Using Find in Word from a List in Excel VBA - vba

Question

I am working on an automated peer review macro that would check for certain words and highlight them in a Microsoft Word document. However, I am looking to substitute the WordList = Split(" is , are ,", ",") with a list I created in excel. This would be easier for me to add new words instead of manually typing the words I want highlighted in the code.
For example: A1 has the word " is ", so I am hoping it would be something like Wordlist = Split("A1, A2")
or something like Exlist = Range("A1:A2").value so WordList = Split(ExList)
Is something like that possible? Thank you for your help.
Sub PeerReview()
Dim r As Range
Dim WordList() As String
Dim a As Long
Dim Doc As Document
Dim Response As Integer
'This code will search through all of the open word documents and ask you which ones you would like to peer review.
For Each Doc In Documents
'MsgBox Doc
Response = MsgBox(prompt:="Do you want to peer review " & Doc & "?", Buttons:=vbYesNo)
If Response = vbNo Then GoTo ShortCut
'This code will highlight words that do not belong in the paragraph
WordList = Split(" is , are ,", ",") 'List of words to check for when it is peer-reviewing
Options.DefaultHighlightColorIndex = wdPink *'Highlight when found*
For a = 0 To UBound(WordList())
Set r = ActiveDocument.Range
With r.Find
.Text = WordList(a)
.Replacement.Highlight = wdYellow
.Execute Replace:=wdReplaceAll
End With
Next 'next word
ShortCut:
Next
End Sub

Answer 1

Here are three ways to retrieve an array of words from an external file (Word, Excel, and Text Files) in MS Word. Reading from the text file is by far the fastest.
Results
Word: 0.328125 Seconds
Excel: 1.359130859375 Seconds
Text: 0.008056640625 Seconds
---------- ----------
Get Word List from Word Document
Start Time:12/1/2007 11:03:56 PM
End Time:9/1/2016 12:53:16 AM
Duration:0.328125 Seconds
------------------------------
---------- ----------
Get Word List from Excel
Start Time:12/1/2007 3:05:49 PM
End Time:9/1/2016 12:53:17 AM
Duration:1.359130859375 Seconds
------------------------------
---------- ----------
Get Word List from Text Document
Start Time:11/30/2007 6:16:01 AM
End Time:9/1/2016 12:53:17 AM
Duration:0.008056640625 Seconds
------------------------------
Unit Test
Sub TestWordList()
Dim arData
EventsTimer "Get Word List from Word Document"
arData = GetWordsListDoc
'Debug.Print Join(arData, ",")
EventsTimer "Get Word List from Word Document"
EventsTimer "Get Word List from Excel"
arData = GetWordsListXL
'Debug.Print Join(arData, ",")
EventsTimer "Get Word List from Excel"
EventsTimer "Get Word List from Text Document"
arData = GetWordsListTxt
'Debug.Print Join(arData, ",")
EventsTimer "Get Word List from Text Document"
End Sub
Event Timer
Sub EventsTimer(Optional EventName As String)
Static dict As Object
If dict Is Nothing Then Set dict = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
If dict.Exists(EventName) Then
Debug.Print
Debug.Print String(10, "-"), String(10, "-")
Debug.Print EventName
Debug.Print ; "Start Time:"; ; Now - dict(EventName)
Debug.Print ; "End Time:"; ; Now
Debug.Print ; "Duration:"; ; Timer - dict(EventName) & " Seconds"
Debug.Print String(10, "-"); String(10, "-"); String(10, "-")
dict.Remove EventName
Else
dict.Add EventName, CDbl(Timer)
End If
If dict.Count = 0 Then Set dict = Nothing
End Sub
Functions to retrieve a word list from MS Word, Ms Excel and a Text File.
Function GetWordsListDoc()
Const FilePath As String = "C:\Users\best buy\Downloads\stackoverfow\Wordlist\WordList.docx"
Dim doc As Word.Document, oWords As Word.Words
Dim x As Long
Dim arData
Set doc = Application.Documents.Open(FileName:=FilePath, ReadOnly:=True)
Set oWords = doc.Words
ReDim arData(oWords.Count - 1)
For x = 1 To oWords.Count
arData(x - 1) = Trim(oWords.Item(x))
Next
doc.Close False
GetWordsListDoc = arData
End Function
Function GetWordsListXL()
Const FilePath As String = "C:\Users\best buy\Downloads\stackoverfow\Wordlist\WordsList.xlsb"
Const xlUp = -4162
Dim arData
Dim x As Long
Dim oExcel As Object, oWorkbook As Object
Set oExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
With oExcel
.Visible = False
Set oWorkbook = .Workbooks.Open(FileName:=FilePath, ReadOnly:=True)
End With
With oWorkbook.Worksheets(1)
arData = .Range("A1", .Range("A" & .Rows.Count).End(xlUp)).Value
arData = oExcel.WorksheetFunction.Transpose(arData)
End With
oWorkbook.Close False
oExcel.Quit
GetWordsListXL = arData
End Function
Function GetWordsListTxt()
Const FilePath As String = "C:\Users\best buy\Downloads\stackoverfow\Wordlist\WordList.txt"
Dim arData, f, fso
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.Filesystemobject")
Set f = fso.OpenTextFile(FilePath)
arData = Split(f.ReadAll, vbNewLine)
GetWordsListTxt = arData
End Function