(AIR only)
Packageflash.desktop
Classpublic class Clipboard
InheritanceClipboard Inheritance Object

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

The Clipboard class provides a container for transferring data and objects through the clipboard and through drag-and-drop operations. The operating system clipboard can be accessed through the static generalClipboard property.

A Clipboard object can contain the same information in more than one format. By supplying information in multiple formats, you increase the chances that another application will be able to use that information. Add data to a Clipboard object with the setData() or setDataHandler() method.

The standard formats are:

Constants for these formats are defined in the ClipboardFormats class.

When a transfer between an AIR application and the operating system occurs, the standard formats are automatically translated between ActionScript data types and the native clipboard.

You can use application-defined formats to add ActionScript objects to a Clipboard object. If an object is serializable, both a reference and a clone of the object can be made available. Object references are valid only within the originating application.

When it is computationally expensive to convert the information to be transferred into a particular format, you can supply the name of a function that performs the conversion. The function is called if and only if that format is read by the receiving component or application. Add a deferred rendering function to a Clipboard object with the setDataHandler() method.

Note: The clipboard objects referenced by the event objects dispatched for HTML drag-and-drop and copy-and-paste events are not the same type as the AIR Clipboard object. The JavaScript clipboard object is described in the AIR developer's guide.

View the examples

See also

flash.desktop.NativeDragManager
flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats
flash.desktop.ClipboardTransferMode


Public Properties
 PropertyDefined By
 Inheritedconstructor : Object
A reference to the class object or constructor function for a given object instance.
Object
  AIR-onlyformats : Array
[read-only] An array of strings containing the names of the data formats available in this Clipboard object.
Clipboard
  AIR-onlygeneralClipboard : Clipboard
[static] [read-only] The operating system clipboard.
Clipboard
 Inheritedprototype : Object
[static] A reference to the prototype object of a class or function object.
Object
Public Methods
 MethodDefined By
  
AIR-onlyClipboard()
Creates an empty Clipboard object.
Clipboard
  
AIR-onlyclear():void
Deletes all data representations from this Clipboard object.
Clipboard
  
AIR-onlyclearData(format:String):void
Deletes the data representation for the specified format.
Clipboard
  
AIR-onlygetData(format:String, transferMode:String):Object
Gets the clipboard data if data in the specified format is present.
Clipboard
  
AIR-onlyhasFormat(format:String):Boolean
Checks whether data in the specified format exists in this Clipboard object.
Clipboard
 Inherited
Indicates whether an object has a specified property defined.
Object
 Inherited
Indicates whether an instance of the Object class is in the prototype chain of the object specified as the parameter.
Object
 Inherited
Indicates whether the specified property exists and is enumerable.
Object
  
AIR-onlysetData(format:String, data:Object, serializable:Boolean = true):Boolean
Adds a representation of the information to be transferred in the specified data format.
Clipboard
  
AIR-onlysetDataHandler(format:String, handler:Function, serializable:Boolean = true):Boolean
Adds a reference to a handler function that produces the data for the specified format on demand.
Clipboard
 Inherited
Sets the availability of a dynamic property for loop operations.
Object
 Inherited
Returns the string representation of the specified object.
Object
 Inherited
Returns the primitive value of the specified object.
Object
Property Detail
AIR-only formatsproperty
formats:Array  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

An array of strings containing the names of the data formats available in this Clipboard object.

String constants for the names of the standard formats are defined in the ClipboardFormats class. Other, application-defined, strings may also be used as format names to be transfer data as an object.


Implementation
    public function get formats():Array

See also


Example

The following example reads the formats array of the system clipboard:
 var availableFormats:Array = Clipboard.generalClipboard.formats;
AIR-only generalClipboardproperty 
generalClipboard:Clipboard  [read-only]

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

The operating system clipboard.

Any data pasted to the system clipboard is available to other applications. This may include insecure remote code running in a web browser.

