Doesn't work on Firefox

[wayne]

I found the following script to copy text to the client clipboard but
it is not working in Firefox (works fine in IE 6). Can anyone suggest
what I need to change?

=================================================
function copy_clip(mytext){
if (window.clipboardData)
{
// IE
window.clipboardData.setData("Text", mytext);
// Netscape
}
else if (window.netscape)
{

netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege('UniversalXPConnect');
var clip =
components.classes['@mozilla.org/widget/clipboard;1'].createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIClipboard);
if (!clip) return;

//
var trans =
Components.classes['@mozilla.org/widget/transferable;1'].createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsITransferable);
if (!trans) return;

//
trans.addDataFlavor('text/unicode');

//
var str = new Object();
var len = new Object();
var str =
Components.classes["@mozilla.org/supports-string;1"].createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsISupportsString);

var copytext=mytext;
str.data=copytext;
trans.setTransferData("text/unicode",str,copytext.length*2);
var clipid=Components.interfaces.nsIClipboard;
if (!clip) return false;
clip.setData(trans,null,clipid.kGlobalClipboard);
}
alert("Following info was copied to your clipboard:\n\n" + mytext);
return false;
}
==========================================

 

[RobG]

I found the following script to copy text to the client clipboard but
it is not working in Firefox (works fine in IE 6). Can anyone suggest
what I need to change?

=================================================
function copy_clip(mytext){
if (window.clipboardData)

Try this in non-IE browsers:

alert( window.clipboardData )


You will most likely get 'undefined'. Firefox et al don't support
copying to the clipboard.


[...]

 

[Wayne W]

Thanks. That is exactly what happened.

So, I need to detect those browsers and disable the clipboard options?

Wayne

I found the following script to copy text to the client clipboard but
it is not working in Firefox (works fine in IE 6). Can anyone suggest
what I need to change?

=================================================
function copy_clip(mytext){
if (window.clipboardData)

Try this in non-IE browsers:

alert( window.clipboardData )


You will most likely get 'undefined'. Firefox et al don't support copying
to the clipboard.


[...]

 

[Baconbutty]

For Firefox, there is an alternative.

Take a look at

http://www.xulplanet.com/tutorials/xultu/clipboard.html

 

[Baconbutty]

Sorry, forget my answer. I note you have got this covered in your code
above.

I would like to respectfully disagree with RobG.

I think that Firefox does support clipboard operations (as did
Mozilla), through XPConnect as you note.

Your "if" statements should also discount other browsers, as you
correctly do this by means of a "feature" test.

I would think that your problem lies somewhere in your XPConnect code
stated above. I have not had chance to look closely, but XUL Planet is
a good source of information.

 

[Wayne W]

Thanks for the response. The sample script I included supposidly uses that
approach but obviously I missed something.

Wayne

 

[Wayne W]

Thanks.... I'll keep looking.

Wayne

 

[Wayne W]

I re-coded the function to match the site you referenced (see below) and I
see the alert("copytext set") alert
but not the alert("Just tried to set str")? It appears that the step to set
the value of "str" causes the function to terminate?
I don't gey any error messages?

Any thoughts?

Wayne



==================================================
function copy_clip(mytext){
if (window.clipboardData)
{
// IE
window.clipboardData.setData("Text", mytext);
// Netscape
}
else if (window.netscape)
{
//
netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege('UniversalXPConnect');
var copytext=mytext;
alert("copytext set")
var str = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/supports-string;1"].
createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsISupportsString);
alert("Just tried to set str")
if (!str) return false;
str.data = copytext;
alert("Just set str.data")
var trans = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/widget/transferable;1"].
createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsITransferable);
if (!trans) return false;
alert("Just set trans")
trans.addDataFlavor("text/unicode");
trans.setTransferData("text/unicode",str,copytext.length * 2);

var clipid = Components.interfaces.nsIClipboard;
var clip =
Components.classes["@mozilla.org/widget/clipboard;1"].getService(clipid);
if (!clip) return false;

clip.setData(trans,null,clipid.kGlobalClipboard);
}
alert("Following info was copied to your clipboard:\n\n" + mytext);
return false
}
===================================================

 

[RobG]

Thanks.... I'll keep looking.

