Multiple Entry Tags Add Text

[Boyd White]

I have been R&D'ing how to select multiple entry tags in a column then add a &tab; at the front of the content of each of those entry tags.

This has proved more difficult that I would have thought. How do you, in a macro, loop through the multiple Entry Tags selected and add text?

Thanks in advance!

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[Boyd White]

This will show me every entry's content in a column:

Set ttable = ActiveDocument.documentElement
Set tgrouplist = ttable.getelementsbytagname(“tgroup”)
Set tbodylist=tgrouplist.item(0).getelementsbytagname(“tbody”)
Set tentrylist=tbodylist.item(0).getelementsbytagname(“entry”)

For j = 0 To tentrylist.length-1
        selection.SelectNodeContents(tentrylist(j))
contents=selection.text
msgbox(“contents = ” + contents)
Next

But I don't need every entry's value…I need only those entry tags that have been selected in the column. I have to add a &tab; at the front of their content.

Anybody have some clues. This has turned out to be harder that I would have expected. In R&Ding I have not even been able to get the Range Start and Range End to maybe exclude those outside during the loop of “j” above.

Thanks in advance.

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[Derek Read]

Because users interact with tables in a unique way when compared to standard elements in a document (what the user is seeing doesn't line up 1:1 with the XML so things get complicated) you need to use special (new and as yet undocumented) APIs to get a user's selection when it might consist of selected cells in a table.

Here's something that does what I think your example code is trying to do.
You can paste these into a document to see them run:

[code=VBScript]'XMetaL Script Language VBScript:
If Selection.IsMultiCellSelection Then
   Set c = Selection.Cells
For j = 0 to c.length
Selection.SelectNodeContents(c(j))
Application.Alert(“content: ” & Selection.Text)
Next
End If[/code]

[code=JScript]//XMetaL Script Language JScript:
if(Selection.IsMultiCellSelection) {
   var c = Selection.Cells;
for(j=0; j Selection.SelectNodeContents(c(j));
Application.Alert(“content: ” + Selection.Text);
}
}[/code]

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[Boyd White]

I have to admit…I am using the ancient Xmetal 2.1
I tried your recommendation Derek and I imagine it would work on newer versions; but not on 2.1
Your recommendation gave me some ideas gave me some ideas but none of them panned out…I just was not able to get the Start and Stop range or cell/entry count of what I selected in a Table Column.
I was able to create a workaround with a couple Input Boxes from the user for anyone interested:

Dim iRows
Dim iIndent
Dim iCountRows
Dim strTabs
Dim i

iRows = cint(inputbox(“How Many Cells Downward From The Current Cell Do You Want To Indent: “, “Data Input”))

iIndent = cint(inputbox(“How Many &tab; Entities To Apply In Each Cell: “, “Data Input”))

strTabs = “”

For i = 1 To iIndent
    strTabs = strTabs & “&tab;”
Next

For iCountRows = 1 To iRows

Selection.TypeText(strTabs)
Selection.SelectContainerContents
        Selection.MoveLeft
Selection.MoveDown    
   
Next

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[Derek Read]

Yes, the APIs Selection.IsMultiCellSelection and Selection.Cells do not exist in versions older than 13.

You are correct in coming to the conclusion that being able to get the information your script needed was impossible. The information is just not there (without these new APIs). So, prompting the user is as good as it is going to get.

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