How to save a Unicode character to a text file

Question

This is in Word for MAC VBA. I want to save the Unicode character from a text box to text file. For example this character \"⅛\".

I use this code.

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Answer 1

The question is for VBA on Mac, and I'm afraid none of the answers work on a Mac.

The question is about Unicode which comes in many flavours. I'll address the UTF-16 aspect of it. UTF-8 follows a different path, but it isn't difficult too. AFAIU, your question is about UTF-16 string.

The code below has no error handling, I'll let you take care of that.

Function writeUnicodeTextToFile(filePathName As String, myText As String)

`Dim myFileNumber As Long, I As Long, byteArray() As Byte

myFileNumber = FreeFile()
Open filePathName For Binary As #myFileNumber

ReDim byteArray(1)

' Create a BOM for your Unicode flavour
' (CHOOSE! one of the two, programmatically, or hard-code it)
 ' => Little Endian
    byteArray(0) = 255: byteArray(1) = 254
' => Big Endian
    'byteArray(0) = 254: byteArray(1) = 255

' now write the two-byte BOM
Put myFileNumber, 1, byteArray

' redimension your byte array
' note it works even if you don't Redim (go figure) but it's more elegant
I = (LenB(myText) / 2) - 1
ReDim byteArray(I)

' populate the byte array...
byteArray = myText

' ... and write you text AFTER the BOM
Put myFileNumber, 3, byteArray
Close #myFileNumber
End Function

Answer 2

I hope this will fit VBA for Word on Mac as well, but on Windows I have the CreateTextFile method of the FileSystemObject (see MSDN doc). There I can define to create a unicode text file.

  Set fsObject = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
  Set xmlFile = fsObject.CreateTextFile("path/filename.txt", True, True) 'the second "true" forces a unicode file.

  xmlFile.write "YourUnicodeTextHere"
  xmlFile.close

Answer 3

VBA can't code text in UTF-8 this way. Use ADODB - yes, for text, not for database.

'ensure reference is set to Microsoft ActiveX DataObjects library
'(the latest version of it) under "tools/references"
Sub AdoTest()
    Dim adoStream As ADODB.Stream

    Set adoStream = New ADODB.Stream

    'Unicode coding
    adoStream.Charset = "Unicode" 'or any string listed in registry HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Charset

    'open sream
    adoStream.Open

    'write a text
    adoStream.WriteText "Text for testing: ěšč", StreamWriteEnum.stWriteLine

    'save to file
    adoStream.SaveToFile "D:\a\ado.txt"

    adoStream.Close
End Sub

Reading is simplier, see my answer here:

Unicode and UTF-8 with VBA

Edited: I've inserted complete example.

Edited 2: Added refernce to list of coding in the registry