Nothing more to add, I would like to change the style of all cross-references I have in a Word 2007 document at once. But I have no idea how to do it. How can this be done?
48 Answers
Some cross-reference types are automatically formatted with the "intense reference" style, but most are formatted as "normal" text.
To apply the "intense reference" style to the text of the cross reference:
- select the text
- choose the "Home" tab in the ribbon
- using either the up-down buttons or the drop-down button in the "Styles" group of the ribbon, choose the "intense reference" style (or another style if you prefer)
To change the appearance of all text of a given style:
- choose the "Home" tab in the ribbon
- using the drop-down button in the "Styles" group of the ribbon, choose "Apply styles..."
- in the "Apply Styles" dialog box under "Style Name" choose the name of the style you want to change (e.g. "intense reference")
- Click the "Modify..." button
- Change the formatting to suit you and click "OK"
To apply a style to all cross references at once:
- Press Alt+F9 to show field codes
- Select the "Home" tab in the ribbon
- Click on "Replace" in the "Editing" group
- In the "Find what" field, type
^19 REF- (That's caret-one-nine-space-R-E-F)
- Click in the "Replace with" field, but don't type anything
- Click the "More" button
- The bottom section of the dialog should be titled "Replace" (with a horizontal rule after it)
- Click the "Format" button and select "Style..."
- Choose a style (e.g. "Intense Reference") and click OK
- It should now show the style you selected under the "Replace with" field
- Click "Replace All" if you're feeling brave or use "Find Next" and "Replace" to step through and replace or skip each reference field code's style individually
- Press Alt+F9 to hide field codes
See this page for more information on special codes in Find and Replace.
Here is a macro that will add the switch \* mergeformat to each of the fields. This switch is necessary to keep the formatting from being lost if you do a field update. You can assign the macro to a keystroke and it will step through the fields one at a time for each time you press the keystroke. You can also edit the macro to loop over the whole document to automate the process.
Sub mf()
'
' mf Macro
' Find cross references and add \* mergeformat
' Selection.Find.ClearFormatting With Selection.Find .Text = "^19 REF" .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindContinue .Format = True .MatchCase = False .MatchWholeWord = False .MatchWildcards = False .MatchSoundsLike = False .MatchAllWordForms = False End With Selection.Find.Execute Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.TypeText Text:="\* mergeformat " Selection.Find.Execute
End Sub- Press Alt+F9 to show field codes
Use the following macro to add CHARFORMAT to all cross references. This macro adds the string to the field only if it's not already there.
Sub SetCHARFORMAT() ' ' Set CHARFORMAT switch to all {REF} fields. Replace MERGEFORMAT. ' ' Dim oField As Field Dim oRng As Range For Each oField In ActiveDocument.Fields 'For Each oField In Selection.Fields If InStr(1, oField.Code, "REF ") = 2 Then If InStr(1, oField.Code, "MERGEFORMAT") <> 0 Then oField.Code.Text = Replace(oField.Code.Text, "MERGEFORMAT", "CHARFORMAT") End If If InStr(1, oField.Code, "CHARFORMAT") = 0 Then oField.Code.Text = oField.Code.Text + "\* CHARFORMAT " End If End If Next oField End SubUse this macro to format all cross references with the "Subtle Reference" style (make sure you have such a style, and that field codes are shown):
Sub SetCrossRefStyle() ' ' Macro to set styole of all cross references to "Subtle Reference" ' ' Selection.Find.ClearFormatting Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting Selection.Find.Replacement.Style = ActiveDocument.Styles( _ "Subtle Reference") With Selection.Find .Text = "^19 REF" .Replacement.Text = "" .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindContinue .Format = True .MatchCase = False .MatchWholeWord = False .MatchKashida = False .MatchDiacritics = False .MatchAlefHamza = False .MatchControl = False .MatchWildcards = False .MatchSoundsLike = False .MatchAllWordForms = False End With Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll End SubPress Alt+F9 to hide field codes
editing the macro uploaded by the cyborg, we can easily automate showing and hiding the field codes. so that every time we wish to update we do not have to use toggle field codes. I used following code to add field code toggle.
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = FalseThe complete macro is as follows:
Sub SetCrossRefStyle()
'
' Macro to set styole of all cross references to "Subtle Reference"
'
'
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = True
Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting
Selection.Find.Replacement.Style = ActiveDocument.Styles( _ "Subtle Reference")
With Selection.Find .Text = "^19 REF" .Replacement.Text = "" .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindContinue .Format = True .MatchCase = False .MatchWholeWord = False .MatchKashida = False .MatchDiacritics = False .MatchAlefHamza = False .MatchControl = False .MatchWildcards = False .MatchSoundsLike = False .MatchAllWordForms = False
End With
Selection.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = False
End SubThis is the first time I am using macros to speed up my work in word. thanks cyborg for such helpful macro.
This macro opens the Cross Reference dialogue box to insert a cross reference at the current cursor position.
When you close the Xref dialogue box after inserting the reference the macro resumes to format the inserted cross reference to superscript.
Sub XrefSuper()
'
' This opens the Cross Reference dialogue box to insert a cross reference at the current cursor position.
