Export field constructions as text

I take no credit for this useful macro beyond making it available here.

Fellow Word MVP Cindy Meister lists the code featured on her web site, http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister/mergfaq.htm) which may be used to reproduce field constructions for use in (e.g) newsgroup messages.

If you have ever tried to document a field construction to a text file, you will know that it is not possible and where complex field constructions are involved (like those of fellow MVP Paul Edstein who uses the pseudonym 'Macropod' in the Word forums, in his remarkable work on date calculations) attempting to reproduce them is a nightmare. This simple macro solution overcomes that.

Sub FieldCodeToString()
Dim Fieldstring As String

Dim NewString As String

Dim CurrChar As String
Dim CurrSetting As Boolean

Dim fcDisplay As Object
Dim MyData As DataObject

Dim X As Integer
NewString = ""
Set fcDisplay = ActiveWindow.View
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
CurrSetting = fcDisplay.ShowFieldCodes
If CurrSetting <> True Then fcDisplay.ShowFieldCodes = True
Fieldstring = Selection.Text
For X = 1 To Len(Fieldstring)
    CurrChar = Mid(Fieldstring, X, 1)
    Select Case CurrChar
        Case Chr(19)
            CurrChar = "{"
        Case Chr(21)
            CurrChar = "}"
        Case Else
    End Select
    NewString = NewString + CurrChar
Next X
Set MyData = New DataObject
MyData.SetText NewString
MyData.PutInClipboard
fcDisplay.ShowFieldCodes = CurrSetting
End Sub

This copies a facsimile of the field layout to the clipboard, and which can be reproduced as plain text. The result from the above example is reproduced below: