I get a lot of screen shots in my email, most of error messages. Don't even get me started on Word documents containing 4 MB BMP screen shots and then attached to an email. Or better yet, a Word document with a bunch of screen shots, which are then discussed in the email, so I have to keep switching back and forth.
The apparently best kept secret of a standard Windows error message is that it can be captured as plain text using Ctrl+C, since at least Windows XP. This is far better for emailing off to report an error, since it produces a far smaller email message, and it allows the recipient to select and copy text.
Typically, when someone sends me an error message screen shot, the first thing I do is to search for the exact error message text in one or more places (e.g. help, KBase, forums, etc.) If the error was sent to me as a screen shot, I now have to type in the whole error message. If it was sent as text, I can simply select and copy it, reducing the time it takes and the likelihood of transcription errors.
This works for any Windows message box. For example, this line of C# code
MessageBox.Show("This is error # ZAV45273###Y: you forgot to finagle the gizmo", "ERROR");
Displays this Windows message box:
When this message box has the focus, you can press Ctrl+C to copy it, resulting in this text:
---------------------------
ERROR
---------------------------
This is error # ZAV45273###Y: you forgot to finagle the gizmo
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------
Now, if someone sends me the text version of the above error, it's really easy to copy the complex error number and be sure I got it right.
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