Merging Portions of Word Documents

[gkon]

Merging multiple documents is often rather more complex than simply copying & pasting content from one document to another. Problems arise when the documents have different page layouts, headers, footers, page numbering, bookmarks & cross-references, Tables of Contents, Indexes, etc., etc., and especially when those documents have used the same Style names with different definitions. The compromises can be mitigated, though.

The following macro handles the more common issues that arise when merging documents; it does not attempt to resolve page numbering, Tables of Contents or Indexes. Neither does it attempt to deal with the effects on footnote or endnote numbering & positioning or with the consequences of duplicated bookmarks (only one of which can exist in the merged document) and any corresponding cross-references.

The macro includes a folder browser. Simply select the folder to process and all documents from that folder will be merged into the active document.

Sub MergeDocuments()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Application.DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsNone
Dim strFolder As String, strFile As String
Dim DocSrc As Document, DocTgt As Document
Dim strDocNm As String, Rng As Range, HdFt As HeaderFooter
strFolder = GetFolder
If strFolder = "" Then Exit Sub
Set DocTgt = ActiveDocument
strDocNm = DocTgt.FullName
strFile = Dir(strFolder & "\*.doc")
While strFile <> ""
  If strFolder & "\" & strFile <> strDocNm Then
    Set DocSrc = Documents.Open(FileName:=strFolder & "\" & strFile, AddToRecentFiles:=False, Visible:=False)
    With DocTgt
      Set Rng = .Range.Characters.Last
      With Rng
        .Collapse wdCollapseEnd
        Call LayoutTransfer(DocSrc, DocTgt)
        .FormattedText = DocSrc.Range.FormattedText
        .Collapse wdCollapseEnd
        .InsertBreak Type:=wdSectionBreakNextPage
      End With
      For Each HdFt In .Sections.Last.Headers
        HdFt.LinkToPrevious = False
      Next
      For Each HdFt In .Sections.Last.Footers
        HdFt.LinkToPrevious = False
      Next
      For Each HdFt In .Sections(.Sections.Count - 1).Headers
        With HdFt.Range
          .FormattedText = DocSrc.Sections.Last.Headers(HdFt.Index).Range.FormattedText
          .Characters.Last.Delete
        End With
      Next
      For Each HdFt In .Sections(.Sections.Count - 1).Footers
        With HdFt.Range
          .FormattedText = DocSrc.Sections.Last. Footers(HdFt.Index).Range.FormattedText
          .Characters.Last.Delete
        End With
      Next
    End With
    DocSrc.Close False
  End If
  strFile = Dir()
Wend
Set Rng = Nothing: Set DocTgt = Nothing: Set DocSrc = Nothing
Application.DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsAll
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
Sub LayoutTransfer(DocSrc As Document, DocTgt As Document)
'Document Body variables
Dim sPageHght As Single, sPageWdth As Single
Dim sHeaderDist As Single, sFooterDist As Single
Dim sTMargin As Single, sBMargin As Single
Dim sLMargin As Single, sRMargin As Single
Dim sGutter As Single, sGutterPos As Single
Dim lPaperSize As Long, lGutterStyle As Long
Dim lMirrorMargins As Long, lVerticalAlignment As Long
Dim lScnStart As Long, lScnDir As Long
Dim lOddEvenHdFt As Long, lDiffFirstHdFt As Long
Dim bTwoPagesOnOne As Boolean, bBkFldPrnt As Boolean
Dim bBkFldPrnShts As Boolean, bBkFldRevPrnt As Boolean
Dim bOrientation As Boolean
'Get Page Setup parameters
With DocSrc.Sections.First.PageSetup
  lPaperSize = .PaperSize
  lGutterStyle = .GutterStyle
  bOrientation = .Orientation
  lMirrorMargins = .MirrorMargins
  lScnStart = .SectionStart
  lScnDir = .SectionDirection
  lOddEvenHdFt = .OddAndEvenPagesHeaderFooter
  lDiffFirstHdFt = .DifferentFirstPageHeaderFooter
  lVerticalAlignment = .VerticalAlignment
  sPageHght = .PageHeight
  sPageWdth = .PageWidth
  sTMargin = .TopMargin
  sBMargin = .BottomMargin
  sLMargin = .LeftMargin
  sRMargin = .RightMargin
  sGutter = .Gutter
  sGutterPos = .GutterPos
  sHeaderDist = .HeaderDistance
  sFooterDist = .FooterDistance
  bTwoPagesOnOne = .TwoPagesOnOne
  bBkFldPrnt = .BookFoldPrinting
  bBkFldPrnShts = .BookFoldPrintingSheets
  bBkFldRevPrnt = .BookFoldRevPrinting
End With
'Set Page Setup parameters
With DocTgt.Sections.Last.PageSetup
  .GutterStyle = lGutterStyle
  .MirrorMargins = lMirrorMargins
  .SectionStart = lScnStart
  .SectionDirection = lScnDir
  .OddAndEvenPagesHeaderFooter = lOddEvenHdFt
  .DifferentFirstPageHeaderFooter = lDiffFirstHdFt
  .VerticalAlignment = lVerticalAlignment
  .PageHeight = sPageHght
  .PageWidth = sPageWdth
  .TopMargin = sTMargin
  .BottomMargin = sBMargin
  .LeftMargin = sLMargin
  .RightMargin = sRMargin
  .Gutter = sGutter
  .GutterPos = sGutterPos
  .HeaderDistance = sHeaderDist
  .FooterDistance = sFooterDist
  .TwoPagesOnOne = bTwoPagesOnOne
  .BookFoldPrinting = bBkFldPrnt
  .BookFoldPrintingSheets = bBkFldPrnShts
  .BookFoldRevPrinting = bBkFldRevPrnt
  .PaperSize = lPaperSize
  .Orientation = bOrientation
End With
End Sub
Function GetFolder() As String
Dim oFolder As Object
GetFolder = ""
Set oFolder = CreateObject("Shell.Application").BrowseForFolder(0, "Choose a folder", 0)
If (Not oFolder Is Nothing) Then GetFolder = oFolder.Items.Item.Path
Set oFolder = Nothing
End Function

Is there a way to combine parts of the word documents into the same headings if they both exist in the documents? For example if 2 word documents have section 1.1 and section 2.1 then text from both of them be placed under the same section?

Thank you,
George

[macropod]

That would required something quite different - code that would search through both documents for portions related to a common numbering scheme. This could quickly get quite complex - or quite unreliable - especially when multiple levels are involved and their not exactly paralleled in both documents. Plus there's the question of which portion should come first in the merged document - it might not be the same for every portion.

By the time a reliable macro was written (for what would have to be a once-off exercise for each scenario), you'd probably have long since completed the job manually.