Extracting Text from Word Tables

If you have a Word table which includes entries with hyperlinks, and you need the text removed from the table with the links intact, you won't be able to accomplish the task with paste special. This will remove the text, but the links will be lost.

You can get the job done with the Convert to Text tool under the Table Layout ribbon.

Auto-Creation of Word AutoText Entries to Automatically Link Exhibit References to PDFs

Tonight I posted a video to my YouTube channel which hopefully provide some help to those who need to create binders of documents referenced in deposition or witness examination outlines. If you can set up a document so an attorney or paralegal can easily hyperlink to any deposition or trial exhibit, you can pull together the documents they need to bring into the courtroom somewhat easier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AFnlWL3lVk

The video shows how you can make multiple AutoText entries in MS Word automatically using a macro, which includes hyperlinks. So in the example video each time we enter a reference to an exhibit in the format, "Exhibit 01", etc. we automatically hyperlink to a PDF of the exhibit saved on the C drive.

We first need to automatically add in a hyperlink to all of the documents in our exhibit set.

How to do this using a macro was demonstrated in the Tip of the Night for May 26, 2015. See: http://www.litigationsupporttipofthenight.com/single-post/2015/05/26/How-to-Automate-the-Insertion-of-Hyperlinks-in-MS-Word-8

... but I will show how to do it here again.

The first step is to create a 'concordance' table listing the names of the exhibits in one column and the paths to the PDFs of the exhibits in the second column.

We take the 'concordance' table and save it as a separate Word document in an easy to find location.

We now go to the Reference menu in Word 2010, and then click on Insert Index. In the new dialog box we click Auto Mark.

Then we browse to the Word document with the concordance table. XE codes are added to each exhibit reference with the path for the PDF of the exhibits.

Now we need to edit the MakeHyperlinks macro.

Sub MakeHyperlinks() Dim afield As Field Dim url As String Dim isHyper As Integer

For Each afield In ActiveDocument.Fields If afield.Type = wdFieldIndexEntry Then isHyper = 0 afield.Select Selection.Collapse url = Right$(afield.Code, Len(afield.Code) - 5) url = Left$(url, Len(url) - 2)

If Left$(url, 4) = "../F" Then isHyper = 1 End If

If Left$(url, 4) = "../T" Then isHyper = 2 End If

If isHyper <> 0 Then Selection.MoveStart unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=-3 Selection.MoveStart unit:=wdWord, Count:=-isHyper afield.Delete ActiveDocument.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=Selection.Range, _ Address:=url End If End If

Next afield

End Sub

On the path with the reference to the directory containing the PDFs: If Left$(url, 13) = "C:\exhibits\P" Then We need to confirm that only the first letter of the folder containing the PDFs is present in the reference path, and the number given at Left$(url, 13), matches the length of the directory when only the first letter of that last folder is counted.

Now when we run the macro the hyperlinks will be automatically inserted.

The next step is to use the macro to add the hyperlinks we created into Word's AutoText so that each time we type "Exhibit 01"; "Exhibit 02"; and so forth a link is created. We need to create a list with the term want to create an auto-link for and the hyperlinked reference after it, followed by the next term, and the next hyperlinked reference, and so on.

After repeating the exhibit references above the hyperlinked list, we select all, and then sort the list in order using the Sort tool on the Home tab.

Now be sure to put the cursor at the beginning of the list.

We now turn to the macro which will add autotext entries, and run it.

Sub Macro1() ' ' Macro1 Macro 6/18/2012 by Timothy ' Dim p As Paragraph, s As String For Each p In ActiveDocument.Paragraphs If Len(p.Range) < 2 Then GoTo nextone Selection.EndKey Unit:=wdLine, Extend:=wdExtend s = Selection Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1, Extend:=wdMove Selection.EndKey Unit:=wdLine, Extend:=wdExtend NormalTemplate.AutoTextEntries.Add Name:=s, Range:=Selection.Range Selection.MoveDown Unit:=wdParagraph, Count:=1, Extend:=wdMove nextone: Next p MsgBox "Done"

End Sub

THANKS TO TIMOTHY FOR CREATING THIS MACRO!

Now when we type an exhibit reference, and then press F3, a link to the PDF of the exhibit will be added.

You can go back to an exhibit reference that you previously entered and still press F3 to add the link.

These hyperlinked autotext entries will be available when you restart Word later to create a new document.

LinkBuilder

The United States District Courts have done legal professionals everywhere a favor by developing an add-in for MS Word called LinkBuilder. LinkBuilder will automatically insert hyperlinks to court filings available on PACER. See this guide posted to the site of the District of Nebraska. When you open the PDF, you'll see that there is a Word template embedded in the file - 'LinkBuilder.dotm'. The guide shows you how to save this file in the startup folder for Word. It will appear as a new tab on your Word ribbon.

I tested it just now and it seems to worked fine. When you click on 'Insert CM/ECF Links' t searches through a Word document for one of these abbreviations:

Filing no. 1

Filing 1

Docket no. 1

Doc. #1

Doc. 1

ECF No. 1

ECF 1

. . . and will then automatically link the PACER filing to the reference. It’s doesn’t work for ex parte filings, filings under seal, or minute entries.

The add-in prompts you to select a district court, and choose one of the seven citation formats. Note that not all district courts have the LinkBuilder report option installed. If they do, you want to use it and select the option to 'paste data from from CM/ECF report' since you won't incur any charges on your PACER account with this method.

You are directed to login to PACER, click on Reports in the 'title bar' menu, and then click on Link Builder.

[Oddlly even though this guide is posted to the site of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, that court does not seem to have the LinkBuilder option. The District of Utah does however. After searching by a case number you should find code like this: [I am somewhat suspicious that such code is not available for all cases - even those filed since LinkBuilder was introduced (2013?).

Copy and paste the code as prompted by the add-in.

If the District Court does not have the LinkBuilder report option, you can choose the last option to pull data from the Docket Sheet, but you will be charged. I have tested out this last option and it works just fine for the Southern District of New York.