GetWindowTextA function (winuser.h)

Copies the text of the specified window’s title bar (if it has one) into a buffer. If the specified window is a control, the text of the control is copied. However, GetWindowText cannot retrieve the text of a control in another application.

Syntax

Parameters

A handle to the window or control containing the text.

The buffer that will receive the text. If the string is as long or longer than the buffer, the string is truncated and terminated with a null character.

The maximum number of characters to copy to the buffer, including the null character. If the text exceeds this limit, it is truncated.

Return value

If the function succeeds, the return value is the length, in characters, of the copied string, not including the terminating null character. If the window has no title bar or text, if the title bar is empty, or if the window or control handle is invalid, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

This function cannot retrieve the text of an edit control in another application.

Remarks

If the target window is owned by the current process, GetWindowText causes a WM_GETTEXT message to be sent to the specified window or control. If the target window is owned by another process and has a caption, GetWindowText retrieves the window caption text. If the window does not have a caption, the return value is a null string. This behavior is by design. It allows applications to call GetWindowText without becoming unresponsive if the process that owns the target window is not responding. However, if the target window is not responding and it belongs to the calling application, GetWindowText will cause the calling application to become unresponsive.

To retrieve the text of a control in another process, send a WM_GETTEXT message directly instead of calling GetWindowText.

Examples

The following example code demonstrates a call to GetWindowTextA.

To see this example in context, see Sending a Message.

The winuser.h header defines GetWindowText as an alias which automatically selects the ANSI or Unicode version of this function based on the definition of the UNICODE preprocessor constant. Mixing usage of the encoding-neutral alias with code that not encoding-neutral can lead to mismatches that result in compilation or runtime errors. For more information, see Conventions for Function Prototypes.

Windows copy window title

Copies one or more files from one location to another.

You can also use the copy command, with different parameters, from the Recovery Console. For more information about the recovery console, see Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).

Syntax

Parameters

Parameter	Description
/d	Allows the encrypted files being copied to be saved as decrypted files at the destination.
/v	Verifies that new files are written correctly.
/n	Uses a short file name, if available, when copying a file with a name longer than eight characters, or with a file name extension longer than three characters.
/y	Suppresses prompting to confirm that you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
/-y	Prompts you to confirm that you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
/z	Copies networked files in restartable mode.
/a	Indicates an ASCII text file.
/b	Indicates a binary file.
Required. Specifies the location from which you want to copy a file or set of files. Source can consist of a drive letter and colon, a directory name, a file name, or a combination of these.
Required. Specifies the location to which you want to copy a file or set of files. Destination can consist of a drive letter and colon, a directory name, a file name, or a combination of these.
/?	Displays help at the command prompt.

Remarks

You can copy an ASCII text file that uses an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) to indicate the end of the file.

If /a precedes or follows a list of files on the command line, it applies to all files listed until copy encounters /b. In this case, /b applies to the file preceding /b.

The effect of /a depends on its position in the command-line string: — If /a follows source, the copy command treats the file as an ASCII file and copies data that precedes the first end-of-file character (CTRL+Z). — If /a follows destination, the copy command adds an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) as the last character of the file.

If /b directs the command interpreter to read the number of bytes specified by the file size in the directory. /b is the default value for copy, unless copy combines files.

If /b precedes or follows a list of files on the command line, it applies to all listed files until copy encounters /a. In this case, /a applies to the file preceding /a.

The effect of /b depends on its position in the command–line string: — If /b follows source, the copy command copies the entire file, including any end-of-file character (CTRL+Z). — If /b follows destination, the copy command doesn’t add an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z).

If a write operation cannot be verified, an error message appears. Although recording errors rarely occur with the copy command , you can use /v to verify that critical data has been correctly recorded. The /v command-line option also slows down the copy command, because each sector recorded on the disk must be checked.

If /y is preset in the COPYCMD environment variable, you can override this setting by using /-y at the command line. By default, you are prompted when you replace this setting, unless the copy command is executed in a batch script.

To append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple files for source (use wildcard characters or file1+file2+file3 format).

If the connection is lost during the copy phase (for example, if the server going offline breaks the connection), you can use copy /z to resume after the connection is re-established. The /z option also displays the percentage of the copy operation that is completed for each file.

You can substitute a device name for one or more occurrences of source or destination.