' When the dialogue box is closed after inserting the reference the macro resumes to format the inserted cross reference to superscript.
'
'
Dim wc As Integer wc = ActiveDocument.Characters.Count
Dim dlg As Dialog Set dlg = Dialogs(wdDialogInsertCrossReference) dlg.Show 'Open dialogue and perform the insertion from the dialog box) 'Macro continues after closing CrossRef dialogue box If wc = ActiveDocument.Characters.Count Then Exit Sub 'If we failed to insert something then exit Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend Selection.Font.Superscript = wdToggle Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1 Selection.Font.Superscript = wdToggle
End SubThanks to Graham Skan at ExpertsExchange for how to open the Xref dialogue.
Combining answers above with another function to loop through document 'stories', to apply styling on document body, headers, footers and text on shapes.
Simply call the SetCrossRefStyle() macro below to apply "Intense Reference" style to all cross references.
Sub m_SetCHARFORMAT(textRanges As Collection)
'
'
' Set CHARFORMAT switch to all {REF} fields. Replace MERGEFORMAT.
' Requires ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = True
' Dim oField As Field Dim oRng As Range For Each oRng In textRanges For Each oField In oRng.Fields If InStr(1, oField.Code, "REF ") = 2 Then If InStr(1, oField.Code, "MERGEFORMAT") <> 0 Then oField.Code.Text = Replace(oField.Code.Text, "MERGEFORMAT", "CHARFORMAT") End If If InStr(1, oField.Code, "CHARFORMAT") = 0 Then oField.Code.Text = oField.Code.Text + "\* CHARFORMAT " End If End If Next oField Next oRng
End Sub
Sub m_AddCrossRefStyle(textRanges As Collection)
'
'
' Macro to set style of all cross references to "Intense Reference"
' Requires ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = True
' For Each oRng In textRanges oRng.Find.ClearFormatting oRng.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting oRng.Find.Replacement.Style = ActiveDocument.Styles("Intense Reference") With oRng.Find .Text = "^19 REF" .Replacement.Text = "" .Forward = True .Wrap = wdFindContinue .Format = True .MatchCase = False .MatchWholeWord = False .MatchKashida = False .MatchDiacritics = False .MatchAlefHamza = False .MatchControl = False .MatchWildcards = False .MatchSoundsLike = False .MatchAllWordForms = False End With oRng.Find.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll Next oRng
End Sub
Function m_GetAllTextRanges() As Collection
'
'
'
' Get text ranges in all document parts.
' Set m_GetAllTextRanges = New Collection For Each rngStory In ActiveDocument.StoryRanges 'Iterate through all linked stories Do m_GetAllTextRanges.Add rngStory On Error Resume Next Select Case rngStory.StoryType Case 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 If rngStory.ShapeRange.Count > 0 Then For Each oShp In rngStory.ShapeRange If oShp.TextFrame.HasText Then m_GetAllTextRanges.Add oShp.TextFrame.TextRange End If Next End If Case Else 'Do Nothing End Select On Error GoTo 0 'Get next linked story (if any) Set rngStory = rngStory.NextStoryRange Loop Until rngStory Is Nothing Next
End Function
Sub SetCrossRefStyle()
'
' 1. Get all text ranges since Selection.Find only works on document body, but not on headers/footers
' 2. Add CHARFORMAT to make styling persistent
' 3. Add styling to all references
' Dim textRanges As Collection Set textRanges = m_GetAllTextRanges ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = True m_SetCHARFORMAT textRanges m_AddCrossRefStyle textRanges ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFieldCodes = False
End SubI think the following script is the best option which is inspired from here:
Sub FormattRefsAsHyperlinks() ThisDocument.Fields.Update `Optional Application.ScreenUpdating = False Dim Fld As Field, StrCode As String For Each Fld In ActiveDocument.Fields Select Case Fld.Type Case wdFieldRef, wdFieldPageRef `select the type for fields With Fld.Code StrCode = Replace(Replace(.Text, "\* MERGEFORMAT", vbNullString), "\* CHARFORMAT", vbNullString) .Text = Trim(Replace(StrCode, "\h", vbNullString)) & " \* CHARFORMAT \h" Fld.Select Selection.Style = ActiveDocument.Styles("MyLink") End With Case Else End Select Next Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End SubI think the following script is the best option which is inspired from here:
Sub FormattRefsAsHyperlinks() ThisDocument.Fields.Update `Optional Application.ScreenUpdating = False Dim Fld As Field, StrCode As String For Each Fld In ActiveDocument.Fields Select Case Fld.Type Case wdFieldRef, wdFieldPageRef `select the type for fields With Fld.Code StrCode = Replace(Replace(.Text, "\* MERGEFORMAT", vbNullString), "\* CHARFORMAT", vbNullString) .Text = Trim(Replace(StrCode, "\h", vbNullString)) & " \* CHARFORMAT \h" Fld.Select Selection.Style = ActiveDocument.Styles("MyLink") End With Case Else End Select Next Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End SubFast and effective way:
- Select some text with the formating you want to use for the references.
- Select the Home tab in the ribbon.
- Right-click on the Normal style and choose Update Normal to match selection.
- Update references with Ctrl + A, F9.
