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Why does a website or app even need access to the clipboard? I would maybe naively think that the OS could send the characters on the clipboard as if they were

Why does a website or app even need access to the clipboard? I would maybe naively think that the OS could send the characters on the clipboard as if they were typed quickly, end of story.

wool_gather 6y ago
You can copy-paste styled text, images, and other kinds of non-plaintext data, so it couldn't be implemented quite that simply.
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  I wish this wasn't a feature. Every time I paste something in iOS Mail it will inevitably get pasted as "rich" text where I have to put extra effort to clear that formatting (paste it into a plaintext-only input field, then copy from there).
  - buzzdenver 6y ago
    Use Command-Shift-V, but I agree that pasting as plain text should be the default.
- buzzdenver 6y ago
  Agreed, but that still doesn't mean that and app should ever have the query the contents of the clipboard. The OS could send a message to the app with the contents of the clipboard when the user presses CTRL-V.
  - filleduchaos 6y ago
    How, precisely, do you propose this would work with raw keyboard modes? Or graphical context menus? The discussion around this is so strange and weirdly nontechnical to me.
    - buzzdenver 6y ago
      This is far from my area of expertise, so let me know if I'm incorrect anywhere. Here is how I imagine thing are: Currently: application queries clipboard state and gets back some structured data. (quick googling confirmed this). Proposed: application gets a message when CTRL-V is clicked along with the same data that currently gets returned when clipboard is queried.
      - filleduchaos 6y ago
        Again, how exactly do you propose that "get a message when CTRL-V is clicked" would work with: - raw keyboard modes (in which an application gets input straight off the keyboard because it wants to do its own keyboard processing) - graphical context menus (user clicks on a paste button within the app, or even uses a voice or other control - how does the application communicate to the OS "my user wants to paste"? Or does your back-of-the-napkin fix require users to only use devices with keyboards and only use the keyboard?) Amongst other technical considerations. It's almost as if pretty much every major OS/windowing system has ways of programmatically accessing the shared clipboard for a reason.

Why does a website or app even need access to the clipboard? I would maybe naively think that the OS could send the characters on the clipboard as if they were typed quickly, end of story.

wool_gather 6y ago

You can copy-paste styled text, images, and other kinds of non-plaintext data, so it couldn't be implemented quite that simply.

Nextgrid 6y ago
I wish this wasn't a feature. Every time I paste something in iOS Mail it will inevitably get pasted as "rich" text where I have to put extra effort to clear that formatting (paste it into a plaintext-only input field, then copy from there).
- buzzdenver 6y ago
  Use Command-Shift-V, but I agree that pasting as plain text should be the default.
buzzdenver 6y ago
Agreed, but that still doesn't mean that and app should ever have the query the contents of the clipboard. The OS could send a message to the app with the contents of the clipboard when the user presses CTRL-V.
- filleduchaos 6y ago
  How, precisely, do you propose this would work with raw keyboard modes? Or graphical context menus? The discussion around this is so strange and weirdly nontechnical to me.
  - buzzdenver 6y ago
    This is far from my area of expertise, so let me know if I'm incorrect anywhere. Here is how I imagine thing are: Currently: application queries clipboard state and gets back some structured data. (quick googling confirmed this). Proposed: application gets a message when CTRL-V is clicked along with the same data that currently gets returned when clipboard is queried.
    - filleduchaos 6y ago
      Again, how exactly do you propose that "get a message when CTRL-V is clicked" would work with: - raw keyboard modes (in which an application gets input straight off the keyboard because it wants to do its own keyboard processing) - graphical context menus (user clicks on a paste button within the app, or even uses a voice or other control - how does the application communicate to the OS "my user wants to paste"? Or does your back-of-the-napkin fix require users to only use devices with keyboards and only use the keyboard?) Amongst other technical considerations. It's almost as if pretty much every major OS/windowing system has ways of programmatically accessing the shared clipboard for a reason.