Creating word outline automatically from a text file

[Guest]

How can I create a word outline file from a text file. I can format the text
file any way I want with the level information, but I couldn't find any way
to import this to Word. I have some kind of hierarchy that I want to view
using Word outline (when I can see levels and expand them ans search)

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Apply appropriate heading styles and it will all fall into place using
Outline view. http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/UsingOLView.htm
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


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[Guest]

Your solution is only from working within Word. My issue is that I have an
hierarchical information that I can generate a text file from. Then I want
Word to take this text file and import it as an outline. Can I do that?
Example:
Text file is (or any other format which I can programmatically generate):
1,A
2,B
2,C
1,D
2,E
3,G

Then Word needs to take this file and outline it like this:

+ A ----B
| ----C
|
+ D-----E
|-------G

(A is the parent of B and C, D is a sibling of A and a parent of E, E is a
parent of E)

Does someone know of a way to do it?
Roy.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Using a copy of your text file, try AutoFormat and see what happens.

Otherwise, can you do it? Yes, by writing a separate vba program that
recognizes codes you put into your text file and applies heading styles as
you designate in response to those codes. Enjoy.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


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This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
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from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Guest]

Autoformat didn't help. I'll guess if I want to do it, I will take your
advice and write VBA code. Thanks for your help. (It seems like a simple
feature that I wish would be included in the product)

Roy.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If there are no numbers in the paragraphs other than the 1, 2, 3, etc., you
could use Find and Replace to search for 1*^p and replace with ^& formatted
with the appropriate heading level (Heading 1 for 1, Heading 2, for 2,
etc.).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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[Guest]

Do you mean doing a regular exprerssion replace outside of word, and then
opening the text file in Word?

Roy.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The Replace I described would be done in Word.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

1*^p is not a valid search criteria in Word2000. I get an error that says the
the special character ^p is not valid when wildcard mode is on.

So how can I match the following, and change the heading type?

1,a
2,b
3,c

Thank you for you r help.

Roy.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Use ^13 instead of ^p. I forgot that * is available only when using
wildcards.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

1*^13 work to match the lines, but ^&1 doesn't place a heading, it just adds
the literal 1 to the beginning of the next line.
What is the exact string I should type in the "Replace with" text box if I
want to add heading #1 to every line that begins with 1, ?

Thanks for all your help and time.

Roy.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I don't see where I suggested using ^&1. What I said was, "^& formatted with
the appropriate heading level." By this I mean, type ^& in the "Replace
with" dialog. Then click Format, choose Style, and select Heading 1.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

works perfect.
Thank you so much, and sorry for my MS Word ignorance.

Roy.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Sometimes I'm not as explicit as I should be when I'm posting in a hurry.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.