ClipCache Pro

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  • ClipCache Pro

    Wow, it has been really dead around here (on the whole board) recently.

    I thought I would post a reminder about a great utility that some of you would find helpful for your writing. I say "reminder" because I may (not sure) have mentioned it years ago.

    At times, in my research, I find that I need to copy bits and pieces from articles online. Of course, in Windows you have the old trusty Clipboard (Ctrl+C). The problem is that you can only save one clip; the next use of Ctrl+C overwrites whatever was in the Clipboard. You have to copy and then paste each item to a text editor or word processor. This can be quite cumbersome.

    Through the years I have tried many free utilities that were supposed to let you copy a sequence of clips without overwriting the clip that was already in the Clipboard.

    I tried a bunch of these programs through the years. Every one of them had a problem of some kind.

    I had previously used a commercial program, ClipCache, but I had either lost it in a computer crash or for some reason could not use it anymore. It is an old program, dating back to the late 1990s. However, it is still maintained and upgraded.

    I rediscovered the program two or three years ago, and now it has become one of those indispensable programs that I hope will never be abandoned.

    It is not free, but it is not expensive, and I use it on all my computers. I have never had any issue when I added it to another computer. (Please be honest, folks, and only use programs on your personal computers, not on those of your friends, etc.)

    Here is the webpage for the program.

    A quick description of what it does (and it does lots of things that I will not describe):

    You open the program. It sits in your tray at the bottom of your computer screen.

    You will discover that you can have multiple files (databases) from which you can select.

    Copy some text and save it. Copy some more text and save it. As you save your clips, you can see the first line of each in a window. Another window, directly below the first, displays the entire clip that you select from the list of saved clips.

    You can do all sorts of things with the clips. For example, you can combine them into one text file. You can change the order of the clips. You can select an option to paste a selected clip automatically into the last open program (like Word).

    In each database file you can have several folders. My usual database has folders for Screenwriting, German, JFK, and other subjects. I can select any one of these as the "active" folder that will receive any clip that I save.

    But you can also have another file entirely, with its own folders. I do not find that this capability (to open other files) is necessary, but it would be helpful in some circumstances.

    Wonderful program, very helpful. It has my stamp of approval. You have to work with it for a while to learn you way through the abundance of options. I keep things simple. I save text as Unicode and only occasionally use some of the special features.

    Try it if you need a way to save clips.

    The link again is here.

    "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

  • #2
    Re: ClipCache Pro

    Hey, thanks ComicBent. I always like these tips. Of course, being a non-Windows user I can't use ClipCache Pro, but it set me looking for an alternative and I've found an interesting (multi-platform) one called CopyQ. I don't know how it matches up to the features of ClipCache Pro, but I can see where it would be useful for me.

    Here's their website. If you're not too busy you might want to try the Windows version and see if it matches up at all with ClipCache Pro (probably not). It's Open Source and free.

    https://hluk.github.io/CopyQ/
    STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I'm a wannabe, take whatever I write with a huge grain of salt.

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    • #3
      Re: ClipCache Pro

      I took a look at the website and at the description of the program (CopyQ). It looks pretty good. I think that it lets you edit a clip, which is a good feature.

      ClipCache Pro (the commercial program that I mentioned) also lets you edit a clip. That is a very helpful feature, since it lets you modify the clip and add your own comments to the clip.

      I will try CopyQ on my laptop and see how it does. The main issue that I have is not with CopyQ itself, but with the hassle of digging my way through the features of a new program. But I will check it for some basics. I only use fairly basic things anyway.

      "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

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      • #4
        Re: ClipCache Pro

        Originally posted by ComicBent View Post
        I will try CopyQ on my laptop and see how it does. The main issue that I have is not with CopyQ itself, but with the hassle of digging my way through the features of a new program. But I will check it for some basics. I only use fairly basic things anyway.
        That seems to be a common complaint with CopyQ. Lots of advanced features, poor documentation. I admit that I haven't done anything but scratched its surface.

        I probably wouldn't waste a lot of time working with something to solve a problem that you've already solved. I just thought that – maybe – it had an interface similar to ClipCache Pro. I'm guessing it doesn't. And it does have some nice features for Linux users who don't have access to ClipCache. Everything I've copied to the clipboard in the last couple days is sitting in a numbered list of entries. (This is probably all the deeper I'll get into this, but this capability – alone – is really useful.)
        STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I'm a wannabe, take whatever I write with a huge grain of salt.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: ClipCache Pro

          You are right that the two interfaces do not seem to be all that similar. But, then, I have still not looked at CopyQ. I will, however, take a look at it on one of my laptops. I am planning to try to put Linux Mint onto it, and it would be nice to be able to use CopyQ on that computer.
          Off topic, but something I want to mention. Ever since I went to Windows 10 on a new computer, my paragraphs on the DDP board all have an extra CR-LF between them. All my life I have put ONE hard return (CR-LF) at the end of a paragraph, and then another one to make a blank line. But now, if I do that, I end up with TWO blank lines between paragraphs. I have been going back and editing the post (after posting) to get rid of the extra blank line. I am going to post this (through this current paragraph) with NO BLANK LINE at all between the paragraphs. I will see how it comes out.

          Well, that is just crazy. The first two paragraphs have no blank line. So for this current paragraph, I will use my usual procedure and put two hard returns above it to make ONE blank line above it. Let's see.

          Well, it seems to be working correctly again now. But I swear that I have been having the problem that I described above. Further observations are necessary.

          "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

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