about a version number when the user is closing the document, then you'll want to work with the Document_Close event handler. Modify the event handler so that you check the state of the Saved property, in this way:

Private Sub Document_Close()
    If Not ActiveDocument.Saved Then
        ' Check to see if version should be updated
        ActiveDocument.Save
    End If
End Sub

You'll need, of course, to replace the comment with your specific code for handling what should occur relative to a version number. The Save method is used to save the document under the current name; if you wanted to save it under a new name you would instead use the SaveAs method.

There is one caveat to remember: It is possible for the Saved property to be set to False even though the user didn't actually make a change in the document. For instance, if there are fields in the document and the fields get automatically updated, then the Saved property is set to False. There are a few other situations where the property is changed, as well, but the Saved property is the most accurate way available to determine whether a document as actually changed or not.

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 (13368) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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

Shortcut Key to Make Print Preview Active

Print Preview can be a great way to work with your documents. Getting to a usable Print Preview, however, can be ...

Discover More

Searching for Multi-Byte Hex Codes

Need to find a character for which you only know the hex code? There are a few ways you can search for the information, ...

Discover More

Problems Using the Footnote Pane

When working with footnotes in Draft view, you rely on the use of the footnote pane. However, the pane doesn't work ...

Discover More

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!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Determining the Hour of the Day

Need to figure out the hour represented by a particular time value? It's easy to do in a macro; just use the Hour ...

Discover More

Clearing the Undo Stack in a Macro

When writing a macro, you may need a way to clear the undo stack. This can be done with a single command, as described in ...

Discover More

Assigning a Macro to a Shortcut Key

Do you have a macro that you use frequently? Using the File menu to access the macro can be time consuming. This tip ...

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 nine more than 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.