WD98: Macros to Test for an Existing AutoText Entry Name

ID: Q183304

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

When you write macros in Microsoft Word for Windows, it may be necessary to test for the existence of an AutoText entry before inserting the contents of the entry. If your macro does not check for the existence of an AutoText entry before attempting to insert the contents into the document, you may receive the following error message:

   Run-time error '5941':

   The requested member of the collection does not exist.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/

Routine to Check for the Existence of a Specified AutoText Entry

If the "Attention:" AutoText entry resides in the Normal template, the following macro example posts a message indicating that it does exist.

   Sub AutoTextExists()
      Dim atEntry As AutoTextEntry
      ' Look in normal template for
      ' specified autotext entry.
      For Each atEntry In NormalTemplate.AutoTextEntries
         If atEntry.Name = "Attention:" Then
            MsgBox "Entry Exists!"
         End If
      Next atEntry
   End Sub

Routine to Insert a Specified AutoText Entry if it exists

If the "Attention:" AutoText entry resides in the Normal template, the following macro inserts the contents of the AutoText entry at the insertion position in the document.

   Sub InsertAutoTextIfExist()
      'This routine will insert the autotext entry if it exists.
      Dim atEntry As AutoTextEntry
      For Each atEntry In NormalTemplate.AutoTextEntries
         If atEntry.Name = "Attention:" Then
            atEntry.Insert Where:=Selection.Range
         End If
      Next atEntry
   End Sub

Routine to Insert a Specified AutoText Entry from Attached Template

The following Visual Basic for Applications macro example tests for an existing AutoText entry named "Attention:" in the active template (the template attached to the active document):

   Sub InsertAttachedTemplateAutoText()
      ' This routine will insert the autotext entry contained
      ' the active document's attached template if the specified
      ' autotext entry exists.
      Dim atEntry As AutoTextEntry
      For Each atEntry In ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate.AutoTextEntries
         If atEntry.Name = "Attention:" Then
            atEntry.Insert Where:=Selection.Range
         End If
      Next atEntry
   End Sub

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q181058
   TITLE     : OFF98: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

REFERENCES

For more information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications

Additional query words: wordcon vb vba vbe

Keywords          : kbdta kbdtacode OffVBA kbmacroexample macword98 
Version           : MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: April 7, 1999