Exporting Word Macros

[rjbinney]

I am having a world of hurt with the new Word update, and Microsoft's "MVPs" are encouraging me to delete all my old templates.

Trouble is, I have tricked this thing out from over 25 years of using it - keyboard shortcuts, and the like.

Double trouble is, while I am smart enough to create some basic macros, I'm not smart enough to figure out how to preserve them and install them on new templates.

Short of Editing each one, copying the text, and pasting it into a Notepad file, is there a smarter way? (I want contents, not just Macro names.)

Thanks!

[BC_Programmer]

You can export the macros in a document by pressing Alt-F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor, and then choose File->Export File.

You can use File->Import File on the same screen later to re-import them.

Rather than deleting templates I'd suggest renaming or moving them. Remember that the template files are really just ordinary word documents, so you can rename them to have the .doc extension (as long as your file explorer/Windows explorer is set to show file extensions!) and then they should not automatically load or be regarded as templates.

[rjbinney]

Thanks. I had seen that but wasn't sure how to "test" it out... Without going to a different machine and importing (which I don't have access to right now).

Rather than deleting templates I'd suggest renaming or moving them. Remember that the template files are really just ordinary word documents, so you can rename them to have the .doc extension (as long as your file explorer/Windows explorer is set to show file extensions!) and then they should not automatically load or be regarded as templates.

Oh, I know that. But you know industrial troubleshooting - instead of trying to figure out what triggered a new problem in the last 24 hours, the first step should be to delete things that have been stable for 24 years.

[BC_Programmer]

Yeah I meant you can backup/save the files rather than "deleting"  them as you were advised.

Not that I expect they really have a clue what they are doing. 90% of the time it's generic boilerplate crap and arbitrary, senseless "diagnostic steps" that doesn't even consider your specific problem. My favourite is when they provide steps to reboot in "safe mode" via the start menu to somebody who has made it clear the system doesn't even turn on.

Anyway, this way, you can say "OK I deleted them what next!" and then later if they have been unsuccessful at assisting and they go "well golly gee willickers I don't know what the problem is, sorry that I had you delete 25+ years of fiddling, woopsy daisy" you can just put the files back.

[rjbinney]

Yeah, I went through an issue with them where I literally rebuilt my Desktop twice, got a new machine, did TWO clean reinstalls, only to finally find a real person (out of that entire chain of command) who "did a little research", and - voila, I went from being the only person who had ever seen anything like it to seeing a patch deployed in a global update.

And since Windows 10 is very picky about how it names your User directories, it was just such a pain in the-