With over 1000 macros currently available for editors to use, how can you find one for the task you have in mind?
The useful ‘Macro Menu’ is a pdf file (regularly updated) where all the macros are listed, grouped under 24 categories. On the left is the macro name, and on the right is a one-line descriptor of its function.
Here’s a section from the Macro Menu:
• ProperNounAlyse – Alerts you to possible proper noun misspellings, showing their frequency
• HyphenAlyse – Shows the frequency of word pairs in hyphenated, two-word and single-word form
• CitationAlyse – Checks citations against references
• ShortTitleAlyse – Analyses short titles to check references against citations
Use this list to find the macro you need. When you find one, click on its name and a new page will open containing the macro code ready for you to copy it and install it into Visual Basic. If this is starting to sound confusing, don’t panic. Stop and download Macros from Square One. It will teach you how to install macros into Visual Basic, and how to use the Macro Menu to find just the macro you need. Or start one step before that with the Macros – Free Trial, which requires less technical chutzpa. Both these are start-ups are linked on ‘How can I get started?’
If you would like more information about what each macro does, just click on the one-line descriptor; this will download a PDF of the chapter in Paul’s book where that macro is described in greater detail, telling you how you can use it. To find the macro details within the chapter, do a search for the macro name.