RE: Convert a directory of Word files to a TOC

Subject: RE: Convert a directory of Word files to a TOC
From: Paul Hanson <phanson -at- Quintrex -dot- com>
To: 'John Posada' <jposada99 -at- gmail -dot- com>, "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:57:07 -0500

Apologies if I misunderstand what you are trying to do. Based upon what you wrote, this is what I would do:

Use the DOS "DIR" command to create a .txt file that has all the file names listed.

Something like
DIR *.* /s >file.txt

Then open up file.txt in Word. Strip all the other stuff, like date & time, that you don't need. I often replace <space><space> with a tab and convert to a table. Then delete the columns that don't apply.

You would end up with a list like
MPLS20S04L01.doc
MPLS20S04L02.doc
MPLS20S04L03.doc
MPLS20S04L04.doc
On the first page of your doc.

Insert a page break above the first file so you have

<blank page>
---page break----
MPLS20S04L01.doc
MPLS20S04L02.doc
MPLS20S04L03.doc
MPLS20S04L04.doc

Go to your list of Word files. Apply Heading 1 to all of them.

Go to the blank page above your list and insert a TOC field.

Update the field making sure Heading 1 is in your TOC field. Bingo.

I do this kind of stuff frequently.

Paul Hanson
Technical Writer
RoboHelp ACE - http://www.adobe.com/support/forums/team_macromedia/robohelp.html
Quintrex Data Systems http://www.quintrex.com
email: phanson at quintrex.com




-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+phanson=quintrex -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+phanson=quintrex -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of John Posada
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 8:50 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Convert a directory of Word files to a TOC

Hi, guys...I want to do something that is over my head.

I was given over 250mb of Word files from an outside vendor (about 50
files). They are named by seqential numbers (MPLS20S04L01.doc,
MPLS20S04L02.doc, etc, though the numbers come in different groups) .
What I'd like to do is programmitcally, generate a TOC type of doc
that contains the file name and H1 title that can be picked up from
inside of the document.

That means something programmically has to start at the top of the
directory, write the file name ot a TOC Word doc, open the doc, write
the H1 to the TOC Word doc, close, go to the next file, write the
filename to the TOC doc, open and write the H1 title to the TOC doc,
etc.

No links, just a list. Has anyone done something like this before?

--
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
NYMetro STC President

'Half this game is ninety percent mental.'
-- Danny Ozark, Philadelphia Phillies manager
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authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial.
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True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Convert a directory of Word files to a TOC: From: John Posada

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