End of document paragraph symbol

[TestThis4x4]

How do you remove just the LAST paragraph symbol in a document? All the
others can stay but the last one needs to be removed.

 

[Peter T. Daniels]

You can't. It's "where" most of the information about the document's
format is stored.

What do you actually want to accomplish?

 

[Greg Maxey]

How do you remove just the LAST paragraph symbol in a document? All the
others can stay but the last one needs to be removed.

I don't think the correct answer is "you can't". It is more like, if
you do then the last paragraph container just recreates itself. Mr.
Daniels is correct. The last paragraph container stores much of the
formatting information about the document.

The following example macros should illustrate.

Open a new blank document (lets call it demo doc) and type ten
paragarphs as shown below. Use the page setup dialog to change the
default margins to say (.5, .5, .5 and .5)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Carefully select and copy everything but the last paragraph mark.
Open a new document and paste the contents. The new document page
setup (margins) should be unchanged. Close the new document.

Carefully select and copy everything in demo doc including the last
paragraph mark. Open a new document and paste the contents. The new
document page setup (margins) should change to match those set in demo
doc. This is because that last paragraph mark stores page setup
information about a document.

Now with demo doc select and delete the last paragraph or run the
following code:

Sub Demo()
ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Last.Range.Delete
End Sub

The result is:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

The last paragraph was deleted (no code error) but the page setup
doesn't change. You can extend this demo with the following code:

Sub ScratchMacro()
Do While ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Count > 0
If Len(ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Last.Range.Text) > 1 Then
MsgBox ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Last.Range.Text
ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Last.Range.Delete
Else
If MsgBox("Deleting last paragraph which will automatically
recreate. Do you want to continue?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo, "End of
the Road") = vbYes Then
ActiveDocument.Paragraphs.Last.Range.Delete
Else
Exit Sub
End If
End If
Loop
End Sub

It will run indefinately or until tire of proving it otherwise as each
time the final paragraph is deleted it will recreate itself.

 

[TestThis4x4]

Wow! I didn't realize it was so involved! I'm taking a course on computer
integration and my professor's noted in my homework assignment:

"There are to be no additional paragraph symbols at the end of the document
even if the file that is downloaded has them. There are also to be no
additional blank pages at the end of the document. Do not use multiple spaces
or tabs to align text. I suggest students have show on so they can see all
the hidden symbols (tabs, spaces, paragraphs, page breaks)."

So I got credit marked off my assignment because I had a paragraph symbol at
the end of my document.

Do I understand the professor correctly?

 

[JoAnn Paules]

Have you tried asking your professor that question? You've paid for his
instruction - get your (or your parents') money's worth.

 

[TestThis4x4]

Thanks for your wise answer. I have asked for her assistance and awaiting her
response but decided to do some research on my own. I figured I'd "get my
money's worth" (yes, MY money's worth. I'm paying for college out of pocket
and I'm 29 yrs old, thank you for assuming otherwise) by checking out a
MICROSOFT website.

I appreciate everyone's assistance except for Ms. Paules who apparently
assumes I'm an idiot.

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix]

Ouch... (but then she does edit a 'Dummies' book. ;-P)

BTW, this is only a MSFT-hosted site. Very few who post here actually work
for MSFT (and those who do have [MSFT] after their name). But I still think
you were wise to make good use of your time and take the initiative to try
to find the answer on your own - and asking the "experts" is a perfectly
acceptable method for finding an answer. However, I do think you could have
achieved the stated objective of having no blank paragraphs at the end of
the document - assuming that you're allowed to have at least 1 paragraph of
content in your document. The final paragraph mark can be located at the end
of the last line of text; it needn't be a paragraph on its own to do its
"job".
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Thanks for your wise answer. I have asked for her assistance and awaiting
her
response but decided to do some research on my own. I figured I'd "get my
money's worth" (yes, MY money's worth. I'm paying for college out of
pocket
and I'm 29 yrs old, thank you for assuming otherwise) by checking out a
MICROSOFT website.

I appreciate everyone's assistance except for Ms. Paules who apparently
assumes I'm an idiot.

Have you tried asking your professor that question? You've paid for his
instruction - get your (or your parents') money's worth.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"

 

[Jay Freedman]

I can suggest where the confusion lies, but you'll have to look at
your own document to see whether I'm correct.

If there is a paragraph mark at the end of the last paragraph of
visible text, and another paragraph mark after that, then the
professor would be correct in saying that there is an "additional"
paragraph mark.

That is, at the end of the document you should see

This is the last paragraph of visible text.¶

but not

This is the last paragraph of visible text.¶
¶

In the latter case, if you put the cursor after that last period and
press Delete, you can delete the first of the two marks but not the
second -- any more than one press of Delete will be ignored.

So if your document looks like the first example, you should not have
lost any credit; if it looks like the second example, the professor is
correct.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Greg Maxey]

<Do I understand the professor correctly?

If you understand what the little demo has shown you and you are still
asking that question then I would have to say no. If there is one and only
one paragraph symbol at the end of your document or one and only one
paragraph symbol following your final character of text then you and your
professor should get along nicely with your assignment scores improving.

Good luck.


--
Greg Maxey

See my web site http://gregmaxey.mvps.org
for an eclectic collection of Word Tips.

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong
man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The
credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and
sweat and blood, who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms,
the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best
knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if
he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never
be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor
defeat." - TR

 

[macropod]

Hi TestThis4x4,

I appreciate everyone's assistance except for Ms. Paules who apparently assumes I'm an idiot.

I think you're being a bit precious here! The most logical place to start is with the person who graded your work - not with people
who havn't seen it. Clearly your prof. thinks you've got one or more unnecessary paragraph marks in the document and there was
nothing in your previous posts to suggest you'd sought clarification from the prof. Please also bear in mind that, in the absence of
evidence to the contrary, no-one here is likely to be inclined to calling your prof. an idiot for downgrading your work.


--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]

Thanks for your wise answer. I have asked for her assistance and awaiting her
response but decided to do some research on my own. I figured I'd "get my
money's worth" (yes, MY money's worth. I'm paying for college out of pocket
and I'm 29 yrs old, thank you for assuming otherwise) by checking out a
MICROSOFT website.

I appreciate everyone's assistance except for Ms. Paules who apparently
assumes I'm an idiot.

Have you tried asking your professor that question? You've paid for his
instruction - get your (or your parents') money's worth.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"

 

[JoAnn Paules]

No - I was not assuming anything. I merely asked if you'd talked to the
instructor. Many times people are afraid to do that and prefer to ask their
questions anonymously. My point is that you pay for the instruction - get
what you've paid for.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"

Thanks for your wise answer. I have asked for her assistance and awaiting
her
response but decided to do some research on my own. I figured I'd "get my
money's worth" (yes, MY money's worth. I'm paying for college out of
pocket
and I'm 29 yrs old, thank you for assuming otherwise) by checking out a
MICROSOFT website.

I appreciate everyone's assistance except for Ms. Paules who apparently
assumes I'm an idiot.

Have you tried asking your professor that question? You've paid for his
instruction - get your (or your parents') money's worth.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]
Tech Editor for "Microsoft Publisher 2007 For Dummies"



"