The generalClipboard object is created automatically. You cannot assign another instance of a Clipboard to this property. Instead, you use the getData() and setData() methods to read and write data to the existing object.

You should always clear the clipboard before writing new data to it to ensure that old data in all formats is erased.


Implementation
    public static function get generalClipboard():Clipboard

Example
How to use examples
Constructor Detail
AIR-only Clipboard()Constructor
public function Clipboard()

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Creates an empty Clipboard object.

See also


Example

The following example creates a new clipboard for use with the NativeDragManager class.

Note: For copy-and-paste operations involving the operating system clipboard, use the Clipboard.generalClipboard object rather than creating a new clipboard.

 import flash.desktop.Clipboard;
 
 var clipboard:Clipboard = new Clipboard();
Method Detail
AIR-only clear()method
public function clear():void

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Deletes all data representations from this Clipboard object.


Example

The following example clears the system clipboard:
 Clipboard.generalClipboard.clear();
AIR-only clearData()method 
public function clearData(format:String):void

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Deletes the data representation for the specified format.

Parameters

format:String — The data format to remove.


Example

The following example clears any data having the format ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT from the system clipboard:
 import flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats;
 
 Clipboard.generalClipboard.clearData(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT);
AIR-only getData()method 
public function getData(format:String, transferMode:String):Object

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Gets the clipboard data if data in the specified format is present.

When a standard data format is accessed, the data is returned as a new object of the corresponding AIR type.

When an application-defined format is accessed, the value of the transferMode parameter determines whether a reference to the original object or an anonymous object containing a serialized copy of the original object is returned. When an originalPreferred or clonePreferred mode is specified, AIR returns the alternate version if the preferred version is not available. When an originalOnly or cloneOnly mode is specified, AIR returns undefined if the requested version is not available.

Parameters

format:String — The data format to return. The format string can contain one of the standard names defined in the ClipboardFormats class, or an application-defined name.
 
transferMode:String (default = NaN) — Specifies whether to return a reference or serialized copy when an application-defined data format is accessed. The value must be one of the names defined in the ClipboardTransferMode class. This value is ignored for the standard data formats.

Returns
Object — An object of the type corresponding to the data format.

See also


Example

The following example reads text from the system clipboard, if available:
 import flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats;

 var pasteData:String = Clipboard.generalClipboard.getData(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT);
AIR-only hasFormat()method 
public function hasFormat(format:String):Boolean

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Checks whether data in the specified format exists in this Clipboard object.

Use the constants in the ClipboardFormats class to check for the presence of data in the standard formats.

Parameters

format:String — The format type to check.

Returns
Booleantrue, if data in the specified format is present.

See also


Example

The following example tests the system clipboard to determine whether text-formatted data is available:
if(Clipboard.generalClipboard.hasFormat(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT)){
    //do something 
}
AIR-only setData()method 
public function setData(format:String, data:Object, serializable:Boolean = true):Boolean

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Adds a representation of the information to be transferred in the specified data format.

Different representations of the same information can be added to the clipboard in different formats, which increases the ability of other components or applications to make use of the available data. For example, an image could be added as bitmap data for use by image editing applications, as a Bitmap object for use by other AIR applications, and as an encoded PNG file for transfer to the native file system.

The data parameter must be the appropriate data type for the specified format:

FormatTypeDescription
ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT String string data
ClipboardFormats.URL_FORMAT String URL string
ClipboardFormats.HTML_FORMAT String HTML string data
ClipboardFormats.BITMAP_FORMAT BitmapData bitmap data
ClipboardFormats.FILE_LIST_FORMAT array of File an array of files
Custom format nameanyobject reference and serialized clone

Custom format names cannot begin with "air:" or "flash:". To prevent name collisions when using custom formats, you may want to use your application ID or a package name as a prefix to the format, such as "com.example.applicationName.dataPacket".

