Using Multiple wildcard searches in Word 2007 with VBA - vba

Question

I have VBA code that runs through a document and identifies acronyms using wildcards and places them in a separate word document. Some of my writers don't always follow the proper style guides for acronyms so I'm running four different scripts to find all the possible acronyms. It's time consuming and I end up with multiple documents. Is there a method to run multiple searches from one script and have all the results placed in the separate document. Truth in Advertising: I found this script on the 'net, but I've been playing with it to attempt to make it do some other features. Adding current script:
Sub ExtractVariousValuesACRONYMSToNewDocument()
'The macro creates a new document,
'finds all words consisting of 2 or more uppercase letters
'in the active document and inserts the words
'in column 1 of a 3-column table in the new document
'Each acronym is added only once
'Use column 2 for definitions
'Page number of first occurrence is added by the macro in column 3
'Minor adjustments are made to the styles used
'You may need to change the style settings and table layout to fit your needs
'=========================
Dim oDoc_Source As Document
Dim oDoc_Target As Document
Dim strListSep As String
Dim strAcronym As String
Dim oTable As Table
Dim oRange As Range
Dim n As Long
Dim strAllFound As String
Dim Title As String
Dim Msg As String
Title = "Extract Acronyms to New Document"
'Show msg - stop if user does not click Yes
Msg = "This macro finds all words consisting of 2 or more " & _
"uppercase letters and extracts the words to a table " & _
"in a new document where you can add definitions." & vbCr & vbCr & _
"Do you want to continue?"
If MsgBox(Msg, vbYesNo + vbQuestion, Title) <> vbYes Then
Exit Sub
End If
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
'Find the list separator from international settings
'May be a comma or semicolon depending on the country
strListSep = Application.International(wdListSeparator)
'Start a string to be used for storing names of acronyms found
strAllFound = "#"
Set oDoc_Source = ActiveDocument
'Create new document for acronyms
Set oDoc_Target = Documents.Add
With oDoc_Target
'Make sure document is empty
.Range = ""
'Insert info in header - change date format as you wish
.PageSetup.TopMargin = CentimetersToPoints(3)
.Sections(1).Headers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).Range.Text = _
"Acronyms extracted from: " & oDoc_Source.FullName & vbCr & _
"Created by: " & Application.UserName & vbCr & _
"Creation date: " & Format(Date, "MMMM d, yyyy")
'Adjust the Normal style and Header style
With .Styles(wdStyleNormal)
.Font.Name = "Arial"
.Font.Size = 10
.ParagraphFormat.LeftIndent = 0
.ParagraphFormat.SpaceAfter = 6
End With
With .Styles(wdStyleHeader)
.Font.Size = 8
.ParagraphFormat.SpaceAfter = 0
End With
'Insert a table with room for acronym and definition
Set oTable = .Tables.Add(Range:=.Range, NumRows:=2, NumColumns:=3)
With oTable
'Format the table a bit
'Insert headings
.Range.Style = wdStyleNormal
.AllowAutoFit = False
.Cell(1, 1).Range.Text = "Acronym"
.Cell(1, 2).Range.Text = "Definition"
.Cell(1, 3).Range.Text = "Page"
'Set row as heading row
.Rows(1).HeadingFormat = True
.Rows(1).Range.Font.Bold = True
.PreferredWidthType = wdPreferredWidthPercent
.Columns(1).PreferredWidth = 20
.Columns(2).PreferredWidth = 70
.Columns(3).PreferredWidth = 10
End With
End With
With oDoc_Source
Set oRange = .Range
n = 1 'used to count below
With oRange.Find
'Use wildcard search to find strings consisting of 2 or more uppercase letters
'Set the search conditions
'NOTE: If you want to find acronyms with e.g. 2 or more letters,
'change 3 to 2 in the line below
.Text = "<[A-Z]{2" & strListSep & "}>"
.Forward = True
.Wrap = wdFindStop
.Format = False
.MatchCase = True
.MatchWildcards = True
'Perform the search
Do While .Execute
'Continue while found
strAcronym = oRange
'Insert in target doc
'If strAcronym is already in strAllFound, do not add again
If InStr(1, strAllFound, "#" & strAcronym & "#") = 0 Then
'Add new row in table from second acronym
If n > 1 Then oTable.Rows.Add
'Was not found before
strAllFound = strAllFound & strAcronym & "#"
'Insert in column 1 in oTable
'Compensate for heading row
With oTable
.Cell(n + 1, 1).Range.Text = strAcronym
'Insert page number in column 3
.Cell(n + 1, 3).Range.Text = oRange.Information(wdActiveEndPageNumber)
End With
n = n + 1
End If
Loop
End With
End With
'Sort the acronyms alphabetically - skip if only 1 found
If n > 2 Then
With Selection
.Sort ExcludeHeader:=True, FieldNumber:="Column 1", SortFieldType _
:=wdSortFieldAlphanumeric, SortOrder:=wdSortOrderAscending
'Go to start of document
.HomeKey (wdStory)
End With
End If
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
'If no acronyms found, show msg and close new document without saving
'Else keep open
If n = 1 Then
Msg = "No acronyms found."
oDoc_Target.Close savechanges:=wdDoNotSaveChanges
Else
Msg = "Finished extracting " & n - 1 & " acronymn(s) to a new document."
End If
MsgBox Msg, vbOKOnly, Title
'Clean up
Set oRange = Nothing
Set oDoc_Source = Nothing
Set oDoc_Target = Nothing
Set oTable = Nothing
End Sub

Answer 1

The best solution would be one searching pattern for all cases. Word hasn't full regular expressions, it is not always possible. Write all four patterns, maybe there is a way for join them into one super-pattern.
The second possibility is running multiple times the same algorithm in one macro, something like this:
Sub Example()
Dim patterns As String
Dim pts() As String
'list of patterns for each run delimited by a delimiter - comma in this example
patterns = "first pattern, second pattern, and so on"
pts = Split(patterns, ",") 'the second parameter is a delimiter
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To UBound(pts)
'do your subroutine for each searching pattern
Next i
'save document with result
End Sub
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