Cannot Use Edit Replace for Finding and Replacing Symbols

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Word for Windows, the Find or Replace commands on the Edit menu may not find or replace symbols you inserted using the Symbol command on the Insert menu. This happens when you select anything other than Normal Text from the Font list on the Symbols tab. In other words, Word can only find or replace fonts based on the ANSI or ASCII character set, which are listed as Normal Text.

The Find and Replace commands work correctly when you search for characters you inserted from the Insert Symbol dialog box on the Special Characters tab.

This problem does not occur in Word 97.

CAUSE

The Find and Replace commands do not support the "protected" symbols and special characters, which include any symbols and special characters from a font not based on the ANSI or ASCII character set. Word lists all such fonts separately, by name, in the Fonts list in the Insert Symbol dialog box.

The Find and Replace commands do not find characters from non-ANSI or non-ASCII fonts regardless of whether you type their ANSI character code or paste the actual, formatted character in the Find What box.

WORKAROUND

To find and replace "protected" symbols or special characters (that is, characters from fonts not based on the ANSI or ASCII character set), use the FindSymbol macro, which is supplied with Word in the Macros7.dot (Macro60.dot in Word 6.0)template. Word Setup places this template in the macros subdirectory of the Word program directory.

Use the following instructions to run the FindSymbol macro to find protected symbols or special characters in the current document:

1. On the File menu, click Template.

2. Select Macros7.dot (Macro60.dot in Word 6.0), which is located in the <Word>\Macros subdirectory, and click OK.

3. On the Tools menu, click Macro.

4. Select All Active Templates or Macros7.dot (Macro60.dot in Word 6.0)in the Macros Available In list.

5. In the Macro Name box, select FindSymbol, then click the Run button.

   a. In the Find and Replace Symbols dialog box, click the Find What

         button to select the symbol you want to find.
   

   b. If you want to replace the Find What character with another

         symbol, select the Replace With option and then click the Replace
         With button to select the replacement symbol.
   

         -or-
   

         If you want to replace the Find What character with regular text,
         select the Text option and type the replacement text in the Text
         box.
   

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 46-47

"Microsoft Word Quick Results," version 6.0, pages 11-12