Word2Google - quick Google searches from Microsoft Word

Word2Google
Quick Google searches from Microsoft Word

In a nutshell: This little copyrighted freeware utility allows you to select a string (e.g. a word, or two adjacent words) in Microsoft Word 2000 and to look it up in Google.

The intermediate screen of Word2Google allows you to optionally set a domain code. All country codes (*.de, *.fr, *.it, etc.) and all general and special codes such as *arpa, *.biz, *.com, etc. are selectable from a list. These special codes can be found towards the end of the list. To edit the list click on "Edit" at its bottom. A dash [-] in the list (no spaces are allowed before or after the dash) will result in a horizontal divider line. You can remove any necessary domains and their codes. Between the domain name and the code a colon [:] is required. No space is allowed before or after the colon. Once you have chosen a domain it will remain your choice until you change it, even after shutting down Word2Google.

How Word2Google works

The Word macro Word2Google copies the selected string to the clipboard.
The same macro calls (= opens) the external application runword2google.exe which is one of the installation files.
The executable word2google.exe is called.
The clipboard text is pasted automatically into the Search string field.
You can edit the string and/or the domain.
By clicking the "Search" button Google is called including the search string and, if selected, the domain restriction.

Installation

Please follow this procedure METICULOUSLY. It is not difficult but it must be followed - I repeat - METICULOUSLY!

In Word you need to create a new macro that calls (= opens) the external Word2Google application (part A of the procedure below). Part A below contains a step-by-step instruction with screenshots about how to create the macro, place a nice icon on the Word menu bar and install the Word2Google application itself. For safety reasons make a backup of the following file to another disk before starting the installation:

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\templates\normal.dot

or (e.g. on a Dutch system):

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Sjablonen\normal.dot

The installation is pretty much independent of your system language or Word's language version. The screenshots show a Dutch system but where needed the (suspected) English wording is explained.
The file normal.dot contains ALL Word settings and macros - it is a *very* important file!

Then you need to install the Word2Google files - see part B further below.

A) Create the Word macro

1. Menu item "Tools" (in Dutch: "Extra"); screenshot 1:

2. Enter a name for the macro: "Word2Google". Do not click on any other button on this window but only press OK; screenshot 2:

3. A small window appears and your cursor looks like an audio cassette; screenshot 3:

4. Click immediately on the small square to stop recording and do not press any key; screenshot 4: (Opname stoppen = Stop recording)

5. An empty macro has been created. Now open that macro to edit it; screenshot 5:

6. The following screen will appear; screenshot 6:

7. Click on Edit (in Dutch: "Bewerken"). The Visual Basic editor will appear; screenshot 7:

8. Add the two lines as indicated with a blue ellipse; screenshot 8:

9. Close that window and close the Visual Basic Editor.

10. Now you need to create a new icon on the Word menu bar.Right-click on a free spot on a menu bar. The following window will appear. Choose the last item (Customize…/ Aanpassen…); screenshot 9:

11. Find the macro Normal.NewMacros.Word2Google; screenshot 10:

12. Drag the icon with from the right side toward the spot on the menu bar where you want the new icon to appear; screenshot 11:

13. The macro name will appear in a large rectangle; screenshot 12:

14. Right-click on the rectangle and change its name into a single space and choose (preferably) the eye symbol with "Change button icon" (or its English counterpart; I have only the Dutch version at hand ("Knopvlak wijzigen"); screenshots 13 (and 14):

Screenshot 14:

15. The new icon + a single space will appear in the rectangle; screenshot 15:

16. Close the menu bar editing window from screenshot 10; the macro has been fully installed now; screenshot 16:

B) Install the Word2Google files

17. Now all you need to do is to create a folder on c:

c:\word2google

You *must* use this folder or Word2Google will not work. Copy all files - except 24uTranscoder.fmx - from the downloaded Zipfile into c:\word2google

18. Create a subfolder:

c:\word2google\system

Copy 24utranscoder.fmx from the downloaded Zipfile into c:\word2google\system

19. Run word2google.exe, click on Edit, Preferences, Application and make sure "24U Transcoding plug-in" is ticked; screenshot 17:

The installation of Word2Google is now finished. From now on you always open it by clicking on the "eye" icon in Word.

Removal

To remove Word2Google simply remove all its files (and preferably also its folder). In Word remove the macro "Word2Google" (Tools/Extra, Macro, Macros).

Technicalities

Word2Google was written in FileMaker Pro 4.0 and was bound with FileMaker Developer 4.0. The executable runword2google.exe is a compiled AutoIt macro from www.hiddensoft.com. The high ASCII character recoding (e.g. ä ö ü Ä Ö Ü ß é è á à ) - which is alas necessary in all copy operations between FileMaker Pro and other Windows applications - is done by the Transcoding plug-in for FileMaker Pro © 2000-2003 24U Software (www.24usoftware.com, all rights reserved.). Word2Google is single-user. Users with FileMaker Pro installed can adapt the software according to the rules of copyrighted freeware.

Technical requirements

Windows 95 or better
An Internet connection for "Googling"

Download Word2Google100.zip (1.3 MB)

Enjoy!