HTML Code Embedded in String Within Open Outlook Email Preventing Replace(Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.HTMLBody From Working

[Steve Tomalin]

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to develop, what I thought would be, a really simple piece of VBA code to search and replace a string of text in the current, open email. On my first attempt, I discovered that the formatting of the area of the message where I was making the change was being completely destroyed. Research on this suggested that I should be using 'Replace(Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.HTMLBody', instead of' Replace(Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.Body', but I'm not entirely sure if even that is the proper way to approach what I'm trying to do here.

Once I switched to using HTMLBody, I found that I could successfully perform a search and replace, without destroying the formatting. However, when it came to attempting to replace the actual string I want to replace, the string was not being detected within the email by the Replace command. Testing 'Search and Replace' on the string using the standard, manual method in Outlook works fine.

I think the problem here is that I have discovered there is HTML formatting code embedded within the string that I want to replace. When you look at the text I need to replace using the standard email view, it looks like this:

first part of replace string | second part of replace string

However, when you view the email body as HTML code, the relevant extract comprises of the following:

<span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>first part of replace string</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> | </span>
<span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>second part of replace string</span>

Can anyone help me to understand how I should code this in VBA, so that the HTML code does not get in the way of the search part of the replace command I need to perform. It's important that I select the entire string, as opposed to part of it, because the string I'm searching to replace needs to be unique with the email body and the only way I can achieve that is if I select the entire string (i.e. part one and part two), with the pipe character "|" in the middle. Any assistance anyone could provide to me in how I can overcome this problem would be very much appreciated.

Kind regards,

Steve

 

[Diane Poremsky]

so you want to replace "first part of replace string | second part of replace string"

If there are no other uses if first string, second string (or | if you need to replace it too), I would do it in 2 parts.
item.htmlbody = replace(html.body, "first part of string", "new string")
item.htmlbody = replace(html.body, "second part of string", "new string")

Because the HTML uses ' not ", find and replacing the html will be fairly easy - no annoying coding to maintain the ".

If the words are used elsewhere and the only difference is the |, replace "first part of replace string</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> |" and " | </span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>second part of replace string"

Or, do it in one long string - "first part of replace string</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> | </span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>second part of replace string"

Using the leading <span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'> and ending </span> shouldn't be necessary.

To make it less messy use strings for the find and replace values-
strFind = "first part of replace string</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> | </span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>second part of replace string"
strReplace = "first new</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> | </span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>second new string"
item.htmlbody = replace(html.body, strFind, strReplace)

 

[Steve Tomalin]

Hi Diane,

Many thanks for your response. I'm going to give this another go, because although I think I already tried your second suggestion, i.e.:

Or, do it in one long string - "first part of replace string</span><span style='font-size:9.5pt'> | </span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:black'>second part of replace string"

...I'm now doubting myself. Much as I would like to break this down into two operations, that is not really going to work for me, for the reason I explained within the closing comments of my original post, i.e.:

It's important that I select the entire string, as opposed to part of it, because the string I'm searching to replace needs to be unique within the email body and the only way I can achieve that is if I select the entire string (i.e. part one and part two), with the pipe character "|" in the middle.

I'll revisit this, this time definitely making sure I include the HTML within the search string, and I'll let you know how I get on. The mere fact that you have not told me I'm doing it all wrong is encouragement in itself! Many thanks, once again.

Kind regards,

Steve

 

[Steve Tomalin]

Hi,

Yep, as I thought, for some reason the search/replace does not find the string to replace when the HTML code is included within it. If you or anyone else doesn't have any other alternative approaches that immediately come to mind, I'll have to have a play around and see if I can come with another way of doing it. If I crack it, I'll post the solution back here.

Kind regards,

Steve

 

[Steve Tomalin]

Hi again,

Well, I can't explain this, but I have just discovered that if I search for the second part of the string, including the pipe character at the front and including the HTML code, that works! As to why the search/replace doesn't work when I include the whole string and the HTML code, I have no idea, but I'm not going to worry about it. Upon reflection, I think the combination of the pipe character and the second part of the string will be enough to keep that part of the string unique within the body of the email. so that is enough to ultimately get me to where I need to be. So, Diane, you were right after all, splitting it up did actually provide the solution I needed, so many thanks for leading me to re-think through that approach, which has now provided the solution, albeit somewhat unexpectedly and inexplicably!

Kind regards,

Steve