mswordtree
Colney Lane, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
Telephone: +44(0) 1603 450597 (direct)
+44(0) 1603 450000 (switchboard)
Fax: +44(0)1603 450595
Overview
mswordtree is a tool for generating graphical phylogenetic trees in a Microsoft Word document directly from a Newick format description. The resulting graphic is a Word picture and so can then be moved easily between MS Office applications and extensively edited. mswordtree is a Word Basic macro and can therefore be integrated directly into your installation of Word, eliminating the need for an external program to graphically render your trees.
Basic Operation
Once you have installed the macro, you will have a menu option or a toolbar icon in Word which will launch the mswordtree program. To draw a tree, insert (or write) the Newick format description into your document, ensure it is highlighted (selected), then choose the menu item or hit the button that launches the macro. A dialogue box containing the tree drawing options will then appear, allowing you to specify the size of the tree image, the fonts to be used, whether or not branch lengths and bootstrap values will be drawn etc.
Once you are happy with the settings, click OK and, all being well, your tree will be drawn in a new Word document. The graphic can then be ungrouped and edited if required, and easily transferred into your original document or another Microsoft Office context such as a PowerPoint presentation.
Installation Instructions
The file mswordtree.doc below contains the Word macro itself, and some example trees for you to try.
There are two ways for you to use mswordtree. Firstly, you can simply download the .doc file below and keep it handy. Then, whenever you need a phylogenetic tree picture, you can load the document, copy in the tree, and hit the smiley button. The dialogue box will then appear and once you click OK your tree will appear in a new document ready to be be moved.
Alternatively, you can install the mswordtree macro into your own copy of Word. Word uses a file called Normal.dot as it's default template, and the macro must be inserted there to be available whenever Word is started. To copy the macro into Normal.dot, follow the instructions below:
- Open the file mswordtree.doc
- Choose Tools -> Macro -> Macros from the menu bar. Select the Organiser
- You will now see a list of the macros found in newicktree.doc in a list on the left, and the macros in Normal.dot on the right. Copy all of the macros from the newicktree.doc list into the Normal.dot list.
- Now when Word is restarted, the mswordtree macro will be avilable from the macros toolbar.
- To assign a toolbar button to the macro, use the Tools -> Customize menu option. Then choose macros from the categories list. You should now see Normal.mswordtree.drawtree in the list on the right. You can drag the drawtree macro onto any toolbar. Its text and icon can then be edited to your preferences.
Documentation
mswordtree has no formal documentation, as it is fairly self-explanatory. The main dialogue box contains a 'tips' panel, which contains some advice on how to edit the tree once it has been generated.
Downloads
| File | Description | Last updated |
|---|---|---|
| mswordtree.doc | The macro package and sample trees. | 15 Dec 2003 |
Project Information
DEVELOPER - Jenn Conn
CONTACT - George Savva
Contact George Savva at g.savva@qmul.ac.ukto report bugs, give comments and suggestions, or for more information.
Designed and maintained by Virginia Barnard
LAST UPDATED: 21st September 2005
