Preserving format in Messages window

Question

Hello everyone,

I'm using SSMS v18.3.1, and I have noticed Messages window is not able to preserve the format (i.e. if there is a message in "Red" color then it is not being preserved when I copy and paste in MS Word,Outlook, etc. Here is an example:

Msg 8134, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Divide by zero error encountered.

Completion time: 2019-11-14T13:23:55.9177892-05:00

Does anyone know how to preserve this format? I tried various options but none has worked so far.

Thanks,

Vijay

Answer 1

Hi VijayOhio,

It is very easy  to change the color of font in MS word ,Outlook etc. Please change the color that you want after you paste the message.

We can change the properties of SQL query result from SSMS tool as below screenshot. But it seems there is no option for your requirement. please refer to Different Options for Query Results in SQL Server Management Studio.

Hope this could help you.

Best regards,
Cathy 

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Answer 2

Does anyone know how to preserve this format? I tried various options but none has worked so far.

Thanks,

Vijay

That's not supported. So as a workaround we can take screenshot and paste in outlook/word to show the error in red

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If the response helped, do "Mark as answer" or Upvote it
- Vaibhav

Answer 3

Hi Vaibha et al.,

I think it used to be there. I can recall posting Messages window output in email, and it would show "error" messages in "Red" font. Most likely it stopped working when MS decoupled SSMS from SQL Server Installer. Also it is not practical to take screenshot (or re-highlight errors in "Red") as output can be big (which means scrolling is needed/required and/or finding all the errors again which need to be highlighted in "Red" font).

Thanks to everyone who has either commented or following this thread. I think it is a critical feature as users seem to think script ran successfully when it has not.

Thanks again,

Vijay

Answer 4

Hi VijayOhio,

May be you can submit your suggestion to the Microsoft feedback at this link https://feedback.azure.com/forums/908035-sql-server. This site will serve as a connecting point between you and Microsoft, and ultimately the large community for you and Microsoft to interact with. Your feedback enables Microsoft to offer the best software and deliver superior services, meanwhile you can learn more about and contribute to the exciting projects on Microsoft feedback.

Best regards,
Cathy 

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Please remember to click "Mark as Answer" the responses that resolved your issue, and to click "Unmark as Answer" if not. This can be beneficial to other community members reading this thread. If you have any compliments or complaints to  MSDN Support, feel free to contact [e-mail]