Last Updated: September 09, 2019
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· dpashkevich

The Definitive Guide to Copying and Pasting in JavaScript

Ever wondered how rich text editors and drawing tools on the Web implement copy and paste functionality?

Turns out that clipboard access in JavaScript is pretty limited, yet it's possible to do things like:

  • Paste an image from system clipboard into an app
  • Copy/paste formatted text (html) from/to an app
  • Copy and paste custom objects within an app

The trick basically comes down to using a hidden text input element and hijacking the clipboard events that are happening on it.

See the article below for implementation details:

The Definitive Guide to Copying and Pasting in JavaScript
The Definitive Guide to Copying and Pasting in JavaScript