Please don't top-post. Although that is the default behaviour of
Outlook Express, but it's not the preferred layout of this group.

Here are a couple of links regarding using the clipboard and Mozilla:

<URL:http://www.infogears.com/cgi-bin/infogears/mozilla_firefox_copy_paste.html>

<URL:http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/components/per-file.html>

Users can allow access to the clipboard on a per-site basis, however it
requires modification of user preferences that are likely beyond the
average web surfer. As a result you should expect that, in a general web
context, clipboard support is not available.

If your usage is for an intranet, and you can control a users' settings,
then maybe you can make it work reliably. This newsgroup is intended to
focus on JavaScript for the web, hence responses tend to bent in that
direction.

Wayne

Yes, I was a bit dismissive. :-x

Mozilla does support the clipboard, but only through specific user
actions to allow access to it. Page authors should not expect clipboard
support to be available, and therefore should probably not attempt to
use it. The links above show how to enable it - I don't think your
average user is going to be able to do it even if you can convince them to.

Support within an intranet may be able to be made more reliable.

The feature tests are insufficient - testing for 'window.netscape' does
not ensure that PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege is supported, or that
the user will allow the privileges to be modified.

That call should be inside a try..catch block in case the user refuses
to change their privileges, or you can let them deal with the message
starting:

"A script from /your_domain/ is requesting enhanced abilities that
are UNSAFE and could be used to compromise your machine or data:"

[...]

 

[Wayne W]

Rob;

Thanks for the very educational response.

I'm not sure what "top posting" is nor how to prevent it?

I'll do some more reading and re-think my general approach here. Too bad
because, in my option, saving the user from having to select and the "copy"
seems like a good thing. It is so easy to accomplish for IE.

Oh well

Wayne

Thanks.... I'll keep looking.

Please don't top-post. Although that is the default behaviour of Outlook
Express, but it's not the preferred layout of this group.

Here are a couple of links regarding using the clipboard and Mozilla:

<URL:http://www.infogears.com/cgi-bin/infogears/mozilla_firefox_copy_paste.html>

<URL:http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/components/per-file.html>

Users can allow access to the clipboard on a per-site basis, however it
requires modification of user preferences that are likely beyond the
average web surfer. As a result you should expect that, in a general web
context, clipboard support is not available.

If your usage is for an intranet, and you can control a users' settings,
then maybe you can make it work reliably. This newsgroup is intended to
focus on JavaScript for the web, hence responses tend to bent in that
direction.

Wayne

Yes, I was a bit dismissive. :-x

Mozilla does support the clipboard, but only through specific user actions
to allow access to it. Page authors should not expect clipboard support
to be available, and therefore should probably not attempt to use it. The
links above show how to enable it - I don't think your average user is
going to be able to do it even if you can convince them to.

Support within an intranet may be able to be made more reliable.

The feature tests are insufficient - testing for 'window.netscape' does
not ensure that PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege is supported, or that the
user will allow the privileges to be modified.

That call should be inside a try..catch block in case the user refuses to
change their privileges, or you can let them deal with the message
starting:

"A script from /your_domain/ is requesting enhanced abilities that
are UNSAFE and could be used to compromise your machine or data:"

[...]

 

[Robi]

Wayne W wrote:
[...]

I'm not sure what "top posting" is nor how to prevent it?

a message whith top posting looks like this:

| Because it messes up the flow of reading.
| > How come?
| > > I prefer to reply inline.
| > > > What do you do instead?
| > > > > No.
| > > > > > Do you like top-posting?

IOW, readable like black ink on black paper.

I'll do some more reading and re-think my general approach here. Too bad
because, in my option, saving the user from having to select and the "copy"
seems like a good thing. It is so easy to accomplish for IE.

Oh well

[...]

Inline and bottom posting are the preferred Newsgroup styles.

You can prevent top posting by trimming the quoted text to the essential,
reply inline (just after a section you want to comment on, answer or reply to)
and/or at the end (or bottom) of the quoted (and hopefully now trimmed) text
like I am doing right now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-posting