WD: GetText$ Encloses Fields in Pipe (Vertical Bar) Characters

ID: Q106655

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1

SYMPTOMS

If you use the GetText$() WordBasic function to return a text string that contains a field in Word for Windows, and field codes are turned on, GetText$() may return the field text enclosed in pipe characters (|). For example, GetText$() might return the following string for a SYMBOL field:


   |Symbol 255|

With field codes turned off, Word may return the field result enclosed in pipe characters (|).

WORKAROUND

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider or the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about Microsoft Certified Solution Providers, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/mcsp/

For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

Turn off field codes and use the CleanString$() function to remove the unwanted characters. The following sample macro demonstrates this workaround. (Turn off Field Codes view before you run this macro.)


   Sub Main
      FileNewDefault
      x$ = String$(55, "x")
      Insert X$
      StartOfDocument
      CharRight 5
      InsertField .Field = "symbol 255"
      Result$ = CleanString$(GetText$(0, 30))
      Insert Result$
   End Sub

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

GetText$() does not return hidden text that is not displayed, even though Word counts hidden characters when determining the range of text to return. Although GetText$() can be handy if you need to return document text without changing the selection, special document elements such as fields, tables, and page breaks within the specified range can produce unpredictable results.

For information about how to do this in Word 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q161691 Extraneous Characters Returned With ViewFieldCodes On

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbmacro kbprg kbdta kbdtacode kbmacroexample winword macword word6 word7 word95
Version : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1; WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug