Macro shortcuts not displayed on Customize Keyboard panel (Word 2007)

[Jennifer Murphy]

I have a few macros that I use enough to warrant keyboard shortcuts.
Most of them were written some time ago, so the exact steps I used are
a little fuzzy.

Today, I tried to invoke one of them and couldn't remember the
kayboard shortcut I assigned to it. I opened the Customize Keyboard
panel (Alt-F, Options, Customize, Customize, select macros). I located
the macro in question and selected it. I was surprised that no
keyboard short was displayed in the Current keys panel. Thinking that
I may not have assigned it, I clicked on several other macros that are
assigned and nothing was displayed for them either. These are macros
that I invoke via keyboard shortcuts every day.

I then selected a few commands and their shortcuts are displayed.

Can anyone help me understand why the macro shortcuts are not
displayed?

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

I have a few macros that I use enough to warrant keyboard shortcuts.
Most of them were written some time ago, so the exact steps I used are
a little fuzzy.

Today, I tried to invoke one of them and couldn't remember the
kayboard shortcut I assigned to it. I opened the Customize Keyboard
panel (Alt-F, Options, Customize, Customize, select macros). I located
the macro in question and selected it. I was surprised that no
keyboard short was displayed in the Current keys panel. Thinking that
I may not have assigned it, I clicked on several other macros that are
assigned and nothing was displayed for them either. These are macros
that I invoke via keyboard shortcuts every day.

I then selected a few commands and their shortcuts are displayed.

Can anyone help me understand why the macro shortcuts are not
displayed?

Additional information. I just assigned the macro to an unused
shortcut (Alt-Ctrl-Shift-P). As soon as I did, it was displayed in the
Current Keys panel. I closed the dialog boxes and reopened them and it
was still displayed. The other macros that also have shortcuts
continue to not be displayed.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Are you sure you have the correct template selected (for "Save in") when
you're looking at the Customize Keyboard dialog?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Are you sure you have the correct template selected (for "Save in") when
you're looking at the Customize Keyboard dialog?

It says "Normal.dotm". What should it be?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

That's what it should be. So I have no explanation. If you enter one of
those keyboard shortcuts as a proposed combination for some other command,
is your macro listed for "Assigned to"?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

That's what it should be. So I have no explanation. If you enter one of
those keyboard shortcuts as a proposed combination for some other command,
is your macro listed for "Assigned to"?

The shortcut Alt-B it the one that is not displayed. A log time ago I
assigned it to my "Border" macro. I tested it 2 ways: (1) It does what
the macro is supposed to do and (2) I set a breakpoint in the macro.

If I try to assign Alt-B to another command, the Currently assigned to
field is blank. If I try to assign Ctrl-B, it tells me that it is
already assigned to "Bold".

And if I try to assign the C-A-S-P shortcut that just assigned to my
other macro, it says that it is already assigned to
Normal.Newmacros.macroname.

I bet that if I reassign the Alt-B combination, it will all work -- at
least for now. But it used to work and now doesn't.

Word, all of Office really, is a lot like a random walk.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

There may be something "special" about Alt combinations. By default, they
are reserved for menus: Alt+B happens to be unassigned in the main menu
(unless you have the Adobe Acrobat add-in, in which case it opens the Adobe
PDF menu), but Alt+F, Alt+E, etc., are all assigned, yet those assignments
do not show up in the Customize Keyboard dialog, which I consider
unfortunate. Given how many Alt+ combinations there are in various dialogs,
it is generally advisable to avoid using them as keyboard shortcuts if you
prefer to work largely from the keyboard (including in dialogs). There are
plenty of Alt+Ctrl, Alt+Shift, and Alt+Ctrl+Shift combinations to make it
possible to leave Alt+ alone.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

There may be something "special" about Alt combinations. By default, they
are reserved for menus: Alt+B happens to be unassigned in the main menu
(unless you have the Adobe Acrobat add-in, in which case it opens the Adobe
PDF menu), but Alt+F, Alt+E, etc., are all assigned, yet those assignments
do not show up in the Customize Keyboard dialog, which I consider
unfortunate.

That's very charitable. I consider it yet another glaring Word
deficiency.

Given how many Alt+ combinations there are in various dialogs,
it is generally advisable to avoid using them as keyboard shortcuts if you
prefer to work largely from the keyboard (including in dialogs).

Perhaps, but why isn't there a warning even in the Help?

Anyway, none of this explains/justifies actual assignments not being
displayed.

There are
plenty of Alt+Ctrl, Alt+Shift, and Alt+Ctrl+Shift combinations to make it
possible to leave Alt+ alone.

Sure, yet another workaround. I should write a book... No, wait, Woody
Leonhard already did.

PS: Quick update. I reassigned the macro to Alt-B. Now it is displayed
in the "Currently assigned to:" field. But if I close Word, it is not
longer displayed.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

So it seems there is a general policy regarding showing Alt+ shortcuts.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

So it seems there is a general policy regarding showing Alt+ shortcuts.

Well, "policy" is probably not the right word...