# ControlGetText

Retrieves text from a control.

ControlGetText, OutputVar [, Control, WinTitle, WinText, ExcludeTitle, ExcludeText]

#### Parameters

OutputVar | The name of the variable in which to store the retrieved text.
Control | Can be either ClassNN (the classname and instance number of the control) or the name/text of the control, both of which can be determined via Window Spy. When using name/text, the matching behavior is determined by SetTitleMatchMode. If this parameter is blank or omitted, the target window's topmost control will be used. To operate upon a control's HWND (window handle), leave the Control parameter blank and specify ahk_id %ControlHwnd% for the WinTitle parameter (this also works on hidden controls even when DetectHiddenWindows is Off) . The HWND of a control is typically retrieved via ControlGet Hwnd, MouseGetPos, or DllCall.
WinTitle | The title or partial title of the target window (the matching behavior is determined by SetTitleMatchMode). If this and the next 3 parameters are omitted, the Last Found Window will be used. If this is the letter A and the next 3 parameters are omitted, the active window will be used. To use a window class, specify ahk_class ExactClassName (shown by Window Spy). To use a process identifier (PID), specify ahk_pid %VarContainingPID%. To use a window group, specify ahk_group GroupName. To use a window's unique ID number, specify ahk_id %VarContainingID%. The search can be narrowed by specifying multiple criteria. For example: My File.txt ahk_class Notepad
WinText | If present, this parameter must be a substring from a single text element of the target window (as revealed by the included Window Spy utility). Hidden text elements are detected if DetectHiddenText is ON.
ExcludeTitle | Windows whose titles include this value will not be considered.
ExcludeText | Windows whose text include this value will not be considered.

#### ErrorLevel

ErrorLevel is set to 1 if there was a problem or 0 otherwise.

#### Remarks

Note: To retrieve text from a ListView, ListBox, or ComboBox, use ControlGet List instead.

If the retrieved text appears to be truncated (incomplete), try using VarSetCapacity(OutputVar, 55) prior to ControlGetText [replace 55 with a size that is considerably longer than the truncated text]. This is necessary because some applications do not respond properly to the WM_GETTEXTLENGTH message, which causes AutoHotkey to make the output variable too small to fit all the text.

The amount of text retrieved is limited to a variable's maximum capacity (which can be changed via the #MaxMem directive). As a result, this command might use a large amount RAM if the target control (e.g. an editor with a large document open) contains a large quantity of text. However, a variable's memory can be freed after use by assigning it to nothing, i.e. OutputVar =

Text retrieved from most control types uses carriage return and linefeed (`r`n) rather than a solitary linefeed (`n) to mark the end of each line.

It is not necessary to do SetTitleMatchMode Slow because ControlGetText always retrieves the text using the slow method (since it works on a broader range of control types).

To retrieve a list of all controls in a window, use WinGet ControlList.

Window titles and text are case sensitive. Hidden windows are not detected unless DetectHiddenWindows has been turned on.

#### Related

ControlSetText, WinGetText, Control, ControlGet, ControlMove, ControlFocus, ControlClick, ControlSend, #MaxMem

#### Example

    ControlGetText, OutputVar, Edit1, Untitled -