If destination is a device (for example, Com1 or Lpt1), the /b option copies data to the device in binary mode. In binary mode, copy /b copies all characters (including special characters such as CTRL+C, CTRL+S, CTRL+Z, and ENTER) to the device, as data. However, if you omit /b, the data is copied to the device in ASCII mode. In ASCII mode, special characters might cause files to combine during the copying process.

If you don’t specify a destination file, a copy is created with the same name, modified date, and modified time as the original file. The new copy is stored in the current directory on the current drive. If the source file is on the current drive and in the current directory and you do not specify a different drive or directory for the destination file, the copy command stops and displays the following error message:

If you specify more than one file in source, the copy command combines them all into a single file using the file name specified in destination. The copy command assumes the combined files are ASCII files unless you use the /b option.

To copy files that are 0 bytes long, or to copy all of a directory’s files and subdirectories, use the xcopy command.

To assign the current time and date to a file without modifying the file, use the following syntax:

Where the commas indicate that the destination parameter has been intentionally left out.

Examples

To copy a file called memo.doc to letter.doc in the current drive and ensure that an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) is at the end of the copied file, type:

To copy a file named robin.typ from the current drive and directory to an existing directory named Birds that is located on drive C, type:

If the Birds directory doesn’t exist, the file robin.typ is copied into a file named Birds that is located in the root directory on the disk in drive C.

To combine Mar89.rpt, Apr89.rpt, and May89.rpt, which are located in the current directory, and place them in a file named Report (also in the current directory), type:

If you combine files, the copy command marks the destination file with the current date and time. If you omit destination, the files are combined and stored under the name of the first file in the list.

To combine all files in Report, when a file named Report already exists, type:

To combine all files in the current directory that have the .txt file name extension into a single file named Combined.doc, type:

To combine several binary files into one file by using wildcard characters, include /b. This prevents Windows from treating CTRL+Z as an end-of-file character. For example, type:

If you combine binary files, the resulting file might be unusable due to internal formatting.

Copy the title of the active window to the clipboard in Microsoft Windows in Dragon NaturallySpeaking’s advanced scripting

Is there any way to copy the title of the active window to the clipboard in Microsoft Windows in Dragon NaturallySpeaking’s advanced scripting?

A workaround I use is to define an AutoHotkey script:

and call the keyboard shortcut in the voice command:

but I would prefer not to have to jungle it between AutoHotkey and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Can it be done in «pure» advanced scripting?

1 Answer 1

Yes, you can copy the title of the active window to the clipboard using Dragon NaturallySpeaking’s advanced scripting as follows:

Now, I keep all the functions in a global ‘#Uses file (with other declarations, functions and global constants, etc.), so I just need the Main Sub part, but you can put all of the referenced functions and declarations in the one script where you need it, too.

Not the answer you’re looking for? Browse other questions tagged naturallyspeaking or ask your own question.

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Copy text from a Windows CMD window to clipboard

Does anyone know if it’s possible to copy text from a Windows’ command prompt or console window like the output of a command, console application or batch file?

8 Answers 8

• Right click > Mark
• Select the text you want to copy by holding left mouse button and selecting text OR by navigating to the beginning of the text you want to copy with the arrow keys, pressing Shift, and moving (with the arrow keys) to the end of the text.
• right click on the title bar, go into «Edit», and hit Copy.

Now you can paste in Notepad or in Command Prompt again by right-clicking on the title bar, going into «Edit», and hitting «Paste.»

Another option, if you know ahead of time that you want the results of a command to be placed on the clipboard, is to pipe your output to the CLIP utility.

Here are a two simple examples

Open a command window, then right click on the title bar and left click on Properties at bottom of context menu. On the Options tab add a check-mark at QuickEdit Mode. Click OK and in the next dialog select the second radio button so that every command window that you will open in future has got this option enabled. Close the dialog with OK.

Now you can select text using left click on your mouse. To copy the text to the clipboard, just press the Enter key.

Follow these steps:

1. Move pointer with pointing device (mouse, touchpad, pointing stick, . ) over the window, press right button to open the context menu and left click on first context menu option Mark.
2. After that action select the text with holding left button (rectangular selection).
3. After selecting hit key Enter or Return to copy selected text to clipboard.
4. Paste copied text anywhere with Ctrl+V .

