Linda wonders if there is a way to count the number of words that are within the comments (and only the comments) in a document.
The easiest way to accomplish this task is to use a macro. This is because Word makes available to VBA a Comments collection which includes all of the comments in the document. All you need to do is to step through each comment and then look at the Count property for the Words collection for the comment, in this manner:
Sub CommentWordCount1()
Dim c As Comment
Dim lWords As Long
Dim sMsg As String
For Each c In ActiveDocument.Comments
lWords = lWords + c.Range.Words.Count
Next c
sMsg = "There are " & ActiveDocument.Comments.Count
sMsg = sMsg & " comments in the document. & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
sMsg = sMsg & "Word count: " & lWords
MsgBox sMsg
End Sub
If you prefer, you could also use the ComputeStatistics method to come up with the word counts, like this:
Sub CommentWordCount2()
Dim c As Comment
Dim lWords As Long
Dim sMsg As String
For Each c In ActiveDocument.Comments
lWords = lWords + c.Range.ComputeStatistics(wdStatisticWords)
Next c
sMsg = "There are " & ActiveDocument.Comments.Count
sMsg = sMsg & " comments in the document. & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
sMsg = sMsg & "Word count: " & lWords
MsgBox sMsg
End Sub
When you compare the results from the two macros, you may notice a difference in word counts. This is because of the way that the CompuStatistics method treats punctuation when doing its calculations. You'll want to compare the results and, based on the characteristics of the information in your comments, choose the approach that best suits your needs.
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 (13531) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016.
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!
Comments are a great way to share, well, comments with other people looking through your documents. If you want to print ...
Discover MoreWhen you add a comment to a document, Word presents that comment in a very specific way. If you want to change the way in ...
Discover MoreFind yourself repeating the same comment over and over? Here's a couple of ways you can save some typing by simply ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2020-06-23 10:34:35
Bartosz
well done! the question is whether it is possible to count all the characters in the entire document and in the comments in one script?
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments