Remove hypertext from clipboard

AlanCantor · #1 01-21-2023, 08:09 PM

I'm using a script that copies the content of a table in a Word document:

Code:

Selection.Tables(1).Range.Copy

The script has been working beautifully... until I stumbled on a problem: a subsequent step in the macro fails if a cell in the table contains hypertext (e.g., a clickable email or web address).

This problem would evaporate if I could strip away the hypertext from the selection, or from the clipboard after the text is copied.

Any thoughts on how my macro might eliminate hypertext? Example: if xxx@yyy.zzz is a clickable link in the table, I want the text of the email address, but without it being a hypertext.

I'd be good if the macro stripped away hypertext from the table before copying the table. But my preference would be for the change to happen in Variable-Land.

AlanCantor · #2 01-21-2023, 08:27 PM

I think I found a solution:

Code:

        Selection.Tables(1).Range.Fields.Unlink
        Selection.Tables(1).Range.Copy

Charles Kenyon · #3 01-22-2023, 10:41 AM

That will work except:

Now the fields in the original are also unlinked, and
There may be fields like calculation fields that you want to keep active.

If those are not problems, fine. If these are problems, let us know. Essentially what you would want is to unlink any hyperlink fields in the pasted text rather than original table.

AlanCantor · #4 01-22-2023, 11:49 AM

Hi Charles,

I would prefer to retain hypertext links in the table. Once the table is in the clipboard, that would be the perfect moment to eliminate hypertext.

But if stripping hypertext from the clipboard is too complicated, I can live with my solution!

Charles Kenyon · #5 01-22-2023, 07:09 PM

I would not attempt stripping it from the clipboard, but from the pasted text. If necessary, you could create a scratch document, paste it there, and clear it from the pasted text, then copy that and close the scratch document without saving, then you would have it in the clipboard.

Here is a macro that unlinks all hyperlinks in the first table of a document.

Code:

Sub HyperlinkFieldUnlink()
    '   Charles Kenyon 2023-01-22
    Dim oField As Field
    Dim oRange As range
    On Error Resume Next
    Set oRange = ActiveDocument.Tables(1).range
    For Each oField In oRange.Fields
        If oField.Type = wdFieldHyperlink Then
            oField.Unlink
        End If
    Next oField
    Set oField = Nothing
    On Error GoTo -1
    Set oRange = Nothing
End Sub

AlanCantor · #6 01-22-2023, 08:25 PM

Hi Charles,

This works nicely, too. I was able to modify your code so the table, sans hypertext, is copied to the clipboard. Thank you!

The reason I want to strip hypertext from the clipboard, rather than from the table, is that the text, after it's copied, doesn't get pasted. I assign whatever is in the clipboard to a text variable, and parse it. But I know nothing about the metadata associated with the hypertext, so I can't delete it. I was hoping there might be a way to unlink hypertext from the clipboard before I assign the clipboard to a variable.

Charles Kenyon · #7 01-23-2023, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanCantor

Hi Charles,

This works nicely, too. I was able to modify your code so the table, sans hypertext, is copied to the clipboard. Thank you!

The reason I want to strip hypertext from the clipboard, rather than from the table, is that the text, after it's copied, doesn't get pasted. I assign whatever is in the clipboard to a text variable, and parse it. But I know nothing about the metadata associated with the hypertext, so I can't delete it. I was hoping there might be a way to unlink hypertext from the clipboard before I assign the clipboard to a variable.

There may well be a way. However, I do not know it and suggested a workaround.

After copying, create a new blank document.
Paste into that document.
Run the macro to strip out the hyperlinks.
Copy the modified text from the new document.
Close the new document without saving.

At this point, the clipboard contains the text without the hyperlinks.

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