Checking documents for "space" errors only?

[MW]

When composing a document in WORD 2007, I use the check spelling option as I
type but I don't use the check grammar option. (Just too messy!)
However I would like to check if I've occassioally put in an extra space
between words by mistake. Is there any way I can set WORD 2007 to "only"
check for this type of error (too many spaces) - but "not" highlight/check
any of the other grammar errors?
Thanks.

 

[grammatim]

Find/Replace (Ctrl-H). In the upper box, type two spaces (you won't
see anything, except the cursor moves over). In the lower box, type
one space. Click Replace All. Click it again and again until Word
reports "0 replacements."

 

[Robert M. Franz [RMF]]

Hi all

Find/Replace (Ctrl-H). In the upper box, type two spaces (you won't
see anything, except the cursor moves over). In the lower box, type
one space. Click Replace All. Click it again and again until Word
reports "0 replacements."

there's a gotcha here when working with Word 2007 SP2 (surfaced only
recently):

When searching for <space><space>, Word for instance also finds
<space><inline picture><space>.

So it's good to make sure that something like this does not occur in a
document before replacing two spaces with one!

2¢
Robert

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You could use Find All (or the Word 2007 equivalent) to highlight the
occurrences before replacing.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[grammatim]

Doesn't that only work when the supremely annoying "Keep track of
formatting" is turned on? I don't have anything that could plausibly
be the equivalent in the Find panel.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

In Word 2003, there's a check box for "Highlight all items found in." When
you check that box (and select a range from the dropdown under it), the Find
Next button changes to Find All. I personally thought this was pretty clear
and easy to understand. In Word 2007, the feature has been "hidden in plain
sight": the "Find in" button opens the dropdown to select the range, and the
operation is then automatic (no need to click a button, and Find Next
remains unchanged).

Presumably the reason for the change is that the use of "highlight" to mean
"select" is ambiguous, especially given the addition of the Reading
Highlight feature.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

Doesn't that only work when the supremely annoying "Keep track of
formatting" is turned on? I don't have anything that could plausibly
be the equivalent in the Find panel.

 

[grammatim]

Yeah, I looked in the Find In button, and there's nothing there to
suggest it will select all examples in each of the choices available.
(Which isn't normally what one would want if one were asking it to
search just in one of those areas!)

 

[MW]

Thanks for the responses. Yes guess I’ll have to use the FIND & REPLACE
option, which is a bit cumbersome in this instance actually. I was hoping
there may have been an autocorrect grammar option that I could select (on
its own) to “flag up†extra space mistakes within sentences as I typed.
(Yes I occasionally over hit my space bar and its not always easy to notice!)
Thanks anyway.