Macros from square one

Workshop review

After previous unsuccessful attempts to master macros, I came to this two-hour workshop with a mix of hope and scepticism. The workshop structure was excellent. As not everybody was familiar with macros, Jennifer Yankopolus started with a quick overview, explaining that they are a tool to perform repetitive tasks in Word. We use a different macro for each task and they only run when we tell them to.
 

The macros covered were from Paul Beverley’s Word Macro Tools library. Most of these macros are language independent and require no programming skills, although some can be customized. Very importantly, they work exactly the same on PCs and Macs; in the second part of the workshop, Jennifer taught us how to install on both.

Jennifer demonstrated several macros, starting with GoogleFetch, which speeds up Google searches. There are similar macros for other search engines, such as PubMed and Google Scholar. Other neat macros included those for changing punctuation (such as PunctuationToComma and PunctuationToFullPoint, useful for changing the number style) and for changing the language or capitalization of a word.

When asked about the overlap with PerfectIt, Jennifer explained that, while all PerfectIt functions can be performed with macros, most editors still prefer to work with both, as some tasks are best done in batch (where PerfectIt shines), while others should be tackled case by case.

Jennifer wrapped up by suggesting we should start slowly, learning one or two macros at a time until they become second nature, then adding more. Similar advice can be found in the Macros from Square One self-training guide, available on Paul’s website and strongly recommended by Jennifer. When we feel ready to add new macros, her Macro of the Month newsletter should give us plenty of inspiration.

I came away inspired, though a heavy workload meant I didn’t apply the learnings until a week later. However, I then started using GoogleFetchBR, the macro for searching Brazilian Google, and I’m surprised at how much I actually use it. I will soon be ready to install another… it looks like I’m hooked!

Review by Ana Carolina Ribeiro