"Find" finds text but "Replace" doesn't

I use wildcards so rarely (and so ineptly) that I wasn't aware that spaces
are treated differently. Thanks for enlightening me.

As for the replacement, Bob Buckland performed a number of diagnostic tests
with results too complex to even read about, much less report, but I think
we can all agree that Word's behavior is not illogical even though it is
(initially) puzzling.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"PamC via OfficeKB.com" <u43222@uwe> wrote in message
news:86164fb039204@uwe...
> Suzanne, I agree with you completely about your point 2. I was so caught
> up
> in his saying the replace couldn't "find" the spaces that I didn't
> interpret it as meaning that it didn't replace the two spaces--which, as
> you
> say, is perfectly understandable when there are deletions between the
> spaces.
>
>
> And you are right about point 1 too, except if you are searching using
> wild
> cards, which is what I most often do. In fact I rely on Word not finding
> my
> combinations of NB space and regular space when I run my multiple space
> removing macro. Word is such a tricky program.
>
> Thanks for setting me straight.
>
> PamC
>
> Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
>>Just a couple of points here:
>>
>>1. Searching for a space will actually find nonbreaking spaces as well as
>>ordinary ones.
>>
>>2. Eric *is* searching in Final view; that's the issue. The spaces he's
>>looking for are separated by deleted text. This doesn't seem to prevent
>>Word
>>from finding the two spaces as long as he's only looking, but it does
>>prevent replacement.
>>
>>The more I think about this, the more logical it is, really. In order to
>>replace the two spaces with one, Word would have to make some decision
>>about
>>the deleted text that separates them, and the logical result would be to
>>delete it, but until that change is accepted, it can't actually be finally
>>deleted. I think that's the issue here.
>>
>>> OK. In the Find and Replace dialog, Click the more button. Make sure
>>> all
>>[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> And what are you replacing it with?
>
> --
> Message posted via http://www.officekb.com
>
>

OK, I have the same problem in 2007.

I'm searching for ^p^t (paragraph character followed by tab character).
On the "Find" tab, it finds them all. Go to the "Replace" tab, click the
"Find next" button, and it finds none.

I'm not using (never use) Track Changes, and all the criteria and options
are identical. I've closed and re-opened the document.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Duane


"Eric" wrote:

> I've figured out Word is doing. It still seems incorrect to me, but at least
> I now see what's happening.
>
> Using an example:
>
> In the text I have "abc" (i.e., the letters a,b,c). I turn on Track Changes
> and delete the b. In Final Showing Markup view I see abc, with b
> struck-through. I do a Find, with Find What: ac, and Find does not find the
> target, which is what I expect. Also, Replace fails to find the target.
>
> I then change to Final view. Now Find finds the ac, and Replace doesn't.
>
> This seems incorrect to me. In my opinion, Find and Replace should work
> exactly the same in what they find or don't find. (Obviously, Replace also
> has the capability of replacing the target text, once found.) But they don't.
>
> I've learned something.
>
>
>
> "Bob Buckland ?" wrote:
>
> > Hi Eric,
> >
> > It becomes relevant when folks are attempting to duplicate the behavior with the same conditions and steps.
> >
> > In creating a document in Word 2003 that had two spaces already in some places in it and adding two spaces by typing in other cases,
> > then putting the Review toolbar into final display mode for me Replace handled all of the 2-spaces to 1-space changes.
> >
> > Was the text typed in or pasted from the web or another document, or ??? Is there a specific font used or style formatting applied?
> >
> > ============
> > <<"Eric" <Eric.TakeThisOut@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:6EA269EF-B0F0-4FF8-A33F-346C7EBFD85C@microsoft.com...
> > One space -- though that's irrelevant to the question I'm asking. The trouble
> > is that Replace does not find the target text, which is two spaces. <<
> > --
> >
> > Bob Buckland ?
> > MS Office System Products MVP
> >
> > *Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*
> >
> >
> >