SP_HELPTEXT Modified for XML
This is the standard sp_helptext from SQL Server 2000 modified slightly to return the object definition as an XML document.
The document is structured in the following format:
I admit it was not a lot of work since I merely modified the final SELECT statement from Microsoft's own procedure, but I still find this very useful.
The only portions of the script that are different from sp_helptext is, of course, the name and the final select statement.
I hope it is as useful for you as it has been for me.
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
CREATE procedure xsp_helptext
@objname nvarchar(776)
,@columnname sysname = NULL
as
set nocount on
declare @dbname sysname
,@BlankSpaceAdded int
,@BasePos int
,@CurrentPos int
,@TextLength int
,@LineId int
,@AddOnLen int
,@LFCR int --lengths of line feed carriage return
,@DefinedLength int
/* NOTE: Length of @SyscomText is 4000 to replace the length of
** text column in syscomments.
** lengths on @Line, #CommentText Text column and
** value for @DefinedLength are all 255. These need to all have
** the same values. 255 was selected in order for the max length
** display using down level clients
*/,@SyscomTextnvarchar(4000)
,@Line nvarchar(255)
Select @DefinedLength = 255
SELECT @BlankSpaceAdded = 0 /*Keeps track of blank spaces at end of lines. Note Len function ignores
trailing blank spaces*/CREATE TABLE #CommentText
(LineIdint
,Text nvarchar(255) collate database_default)
/*
** Make sure the @objname is local to the current database.
*/select @dbname = parsename(@objname,3)
if @dbname is not null and @dbname <> db_name()
begin
raiserror(15250,-1,-1)
return (1)
end
/*
** See if @objname exists.
*/if (object_id(@objname) is null)
begin
select @dbname = db_name()
raiserror(15009,-1,-1,@objname,@dbname)
return (1)
end
-- If second parameter was given.
if ( @columnname is not null)
begin
-- Check if it is a table
if (select count(*) from sysobjects where id = object_id(@objname) and xtype in ('S ','U ','TF'))=0
begin
raiserror(15218,-1,-1,@objname)
return(1)
end
-- check if it is a correct column name
if ((select 'count'=count(*) from syscolumns where name = @columnname and id = object_id(@objname) and number = 0) =0)
begin
raiserror(15645,-1,-1,@columnname)
return(1)
end
if ((select iscomputed from syscolumns where name = @columnname and id = object_id(@objname) and number = 0) = 0)
begin
raiserror(15646,-1,-1,@columnname)
return(1)
end
DECLARE ms_crs_syscom CURSOR LOCAL
FOR SELECT text FROM syscomments WHERE id = object_id(@objname) and encrypted = 0 and number =
(select colid from syscolumns where name = @columnname and id = object_id(@objname) and number = 0)
order by number,colid
FOR READ ONLY
end
else
begin
/*
** Find out how many lines of text are coming back,
** and return if there are none.
*/ if (select count(*) from syscomments c, sysobjects o where o.xtype not in ('S', 'U')
and o.id = c.id and o.id = object_id(@objname)) = 0
begin
raiserror(15197,-1,-1,@objname)
return (1)
end
if (select count(*) from syscomments where id = object_id(@objname)
and encrypted = 0) = 0
begin
raiserror(15471,-1,-1)
return (0)
end
DECLARE ms_crs_syscom CURSOR LOCAL
FOR SELECT text FROM syscomments WHERE id = OBJECT_ID(@objname) and encrypted = 0
ORDER BY number, colid
FOR READ ONLY
end
/*
** Else get the text.
*/SELECT @LFCR = 2
SELECT @LineId = 1
OPEN ms_crs_syscom
FETCH NEXT FROM ms_crs_syscom into @SyscomText
WHILE @@fetch_status >= 0
BEGIN
SELECT @BasePos = 1
SELECT @CurrentPos = 1
SELECT @TextLength = LEN(@SyscomText)
WHILE @CurrentPos != 0
BEGIN
--Looking for end of line followed by carriage return
SELECT @CurrentPos = CHARINDEX(char(13)+char(10), @SyscomText, @BasePos)
--If carriage return found
IF @CurrentPos != 0
BEGIN
/*If new value for @Lines length will be > then the
**set length then insert current contents of @line
**and proceed.
*/ While (isnull(LEN(@Line),0) + @BlankSpaceAdded + @CurrentPos-@BasePos + @LFCR) > @DefinedLength
BEGIN
SELECT @AddOnLen = @DefinedLength-(isnull(LEN(@Line),0) + @BlankSpaceAdded)
INSERT #CommentText VALUES
( @LineId,
isnull(@Line, N'') + isnull(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @AddOnLen), N''))
SELECT @Line = NULL, @LineId = @LineId + 1,
@BasePos = @BasePos + @AddOnLen, @BlankSpaceAdded = 0
END
SELECT @Line = isnull(@Line, N'') + isnull(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @CurrentPos-@BasePos + @LFCR), N'')
SELECT @BasePos = @CurrentPos+2
INSERT #CommentText VALUES( @LineId, @Line )
SELECT @LineId = @LineId + 1
SELECT @Line = NULL
END
ELSE
--else carriage return not found
BEGIN
IF @BasePos <= @TextLength
BEGIN
/*If new value for @Lines length will be > then the
**defined length
*/ While (isnull(LEN(@Line),0) + @BlankSpaceAdded + @TextLength-@BasePos+1 ) > @DefinedLength
BEGIN
SELECT @AddOnLen = @DefinedLength - (isnull(LEN(@Line),0) + @BlankSpaceAdded)
INSERT #CommentText VALUES
( @LineId,
isnull(@Line, N'') + isnull(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @AddOnLen), N''))
SELECT @Line = NULL, @LineId = @LineId + 1,
@BasePos = @BasePos + @AddOnLen, @BlankSpaceAdded = 0
END
SELECT @Line = isnull(@Line, N'') + isnull(SUBSTRING(@SyscomText, @BasePos, @TextLength-@BasePos+1 ), N'')
if LEN(@Line) < @DefinedLength and charindex(' ', @SyscomText, @TextLength+1 ) > 0
BEGIN
SELECT @Line = @Line + ' ', @BlankSpaceAdded = 1
END
END
END
END
FETCH NEXT FROM ms_crs_syscom into @SyscomText
END
IF @Line is NOT NULL
INSERT #CommentText VALUES( @LineId, @Line )
SELECT top 1 1 as Tag,
NULL as Parent,
@objname as [mssql:object!1!name],
NULL as [mssql:source!2!text]
FROM #CommentText
UNION ALL
SELECT 2 as Tag,
1 as Parent,
@objname as [mssql:object!1!name],
[Text] as [mssql:source!2!text]
from #CommentText /*order by LineId*/ FOR XML explicit
CLOSE ms_crs_syscom
DEALLOCATE ms_crs_syscom
DROP TABLE #CommentText
return (0) -- sp_helptext
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER OFF
GO
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO 
