Challenge: MS-Word Comparison

ePiallat - Fri Feb 27 10:16:36 EST 2009
/* Here you are !

– Éric */
const int wdFormatText = 2
const int wdFormatRTF = 6
void RedLinedTextFiles(string NameFile1, NameFile2, ResultFile)
{
OleAutoArgs theArgs = create
OleAutoObj theDocument, theDocuments
OleAutoObj theWordApp = oleCreateAutoObject("Word.Application")
olePut (theWordApp, "visible", true)
oleGet (theWordApp, "Documents", theDocuments)
put (theArgs, "FileName", NameFile1)
oleMethod(theDocuments, "Open", theArgs, theDocument)
clear theArgs
put (theArgs, "Name", NameFile2)
oleMethod(theDocument, "Compare", theArgs)
clear theArgs
put (theArgs, "FileName", ResultFile)
put (theArgs, "FileFormat", wdFormatRTF)
oleMethod(theDocument, "SaveAs", theArgs)
delete theArgs
} // end RedLinedTextFiles

RedLinedTextFiles ("c:/temp/doc1.txt", "c:/temp/doc2.txt", "c:/temp/dp1.rtf")

llandale - Fri Feb 27 15:34:06 EST 2009
Great. The comparison results look right and end up in 'Document 1', which is desirable.

However, maybe things are different on my machine. I notice that the Results file is ALSO displayed, and its really just File1. When I comment out the last 3 lines (2 puts, 1 oleMethod) that 'SaveAs', I end up with Document 1 and File 1; no doubt your 'SaveAs' is applying to the original document (theDocument) instead of the new comparison document.

I close the File1 by moving this line up after the clear(theArgs) command:
oleMethod(theDocument, "Close", theArgs) // Close File1

That;s pretty good, maybe I don't really want to save the results in a report file, but my bigger program should probably allow for that.

This works whether or not MS-Word is currently running, that's also good.

But so far I don't know how to save the displayed 'Document 1' into the named report file name. If we run it again we get 'Document 2', so we cannot use 'Document 1' as some sort of key. Too bad the 'Compare' oleMethod doesn't allow a return parameter, a handle on the OleAutoObj. If we had a handle on the 'compare' instance, we can SaveAs that handle.

Had a fiasco opening the files 'Visible' false. Couldn't see them, couldn't get a handle on them to close, had to rudely close with Task Manager.

Had some luck defining a function that takes a string parameter, and if not null issues 'warn' and the message. Embedd the various 'oleMethod' etc commands (which return string error messages) in a call to this function, we get to see the errors those calls make, since 'warn' prints a backtrace including the line number of the calling OLE command.

Also, My MS-Word was configured to put deletions in the right margin, much like comments. Using the Word GUI Tools Menu >>Options... >>Track Changes tab, I changed the 'Use Balloons' value to 'Only for Comments/Formatting' which made the results look better. While I'm at it, I wouldn't mind changing trhe Insertions to be Underline Blue, Deletions Strikethrough Red, preferably for just this instance of Word. Wondering how to do that.

Attached is where I'm at so far.

>Louie

Lee_Bost - Fri Feb 27 15:52:31 EST 2009
It is my understanding that the Word Track Changes options are global to Word and aren't linked to the individual Word instances. So you can change them but it will change for every Word document you view.

llandale - Fri Feb 27 15:34:06 EST 2009
Great. The comparison results look right and end up in 'Document 1', which is desirable.

However, maybe things are different on my machine. I notice that the Results file is ALSO displayed, and its really just File1. When I comment out the last 3 lines (2 puts, 1 oleMethod) that 'SaveAs', I end up with Document 1 and File 1; no doubt your 'SaveAs' is applying to the original document (theDocument) instead of the new comparison document.

I close the File1 by moving this line up after the clear(theArgs) command:
oleMethod(theDocument, "Close", theArgs) // Close File1

That;s pretty good, maybe I don't really want to save the results in a report file, but my bigger program should probably allow for that.

This works whether or not MS-Word is currently running, that's also good.

But so far I don't know how to save the displayed 'Document 1' into the named report file name. If we run it again we get 'Document 2', so we cannot use 'Document 1' as some sort of key. Too bad the 'Compare' oleMethod doesn't allow a return parameter, a handle on the OleAutoObj. If we had a handle on the 'compare' instance, we can SaveAs that handle.

Had a fiasco opening the files 'Visible' false. Couldn't see them, couldn't get a handle on them to close, had to rudely close with Task Manager.

Had some luck defining a function that takes a string parameter, and if not null issues 'warn' and the message. Embedd the various 'oleMethod' etc commands (which return string error messages) in a call to this function, we get to see the errors those calls make, since 'warn' prints a backtrace including the line number of the calling OLE command.

Also, My MS-Word was configured to put deletions in the right margin, much like comments. Using the Word GUI Tools Menu >>Options... >>Track Changes tab, I changed the 'Use Balloons' value to 'Only for Comments/Formatting' which made the results look better. While I'm at it, I wouldn't mind changing trhe Insertions to be Underline Blue, Deletions Strikethrough Red, preferably for just this instance of Word. Wondering how to do that.

Attached is where I'm at so far.

>Louie

ePiallat - Mon Mar 02 04:00:11 EST 2009
I didn't experience any of those issues... On the other hand, I don't have "balloons" either, as we're using an old version of MSWord here (2K).
After comparison, my document window is still identified as "Doc1.txt", that's the reason why I made a "Save to RTF", to keep redlinings. But I have a single document window all the way.

Maybe you could get the compare result from the "Item" method?
Something like that?
/**/
clear theArgs
put (theArgs, 2)
oleMethod(theDocuments,"Item", theArgs, theDocument)
/**/
Of course, I can't test it myself, but I assume that because we created a specific word instance and opened one file only, compare result will be document #2.

ePiallat - Mon Mar 02 04:16:23 EST 2009
After a few googling, I found there was a new optionnal argument on the "compare" method that specifies the target: CompareTarget.

It can take three values:
wdCompareTargetCurrent <=== This is old Word behaviour
wdCompareTargetNew <=== I suppose this is your default
wdCompareTargetSelected
So I suppose my macro would work with:
/**/
clear theArgs
put (theArgs, "Name", NameFile2)
put (theArgs, "CompareTarget", wdCompareTargetCurrent) // single extra line
oleMethod(theDocument, "Compare", theArgs)
/**/

Providing someone knows what is the actual value of "wdCompareTargetCurrent".
As it is the historical default, I would assume:
const int wdCompareTargetCurrent = 0

But can someone check the VBA library about it?