Find and Replace Header in Word using applescript

This is why I don't script Word :)

I could get an image in the header, and I could align the paragraph, but I couldn't manage the text separate from the image.

The image alignment options are applied to shapes, but shapes don't have associated file attributes, despite the fact the dictionary says that picture inherits from shape, and therefore should respond accordingly.

Alas, I think this means my lucky streak comes to an end. Maybe someone else sees this thread and can shine some light.

I'm sure gods have tried AppleScripting Word and given up in despair.

A quick look at the dictionary hints that your problem lies around the fact that you're only checking the document body, as evidenced by the line:

set docRange to text object of active document

To check the headers you would need to execute the find against the header object. The dictionary hints that this is retrieved via the get header function:

get header

get header (verb)Returns a specific header object (from Text Suite)

FUNCTION SYNTAX

set theResult to get header section ¬

    index WdHeaderFooterIndex

RESULT

header footerPARAMETERS

ParameterRequiredTypeDescription

direct parameter. required section

index required WdHeaderFooterIndex Specifies which header to retrieve.

where the resulting header footer object contains a relevant text object.

Therefore, as a guess (I'm not brave enough to try), you're probably looking at something like:

tell application "Microsoft Word"

-- ...

set headerRef to text object of (get header of section 1 of active document index header footer primary)

execute find (find object of headerRef) find text "String 1" replace with "String 2" replace replace all

end tell

<barf> Excuse me while I go shower lol

I might be a magician, but I'm no Houdini.

I was able to get a script to insert an image, but trying to do it via the find command was more than my brain could handle.

If it's sufficient to insert the image into the header without the find/replace, I got this to work:

set headerRef to text object of (get header of section 1 of active document index header footer primary)

set img to (choose file) as text

make new inline picture at headerRef with properties {file name:img}

hope that helps

> I was hoping you could send me the dictionary to which you referred in your first message

The dictionary is visible in Script Editor (File -> Open Dictionary -> <select the app> )

However, my distain for Word is that its dictionary is almost incomprehensible and does not follow normal AppleScript standards (complicated in part due to Word's extensive feature set, as well as its VB origins).

In any case, what you're trying to do shouldn't be too hard - once you get the image in the document it shouldn't be too hard to manipulate.

Have a poke at the dictionary, and let me know when (not if! lol!) you have questions. :)