Wild Card Replacement for Footnote Reference Numerals

Question

The problem.

All the footnote reference numbers have lost their formatting as superscripts and their links to the footnote text. I want to find and reformat as superscripts all and only the footnote reference numbers.  So I need a search formula that will find in order the sequence: 1, 2, 3 and so on.  but not numerals in other combinations. E.g. not 1 in 12 until it comes after 11.   (and not 1 in 1911).

I have read and for other complex tasks used with success Graham Mayor's excellent contribution http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/General/UsingWildcards.htm

But I can't figure out how to perform this operation. Is is possible at all?  or is there some work around?

Answer 1

In that case, all you need for a Find/Replace is:

Find = ^f

Replace = ^&

with the replacement Style set to 'Footnote Reference'.

There is no need for wildcards to be used at all.

Answer 2

Thank you

I am sending him a note

Answer 3

Thank you for the helpful reply.

1. I am not trying to restore the links (the active fields).  Only the formatting of the numerals.
2. The footnotes and main text were deliberately divided into two documents by a publisher. I am trying only to fix the formatting.

There are many many footnotes, which is why I am looking for a way to use the Replace function on numerals. Without the links, it may not be possible, but I am hoping someone can devise complex enough search terms to single out numerals in the way I specified.

Answer 4

Two points to take into consideration:

1. Even if there is a means of using F/R to convert the numbers to superscript there is no way to restore the active fields [relink to the footnote text], &
2. How this may have come to happen in the first place.

The only means of restoring actual footnotes is to recreate them.

As for how it happened, my best guess is that the file was opened & saved using some other program that 'claims' to be compatible with Word document formats. That could well negate the styles that control the formatting as well as break the fields responsible for the active links.

The only other thought that comes to mind is possible document corruption. You might try copying all but the last ¶ then pasting to a new blank document. That may restore the footnotes but I seriously doubt it.

Answer 5

You could check with him here:

http://www.gmayor.com/