How to copy email body from a workflow step

Question

I can't seem to copy from the body of an email from an action inside a workflow step. I can paste new content in, but can't seem to invoke the magic input to get copy to work. Is there some way to copy the text from the editor?

I grabbed a copy of the workflow .xoml file - and I could see the XML encoded HTML for the email. Certainly there has to be a better way?

Note: This is using SharePoint Designer 2010 (14.0.4750.1000)

Answer 1

In SharePoint designer 2010, we can certainly copy the content of the workflow mail. Here is the way to do it:

1. Click on the email action in your workflow (it means it should be selected).
2. Next go to the advanced properties in the ribbon, if you click that "Send an Email Properties" dialog box will be opened.
3. In that dialog box, there will be a row called body, click on that, in the right column, you will be able to see the content of your body.
4. Just right click on that and select copy and paste it in a notepad or word document!

That's it! You don't need to do the formatting again and again, just copy and paste it. :D

Answer 2

You can open XML in notepad and then copy the text.

It will not copy the fields though.

Answer 3

Here is the technique I use quite a lot when I cant copy text which I see on the screen:

If you have Microsoft OneNote installed, you can capture an image representing the body and then past it in One Note. Then right-click on the image and select "Copy Text from Picture" option. This will extract the text from the picture and it works quite well.

Answer 4

In the 2007 editor, you can copy text from the SPD email designer, You just cant copy the lookup variables [%xxxxxxx%]. try this method, maybe it will work with 2010. its laborious, but you can copy out the HTML for the email AROUND the lookups and then replace the lookups in the destination file in the SPD with a placeholder ("XXXXXXXXXXXX"). you can then optimize the HTML and then paste back into the designer and replace the Lookups.

Answer 5

1. start from All files in SharePoint designer
2. go to Workflows folder and open the one you are looking for
3. right click the file with biggest size usually with extension of xoml and select open with Text editor of your choice

4. you can find your encoded html body in encoded format starting from something like ns0:DynamicStringActivity tag

5. open http://www.web2generators.com/html/entities and decode html

6. inspect the node with firebug or google web developer tool inspector and copy that html
7. do whatever you want with that

Answer 6

It is not possible to copy text from SPD workflow emails