SOLVED: Copy Text From Error Windows

[Nzyme]

Hi there. Was wondering if there is any program / script (any other way) that can copy text from error windows (or any other message windows). Often while communicating over IM for technical troubleshooting, it is required to quickly copy and send the error message to the other party. Sending screenshots of the error window is one way that I am aware of but what I really need is a way to copy the error message from the window and send it to the other party instead of manually typing long error messages.

A sample image of an error window is attached. In this case normally, I cannot copy the text from this window. Is it possible to make a program that can copy the text from such windows???

Thanks!!

Nzyme

[yksyks]

On applications using standard Windows dialogs you can just press Ctrl-C and you get for example:

Code

---------------------------
Notepad2
---------------------------
Save changes to "Untitled"?
---------------------------
Yes   No   Cancel   
---------------------------

This doesn't work with MS Office 2003, though, which is probably your case. On MS Office 2007 it works fine.

[Nzyme]

Oh my god. This was built into the OS and I (& probably even others) never even knew of it. I tried it on a couple of windows and it worked. Thanks a million.

[yksyks]

It seems just a few people know this quite old trick. It's not very logical, you wouldn't expect the copy shortcut to work on these dialogs. I'm glad I could help a bit. The MS Office 2003 is a lost case in this situation. Why would Microsoft use the standard Microsoft Windows dialogs...? 

[tranglos]

Why would Microsoft use the standard Microsoft Windows dialogs...?  

...or menus, or toolbars, or even edit controls. In a normal "Open file" dialog box you can right-click the edit box and paste the filename. In Office, you can't. (You can still paste by Ctrl+V though).

It may be because some Office apps were initially designed outside of MS, but if that was the case, they've had more than enough time to standardize. Maybe MS thinks Office should behave and look slightly different from the rest of Windows, so that people know what they paid for, who knows. Certainly in the case of common controls there is less functionality in Office than in the OS itself.

As for the OP question: for those dialogs where Ctrl+C does not work, would it help to make a screenshot and paste it into Evernote or maybe OneNote? Can these apps OCR such a screenshot well enough? (It's probably faster to just type the text yourself most of the time anyway.)

[Target]

I have no afilliation with the developer, nor can I vouch for it's suitability or functionality, but you you might also look at  GetWindowText

it's standalone and no install

[yksyks]

... would it help to make a screenshot and paste it into Evernote or maybe OneNote? Can these apps OCR such a screenshot well enough? (It's probably faster to just type the text yourself most of the time anyway.)

As for Evernote—you can't. It does some OCR, but only for the sake of searching, because it's rather ambiguous. You can't get the text back to copy it, or so.

[tomos]

lots of people swear by the Abby Screenshot Reader http://www.abbyy.com/screenshot_reader/
which does OCR on screenshots (and takes screenshots) I havent used it myself (€30 in europe).

[rjbull]

lots of people swear by the Abby Screenshot Reader http://www.abbyy.com/screenshot_reader/
which does OCR on screenshots (and takes screenshots) I havent used it myself (€30 in europe).

I use it sometimes, and think well of it.  But the price, in the UK at least, is "€ 9,95 / £ 8.99"

If you have Microsoft Office 2003 or higher version, you could try freeware JOCR.  I used it at work for a while.

[Ath]

Hm, you just missed it by 2 weeks: free ABBYY Screenshot Reader Pointing to the original post over here: ABBYY Screenshot Reader free Christmas promotion.

[tomos]

But the price, in the UK at least, is "€ 9,95 / £ 8.99"

odd
your price here
30 euro here - maybe it's a typo, the "box" version is the same price

[rjbull]

30 euro here - maybe it's a typo, the "box" version is the same price

Your URL is grunged?  Comes out as

Code

[url=http://]here[/url]

[tomos]

30 euro here - maybe it's a typo, the "box" version is the same price

Your URL is grunged?  Comes out as

Code

[url=http://]here[/url]

sorry
http://buy.abbyy.com/content/ssr/default.aspx?visitor=81b64b8c-9789-4069-812f-8b5f2d3fa347

[rjbull]

How odd.  Perhaps you're right and it's just a typo.  I had to navigate to the right country from their main page, and wondered if they were playing that nasty trick of charging different amounts in different countries, but most likely not: when companies do that, they usually charge the UK most 

[vmars316]

GetWindowText

It doesn't work for all windows messages.
See Attachment:
...vm

[rjbull]

@vmars316:
You might try Pete's Window Tool or SysExporter or CopyText or maybe CopyMessageBox, though the latter is getting rather old.

But, I still expect the OCR method should be most reliable.