How to extract headings from Word files to Excel? - excel

Question

I have hundreds of Word files (docx) which each have various headings, defined as Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc. Each of these files has a table of contents which correspond to the headings.
I want to extract each heading from each of these files into an Excel workbook to build a database.
My first attempt was to extract the headings from a single Word document into an Excel workbook. I found code online to extract headings from Word to Outlook, and also separate code to extract headings from Word to a new Word file.
I haven't been able to adapt either of these.
How do I extract headings from a single Word file to Excel? I will then try to work out further steps.
Word to Outlook
Sub CopyHeadingsIntoOutlookMail()
Dim objOutlookApp, objMail As Object
Dim objMailDocument As Word.Document
Dim objMailRange As Word.Range
Dim varHeadings As Variant
Dim i As Long
Dim strText As String
Dim nLongDiff As Integer
'Create a new Outlook email
Set objOutlookApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
Set objMail = objOutlookApp.CreateItem(olMailItem)
objMail.Display
Set objMailDocument = objMail.GetInspector.WordEditor
Set objMailRange = objMailDocument.Range(0, 0)
'Get the headings of the current Word document
varHeadings = ActiveDocument.GetCrossReferenceItems(wdRefTypeHeading)
For i = LBound(varHeadings) To UBound(varHeadings)
strText = Trim(varHeadings(i))
'Get the heading level
nLongDiff = Len(RTrim$(CStr(varHeadings(i)))) - Len(Trim(CStr(varHeadings(i))))
nHeadingLevel = (nLongDiff / 2) + 1
'Insert the heading into the Outlook mail
With objMailRange
.InsertAfter strText & vbNewLine
.Style = "Heading " & nHeadingLevel
.Collapse wdCollapseEnd
End With
Next i
End Sub
Word to Word
Public Sub CreateOutline()
Dim docOutline As Word.Document
Dim docSource As Word.Document
Dim rng As Word.Range
Dim astrHeadings As Variant
Dim strText As String
Dim intLevel As Integer
Dim intItem As Integer
Set docSource = ActiveDocument
Set docOutline = Documents.Add
' Content returns only the
' main body of the document, not
' the headers and footer.
Set rng = docOutline.Content
astrHeadings = _
docSource.GetCrossReferenceItems(wdRefTypeHeading)
For intItem = LBound(astrHeadings) To UBound(astrHeadings)
' Get the text and the level.
strText = Trim$(astrHeadings(intItem))
intLevel = GetLevel(CStr(astrHeadings(intItem)))
' Add the text to the document.
rng.InsertAfter strText & vbNewLine
' Set the style of the selected range and
' then collapse the range for the next entry.
rng.Style = "Heading " & intLevel
rng.Collapse wdCollapseEnd
Next intItem
End Sub
Private Function GetLevel(strItem As String) As Integer
' Return the heading level of a header from the
' array returned by Word.
' The number of leading spaces indicates the
' outline level (2 spaces per level: H1 has
' 0 spaces, H2 has 2 spaces, H3 has 4 spaces.
Dim strTemp As String
Dim strOriginal As String
Dim intDiff As Integer
' Get rid of all trailing spaces.
strOriginal = RTrim$(strItem)
' Trim leading spaces, and then compare with
' the original.
strTemp = LTrim$(strOriginal)
' Subtract to find the number of
' leading spaces in the original string.
intDiff = Len(strOriginal) - Len(strTemp)
GetLevel = (intDiff / 2) + 1
End Function

Answer 1

Try the following Excel macro. When you run it, simply select the folder to process.
Sub GetTOCHeadings()
'Note: this code requires a reference to the Word object model.
'See under the VBE's Tools|References.
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim wdDoc As Word.Document, wdRng As Word.Range, wdPara As Word.Paragraph
Dim strFolder As String, strFile As String
Dim WkSht As Worksheet, i As Long, j As Long
strFolder = GetFolder
If strFolder = "" Then Exit Sub
Dim wdApp As New Word.Application
Set WkSht = ActiveSheet
i = WkSht.Cells(WkSht.Rows.Count, 1).End(xlUp).Row
wdApp.WordBasic.DisableAutoMacros
wdApp.DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsNone
strFile = Dir(strFolder & "\*.doc", vbNormal)
While strFile <> ""
i = i + 1
Set wdDoc = wdApp.Documents.Open(Filename:=strFolder & "\" & strFile, AddToRecentFiles:=False, Visible:=False)
With wdDoc
j = 1: WkSht.Cells(i, j) = strFile
If .TablesOfContents.Count > 0 Then
With .TablesOfContents(1)
.IncludePageNumbers = False
.Update
Set wdRng = .Range
End With
With wdRng
.Fields(1).Unlink
For Each wdPara In .Paragraphs
j = j + 1
WkSht.Cells(i, j).Value = Replace(wdPara.Range.Text, vbTab, " ")
Next
End With
End If
.Close SaveChanges:=False
End With
strFile = Dir()
Wend
wdApp.DisplayAlerts = wdAlertsAll
wdApp.Quit
Set wdDoc = Nothing: Set wdApp = Nothing: Set WkSht = Nothing
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
Function GetFolder() As String
Dim oFolder As Object
GetFolder = ""
Set oFolder = CreateObject("Shell.Application").BrowseForFolder(0, "Choose a folder", 0)
If (Not oFolder Is Nothing) Then GetFolder = oFolder.Items.Item.Path
Set oFolder = Nothing
End Function