7 Ways to Copy Text or Error Messages from Windows

If you are having problems with Windows itself or any other software, one of the things you might be asked to do is supply the information in any errors or messages that are being displayed to help with troubleshooting. Some error messages are quite short and not difficult to type in, and others can be long and a real pain to repeat accurately with combinations of numbers, letters and special characters all being used.

It’s often better to also enter an exact error code or phrase into a search engine such as Google to get more precise results for the problem. Of course, taking a screenshot can be used to send an error message to someone else, but this isn’t always that helpful because they might have to re-type the message data in at the other end, and it also won’t help if you want to search the internet.

Windows error dialog boxes and general information windows don’t have a nice and easy button for you to copy all the error messages, and they won’t let you highlight the the text so it can be copied. There are ways for you to do it though and copying information from Windows message boxes, 3rd party software dialogs or the Command Prompt can be made easier when you know how. Here are 7 solutions to try.

Actually there is a very easy way you can copy Windows dialog box and error messages. When the box appears, simply make sure it’s the active window and press the standard Windows copy shortcut combination of Ctrl+C. Now the data is in the clipboard, paste the contents into notepad or webpage etc.

For example, if you type raymond.exe into a Run box (Win key+R), Windows will show a not found error:

Press Ctrl+C, open Notepad and then press Ctrl+V to produce the following:

[Content]
Windows cannot find ‘raymond.exe’. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.

You will get not just the text content but also the window’s title and the name of any buttons. This is very useful but unfortunately only works on dialog boxes created by Windows. If the window message is custom and created by third party software, this method won’t work. For that, you will need to use one of the other tools below.

2. GetWindowText

GetWindowText is a free and portable tool by the same developer of the popular Q-Dir file manager. To use it to copy the text from control boxes, left click on the question mark icon in the top left and drag the mouse cursor to the box that you want it to read the data from. It can read almost all text from edit, static, sysTreeView, sysListView, combobox and groupbox controls etc. Simply highlight and copy the text from the box in the GetWindowText program.

3. ShoWin

ShoWin is actually a small tool from McAfee and in addition to finding text in a window or dialog, it can also be used to display the password in a dialog hidden behind asterisks. Simply drag the cross hair over the control to get information about it and the included text, the copy button will copy all details, not just the text. Additional features include the ability to enable disabled windows, unhide hidden windows and force windows to stay on top or be placed below others.

4. SysExporter

SysExporter is another small and portable utility from Nirsoft and allows you to grab the data stored in list-views, tree-views, list boxes, combo boxes, text-boxes, and controls from most applications. It also has a drag and drop target icon to catch specific window contents from error message boxes etc, and can be used to capture a folder tree or list of files from an Explorer or application window. Any data can be copied or exported to a text, html or xml file.

5. WinScraper

WinScraper is able to scrape the text from a dialog box control or message box by dragging the target icon over the text or window. The result will show in the “Window Text:” box and can be copied out and pasted as text into an email or forum post etc. It can capture images of controls or windows from applications such as icons, and also can resize application or web browser windows to a specific size for testing alternate screen resolutions.

6. Textractor

Textractor is a text monitoring tool that captures and logs all text a program writes to the screen. The tool works by you supplying the program to monitor and then it captures and records any output from the application to its window. Each line can be right clicked on and copied / removed or the whole text can be saved to a file. This obviously won’t record general Windows errors but can get error dialogs or window text from specific software.

7. Copy Text from Command Prompt

Although not a dialog window, copying text out from the Command Prompt is quite useful if you want to copy the results or errors of a command. It’s very easy when you know how and doesn’t require the use of software, but still many people don’t know you can. There are 2 ways to do it.

1. While you’re in Command Prompt, right click at anywhere inside the window and select Mark.

2. Now use your left mouse button to drag a box over the area of text that you want to copy, scroll can also be used to capture multiple lines. Once you have the text, click the right mouse button or press Enter to copy the selected text to the clipboard. Then you can right click and select Paste to paste into Notepad or a webpage etc.

1. Right click on Command Prompt’s title bar and select Properties. On the options tab, tick to enable QuickEdit Mode and click OK.

Now your left mouse button will permanently be used to mark text and the right mouse will copy it to the clipboard. If there is no highlighted text, the right mouse button will paste any clipboard contents to the window, useful for copying commands off a webpage etc.