[JS, Win/Mac] String Variable to Clipboard?

[tobias.wantzen]

Hello,

I want to set the contents of a string variable to the system clipboard. For Mac it's simple via AppleScript, but how could it work for windows? I searched and read all relevant posts and did some research with google.

Here's my potion of code:

// copy to clipboard
if ( $.os.toLowerCase().indexOf('mac') >= 0 ) {  
    app.doScript ( 'set the clipboard to item 1 of arguments', ScriptLanguage.applescriptLanguage, [_stringOUT] );  // mac
} else {
    app.doScript ( 'echo ' + _stringOUT + ' | clip', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic );  // win
}

A friend of mine tested the Windows part – I'm only working on a Mac –, but it doesn't work. Can someone please help me figure this out?

Thanks!

Tobias

[Loic.Aigon]

Definitively working for me on Mac OS 10.11.6

Loic

[tobias.wantzen]

Thanks, Loic, for testing the Mac part. It works for me either.

The Windows part is not working. Any ideas?

Tobias

[Loic.Aigon]

No windows at hand but seeking googloo gives this back:

For once it's in french but the code behind should be understandable.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/fr-fr/library/e2z694z2(v=vs.100).aspx

[tobias.wantzen]

Thanks for this hint, but my knowledge of VBScript is too small – with this code:

_OUT = "I'm a copy paste test text ...";
if ( $.os.toLowerCase().indexOf('mac') >= 0 ) {  // widows to clipboard
    app.doScript ( 'set the clipboard to item 1 of arguments', ScriptLanguage.applescriptLanguage, [_OUT] );  // mac
} else {
    app.doScript ( 'My.Computer.Clipboard.SetText(arguments)', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic, [_OUT] );  // win
}

I got the following error:

»Object needed«. What's wrong?

Thanks

Tobias

[Loic.Aigon]

Did you try with a basic line at first to test if it's the instruction or the way you are using it which is problematic ?

app.doScript ( 'My.Computer.Clipboard.SetText("Does this work ?")', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic );

Loic

[tobias.wantzen]

Yes, I tried – same error.

I tried even this:

app.doScript ( 'My.Computer.Clipboard.SetText("Test")\n', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic );

because I read, that VB is very strict with line breaks. Still »object needed«.

Tobias

[tobias.wantzen]

I read this:

Clipboard.SetText-Methode (String) (System.Windows.Forms)

and tried:

app.doScript ( 'System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard.SetText("Test")\n', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic );

and:

app.doScript ( 'Clipboard.SetText("Test")\n', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic );

Same error all the time.

Tobias

[tobias.wantzen · Accepted solution]

After long investigations I think I finally made it:

_OUT = "Ich bin ein Copy-Paste-Test.";
if ( $.os.toLowerCase().indexOf('mac') >= 0 ) {  // widows to clipboard
    app.doScript ( 'set the clipboard to item 1 of arguments', ScriptLanguage.applescriptLanguage, [_OUT] );  // mac
} else {
    app.doScript ( 'Dim theObject\r Set theObject = CreateObject (\"htmlfile\")\r Call theObject.ParentWindow.ClipboardData.SetData(\"text\",\"'+_OUT+'\")', ScriptLanguage.visualBasic );  // win
}

Can somebody please test this bit of code on a windows machine?

Thanks!

Tobias

[Loic.Aigon]

Looks like (as we all could have presumed), this question was already asked and answered :

Re: Script to examine clipboard before pasting

Loic

[tobias.wantzen]

After digging in the forums and google I found this too and it gave the hint, which way to go. But that was »read the clipboard«. »Write to clipboard« took me a while to figure out – it's not just »setText« instead of »getText«.

Tobias

[TᴀW]

It works on Windows 7 64-bit.

But:

Since it seems to build an HTML object, and then use the HTML to copy the text,

and,

since it anyway requires InDesign (app.doScript belong to the ID dom)

wouldn't it be just as easy to create a text frame in InDesign, add the text, and then do a copy()?

[Loic.Aigon]

wouldn't it be just as easy to create a text frame in InDesign, add the text, and then do a copy()?

why make it simple when we can make it complicated

[tobias.wantzen]

We all love complications – don't we?

;o)

Tobias

[tobias.wantzen]

Thanks for testing. So I'll use it.

Yes, I could have used adding text frame, paste, copy, deleting text frame. But I'd like to avoid changing the ID file, because the user could use undo in the process of the script (from which this code is an excerpt). And a appearing and disappearing text frame may cause irritations ...

Tobias

[Loic.Aigon]

You can create a temp invisible document on the fly and discard it after copy but it's true it's a few DOM manipulations