How to copy multiple items to clipboard history in c#?

Question

I'm using the clipboard class from Win API (Windows.ApplicationModel.DataTransfer.Clipboard). When I try to copy multiple items one by one to the clipboard history, it gets overwritten by the recent item. I want to store every item I copy onto the clipboard history. My clipboard history is enabled and I tried using all of the set methods from clipboard including the SetText method from (System.Windows.Clipboard) and all of which overwrites instead of adding to history.

    private void UpdateClipboardOnProfileDropDownClosed(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        Clipboard.ClearHistory();
        using (var db = new LiteDatabase(Path.Combine(documents, "Auto Paste Clipboard", "data.db")))
        {
            var collection = db.GetCollection<ClipboardProfile>("clipboard");

            var clipboard = collection.FindOne(x => x.Profile == ProfileComboBox.Text);

            clipboard.Clipboard.Reverse();

            MessageBox.Show(clipboard.Clipboard.Count.ToString());
            foreach (var item in clipboard.Clipboard)
            {
                DataPackage data = new DataPackage
                {
                    RequestedOperation = DataPackageOperation.Copy
                };

                data.SetText(item);                          
                Clipboard.SetContent(data);
            }                                
        }
    }

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 05 '21 at 06:58

3

It takes some delays for Clipboard history to save the current item. Therefore, you could try to add a delay when an item is added.

Please check the following code as a sample:

private async void Button_Click(object sender, Windows.UI.Xaml.RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    if(Clipboard.IsHistoryEnabled())
    {
        List<string> lists=new List<string>{ "1","2","3","4","5","6","7","8","9","10"}; 
        foreach(var item in lists)
        {
            DataPackage dataPackage = new DataPackage();
            dataPackage.SetText(item);
            Clipboard.SetContent(dataPackage);
            await Task.Delay(250);
        }
    }
}

Note, if these items are not all added, you could increase the delay time.

answered Jan 05 '21 at 06:58

YanGu

3,006
1
3
7

Thank you. It similarly helped me in copying multiple items, using python's `pyperclip` module. – Harsh Nov 14 '21 at 20:49
I Found this after wondering where half my clipboard items went, and I just wanted to say that, while this solution works, it kinda stinks, doesn't it? :D Is there really no way for Windows to buffer these SetContent requests? I'm trying to add an Image and a URL to the history and adding an artifical delay just makes things sluggish. Not to mention that I don't even know if my delay will always be long enough. – guyyst May 24 '23 at 00:38

How to copy multiple items to clipboard history in c#?

1 Answers1