Searching a document for multiple terms in VBA?

Question

I'm trying to create a macro to be used in Microsoft Word 2007 that will search a document for multiple keywords (string variables) located in an external Excel file (the reason for having it in an external file is that the terms will often be changed and updated). I've figured out how to search a document paragraph by paragraph for a single term and color every instance of that term, and I assumed that the proper method would be to use a dynamic array as the search term variable.

The question is: how do I get the macro to create an array containing all the terms from an external file and search each paragraph for each and every term?

This is what I have so far:

Sub SearchForMultipleTerms()
'
Dim SearchTerm As String 'declare search term
SearchTerm = InputBox("What are you looking for?") 'prompt for term. this should be removed, as the terms should come from an external XLS file rather than user input.

Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatti…
With Selection.Find
    .Text = SearchTerm 'find the term!
    .Forward = True
    .Wrap = wdFindStop
    .Format = False
    .MatchCase = False
    .MatchWholeWord = False
    .MatchWildcards = False
    .MatchSoundsLike = False
    .MatchAllWordForms = False
End With
While Selection.Find.Execute
    Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="\Para" 'select paragraph
    Selection.Font.Color = wdColorGray40 'color paragraph
    Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1 'move to next paragraph
Wend

End Sub

Thanks for looking!

Answer 1

Perhaps something on these lines:

Dim cn As Object
Dim rs As Object
Dim strFile, strCon

strFile = "C:\Docs\Words.xls"

'' HDR=Yes, so there are column headings
strCon = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" & strFile _
    & ";Extended Properties=""Excel 8.0;HDR=Yes;IMEX=1"";"

Set cn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set rs = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")

cn.Open strCon

'' The column heading (field name) is Words
strSQL = "SELECT Words FROM [Sheet5$]"
rs.Open strSQL, cn

Do While Not rs.EOF
    Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
    With Selection.Find
        .Text = rs!Words '' find the term!
        .Forward = True
        .Wrap = wdFindContinue
        .MatchWholeWord = True
    End With
    While Selection.Find.Execute
        Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="\Para" 'select paragraph
        Selection.Font.Color = wdColorGray40 'color paragraph
        Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1 'move to next paragraph
    Wend

    rs.Movenext
Loop

Answer 2

Hey, thanks for the reply! I was a little confused by your method, I don't know what exactly things like ADODB is. I actually ended up figuring out a method that worked for me. For anyone that sees this in the future, here it is:

Sub ThisThing()
'

    Dim xlApp As Excel.Application 'defines xlApp to be an Excel application
    Dim xlWB As Excel.Workbook 'defines xlWB to be an Excel workbook
    Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application") 'starts up Excel
    xlApp.Visible = False 'doesnt show Excel
    Set xlWB = xlApp.Workbooks.Open("P:\SomeFile.xls") 'opens this Excel file

    Dim r As Integer 'defines our row counter, r
    r = 2 'which row to start on

    End With

    With xlWB.Worksheets(1) 'working in Worksheet1
        While xlApp.Cells(r, 1).Formula <> "" 'as long as the cell formula isn't blank

            Selection.Find.ClearFormatting
            Selection.Find.Replacement.ClearFormatting
            With Selection.Find
            Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToPage, Which:=wdGoToNext, Name:="1" 'start at beginning of page
               .Text = xlApp.Cells(r, 1).Formula 'search for the value of cell r
               .Forward = True
               .Wrap = wdFindStop
               .Format = False
               .MatchCase = False
               .MatchWholeWord = False
               .MatchWildcards = False
               .MatchSoundsLike = False
               .MatchAllWordForms = False
               r = r + 1
            End With
            While Selection.Find.Execute
                Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="\Para"
                Selection.Font.Color = wdColorGray40
                Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1
            Wend 'end for the "while find.execute"
        Wend 'end for the "while cells aren't blank"
    End With
    Set wkbBook = Nothing
    xlApp.Quit
    Set xlApp = Nothing
End Sub