When transferring within or between AIR applications, the serializable parameter determines whether both a reference and a copy are available, or whether only a reference to an object is available. Set serializable to true to make both the reference and a copy of the data object available. Set serializable to false to make only the object reference available. Object references are valid only within the current application so setting serializable to false also means that the data in that format is not available to other AIR applications. A component can choose to get the reference or the copy of the object by setting the appropriate clipboard transfer mode when accessing the data for that format.

Note: The standard formats are always converted to native formats when data is pasted or dragged outside an AIR application, so the value of the serializable parameter does not affect the availability of data in the standard formats to non-AIR applications.

To defer rendering of the data for a format, use the setDataHandler() method instead. If both the setData() and the setDataHandler() methods are used to add a data representation with the same format name, then the handler function will never be called.

Parameters

format:String — The information to add.
 
data:Object — The format of the data.
 
serializable:Boolean (default = true) — Specify true for objects that can be serialized (and deserialized).

Returns
Booleantrue if the data was succesfully set; false otherwise.

Throws
Error — If data is the undefined value.

See also


Example

The following example adds a URL to the system clipboard in both text and URL formats:
 import flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats;
 
 var urlString:String = "http://www.adobe.com";
 Clipboard.generalClipboard.setData(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT, urlString);
 Clipboard.generalClipboard.setData(ClipboardFormats.URL_FORMAT, urlString);
AIR-only setDataHandler()method 
public function setDataHandler(format:String, handler:Function, serializable:Boolean = true):Boolean

Language Version : ActionScript 3.0

Adds a reference to a handler function that produces the data for the specified format on demand. Use this method to defer creation or rendering of the data until it is actually accessed.

The handler function must return the appropriate data type for the specified format:

FormatReturn Type
ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT String
ClipboardFormats.URL_FORMAT String
ClipboardFormats.HTML_FORMAT String
ClipboardFormats.BITMAP_FORMAT BitmapData
ClipboardFormats.FILE_LIST_FORMAT Array of File
Custom format nameNon-void

The handler function is called when and only when the data in the specified format is read. Note that the underlying data can change between time the handler is added and the time the data is read unless your application takes steps to protect the data. The behavior that occurs when data on the clipboard represented by a handler function is read more than once is not guaranteed. AIR might return the data produced by the first function call or it might call the function again. Do not rely on either behavior.

To add data directly to this Clipboard object, use the setData() method instead. If both the setData() and the setDataHandler() methods are called with the same format name, then the handler function is never be called.

Parameters

format:String — A function that returns the data to be tranfered when called.
 
handler:Function — The format of the data.
 
serializable:Boolean (default = true) — Specify true if the object returned by handler can be serialized (and deserialized).

Returns
Booleantrue if the handler was succesfully set; false otherwise.

Throws
Error — If data is the undefined value.

See also


Example

The following example adds a random number to the system clipboard through a deferred data function:
 import flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats;
 
 Clipboard.generalClipboard.setDataHandler(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT, randomNumberGenerator);

 public function randomNumberGenerator():String{
     return Math.random().toString();
 }
Examples How to use examples
ClipboardExample.as

The following example uses the ClipboardExample class to copy a string from one variable to another via the system clipboard. This task is accomplished by performing the following steps:
  1. Write the data, in this case a string, to Clipboard.generalClipboard.
  2. Read the clipboard contents from Clipboard.generalClipboard.
package desktop.examples{
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.desktop.Clipboard;
    import flash.desktop.ClipboardFormats;
    import flash.desktop.ClipboardTransferMode;

    public class ClipboardExample extends Sprite
    {
        public function ClipboardExample()
        {
            var sally:String = "Sally";
            var person:String;
            
            copy(sally);
            person = paste();
            trace(person); //traces: "Sally"
        }

        private function copy(text:String):void{
            Clipboard.generalClipboard.clear();
            Clipboard.generalClipboard.setData(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT, text);
        }
        
        private function paste():String{
            if(Clipboard.generalClipboard.hasFormat(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT)){
                return String(Clipboard.generalClipboard.getData(ClipboardFormats.TEXT_FORMAT));
            } else {return null;}
        }
        
    }
}