MS Word- Find and Replace 2

[s0ccerdude]

Is there a way to use the find and replace command to erase all of the text between two symbols? For example:

*I want to erase this text*

Is there a wildcard symbol that I can use for this?

MS Word 2002

 

[luceze]

In Word2002(XP) on the find and replace menu go to more options and select use wildcards. I'm not sure if this applies to older versions of Word.

HTH,
Eric

 

[mbarron]

It applies to 2000 also.

I found out, while testing this, that if you type *something* Word converts it to something

Mike

 

[tav1035]

s0ccerdude,

If in Word, you actually have an asterik at the beginning and end of a word and your not using the ~ character any place in you document.

Open the Find & Replace
Turn wildcards feature off
search *
Replace it with the character ~

Then
Turn wildcards feature on
search ~*~
Replace it with nothing

Be sure to back this copy up before you try it.
tav

 

[CJTyo]

If you don't want the *something* to turn bold (this is left over from DOS versions where there wasn't a way to bold or italic or underline without encasing the word in symbols - kind of a precursor to HTML as a matter of fact) then put a space and then back over it afterwards (like you do to cease the stupid automatic capitalization):

*something * <then back up and remove the space between the g and the *.

And, as an FYI on the wildcard in Find & Replace for Word 2000 - the wildcard is an asterisk (*) so you can use an asterisk to replace unknown items, but trying to have asterisks as part of what you DON'T want to replace is problematic at best.

The suggestion to replace your asterisks with another symbole first and then do your wildcard based Find & Replace is excellent, and about the only way to do it!

C

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Insanity is a matter of Perception.

 

[tav1035]

mbarron,
It's the order that you apply the asterisk (right to left). Try typing a word with an asterisk at the end. Then go back and put an asterisk at the front.
How to turn this feature off->
Tools-> AutoCorrect Options->AutoFormat As You Type->Uncheck *Bold* and _italic?
tav

 

[mbarron]

I merely mentioned it because it was one of those things I hadn't run into before.

I don't need to turn it off (I figured it was an AutoCorrect feature) and I can't remember ever needing to put asterisk before and after anything.

Mike