I had Claude write me something I use quite often. I draft documents in Word with comments, and needed a way to convert selected text in Word into markdown that preserved the comments, including where they are in the text. Auto-paragraph numbers are also preserved.
The way it works is that you select the text in Word, initiate PopClip and select the Word–>MD extension, and the extension copies the converted version into the clipboard for pasting into the LLM of your choice.
Basically, the extension is a way for you to, while working in a Word document, get commented text moved quickly into Claude, ChatGPT, or whatever.
I’ve never published an extension for public consumption before, so don’t want to go through the hassle of doing that if there isn’t interest. But if there is interest, I’m more happy to do so.
Here’s an example. This a screenshot of text in Word.
Here’s the resulting markdown that is copied to the clipboard when you select the entire paragraph and initiate the extension.
## How to read this file
This Markdown was converted from a passage copied out of Microsoft Word that
carried reviewer comments. The comments have been preserved. They are
annotations *about* the document, not part of the document text.
Two kinds of marker appear in the body:
| Marker | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `[[cN]]` ... `[[/cN]]` | The text between the two markers is the span that comment N is attached to (a Word *range* comment). |
| `[[cN/]]` | Comment N is attached to this single point in the text, not to any span (a Word *point* comment). |
Rules:
1. The markers are not document content. Read the document as if every marker
were deleted; use them only to determine what each comment refers to.
2. Markers may nest or overlap, and a span may cross paragraph, list, or table
boundaries. A `[[cN]]` is always closed by the matching `[[/cN]]`.
3. Every marker has a matching entry in the **Word comments** register at the
end of this file, keyed by the same `cN` identifier, giving the comment text,
author, and timestamp.
4. Replies are listed in the register nested under the comment they reply to and
labelled `cN-r1`, `cN-r2`, and so on. Replies do not carry their own body
markers because they re-anchor the same span as their parent.
5. Comment numbering is sequential in document order and has no relationship to
Word's internal comment IDs.
---
\[0001\] Over the past decade, urban beekeeping has grown from a niche hobby into a recognized movement embraced by city dwellers, restaurateurs, and municipal governments alike. Rooftops in cities like [[c1]]New York, Paris, and Tokyo[[/c1]] now host thriving hives, producing honey with distinctive flavors shaped by the surrounding flora—linden trees, wildflowers in vacant lots, or even herbs from nearby community gardens. Advocates argue that urban hives support biodiversity and pollination in environments where green space is limited, while also reconnecting city residents with the natural processes that sustain their food systems.
---
## Word comments
- **[[c1]]** — Author (A) — (no timestamp)
- anchor: range
- anchored text: "New York, Paris, and Tokyo"
- status: open
- comment: Should we add other cities?
