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Copying link text to clipboard

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DaveC426913

DaveC426913

Programmer
Jul 28, 2003
274
CA
I'm trying to build the following:
- link on page says: Bob
- click on link, Bob's email address bob[at]bob.com is copied into the clipboard, ready to be pasted elsewhere.

I'll have lots of entries on one page (it's an HTML phone book) so I don't want a complex function in every entry.

What I have so far is this:
<a href=&quot;bob[at]bob.com&quot;>Bob</a>
I right-click and 'Copy Shortcut'. But what this copies is:
file://c:/<full filepath>/bob[at]bob.com

Oddly, different combinations of letters produce different results:
Code: 
mailto:bob[at]bob.com  =                     mailto:bob[at]bob.com
    mm:bob[at]bob.com  =                         mm:bob[at]bob.com
     m:bob[at]bob.com  =                  file:///m:bob[at]bob.com
      :bob[at]bob.com  = file://c:/<full filepath>/:bob[at]bob.com
       bob[at]bob.com  =  file://c:/<full filepath>/bob[at]bob.com
None of which are helpful.

I have looked at scripts that copy *selected* text into the clipboard, but that's not quite what I'm trying to do. I want to click on one piece of text, but have something else copied.

Advice?

 
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Instead of putting the email in the href element, put in in the value element as follows:

<html>
<body>
<form name=blahForm>
<a href=&quot;#&quot; value=&quot;bob@bob.com&quot; onclick=&quot;alert(this.value)&quot;>Bob</a>
</form>
</body>
</html>

then modify this code at dynamic drive to copy it to the clipboard:


-kaht

banghead.gif
 
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I don't know how I would convert this to work with plain live text instead of form/field text. I have no textarea to pass as an object.
 
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<a href=&quot;#&quot; value=&quot;bob@bob.com&quot; onclick=&quot;alert(this.value)&quot; name=&quot;blahAnchor&quot;>Bob</a>
<textarea name=&quot;blahTextArea&quot;></textarea>

you'd access the values the same for each tag.

alert(formName.blahAnchor.value);
alert(formName.blahTextArea.value);

you just have to give your anchor a name or id to access it's value (or use some kind of form.elements approach, naming it would be easier)

-kaht

banghead.gif
 
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It's not about getting at the anchor's properties. As far as I can tell, CreateTextRange() doesn't work on anchors (or likely any object where you can't select a block of text). I can't copy it if I don't have it selected.
 
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Using the script from dynamic drive (modified slightly) I have given you a working example. It uses a hidden text field to achieve what you're trying to do.
Code: 
<html>
<head>
<style>
.highlighttext{
background-color:yellow;
font-weight:bold;
}
</style>

<script language=&quot;Javascript&quot;>
<!--

/*
Select and Copy form element script- By Dynamicdrive.com
For full source, Terms of service, and 100s DTHML scripts
Visit [URL unfurl="true"]http://www.dynamicdrive.com[/URL]
*/

//specify whether contents should be auto copied to clipboard (memory)
//Applies only to IE 4+
//0=no, 1=yes
var copytoclip=1

function HighlightAll(theField, str) {
test.select1.style.visibility = &quot;visible&quot;;
var tempval=eval(&quot;document.&quot;+theField)
tempval.value = str;
tempval.focus()
tempval.select()
if (document.all&&copytoclip==1){
therange=tempval.createTextRange()
therange.execCommand(&quot;Copy&quot;)
test.select1.style.visibility = &quot;hidden&quot;;
window.status=&quot;Contents highlighted and copied to clipboard!&quot;
setTimeout(&quot;window.status=''&quot;,1800)
}
}
//-->
</script>

</head>
<body>
<form name=test>
<a href=&quot;#&quot; class=&quot;highlighttext&quot; value=&quot;bob@bob.com&quot; onclick=&quot;javascript:HighlightAll('test.select1', this.value)&quot;>Select All</a><br>
<input type=text name=&quot;select1&quot;>
<script language=&quot;Javascript&quot;>
test.select1.style.visibility = &quot;hidden&quot;;
</script>

</form>
</body>
</html>

-kaht

banghead.gif
 
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Here's my effort:
Code: 
function copyLinkText(aLink){
 // creates a temporary textarea to build the text range
 var tempText = document.createElement(&quot;textarea&quot;);
 tempText.innerText = aLink.innerText;
 
 var rng = tempText.createTextRange()

 // copy the text to the clipboard
 rng.execCommand(&quot;copy&quot;);
 alert(&quot;The Text '&quot; + rng.text + &quot;' has been copied &quot; +
       &quot;to the clipboard\n&quot; +
       &quot; and can be pasted into another application.&quot;);
}

Called directly from the link as such:
Code: 
<a href=&quot;mailto:bob@bob.com&quot; 
   onclick=&quot;copyLinkText(this)&quot;>bob@bob.com</a>

Never be afraid to share your dreams with the world.
There's nothing the world loves more than the taste of really sweet dreams.
AU.gif
Check out Tek-Tips Australia New Zealand forum1155
NZ.gif
 
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Dwarfthrower: that does not work.

Note that you have put the _link_ 'bob@bob.com' the same as the _text_ 'bob@bob.com'. Your method copied the text, not the link.

If you make the text simply 'Bob' (as required), you'll see that it's still copying 'Bob', not 'bob@bob.com'.



Kaht: Teehee. The posting engine has translated what it thought was an HTML extended copyright character. It changed document.all&&copytoclip into document.all&(copyright)toclip


Anyway, your method works - but what a workaround! An instant appearing/disappearing text box...
I would surely have thrown in the towel before this, assuming that this was badly hacked code on my part.

Thanks!
 
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>> Dwarfthrower: that does not work.

>> Note that you have put the _link_ 'bob@bob.com' the
>> same as the _text_ 'bob@bob.com'. Your method copied
>> the text, not the link.

Then change the text box to pick up the link and not the text:
[tt]
function copyLinkText(aLink){
// creates a temporary textarea to build the text range
var tempText = document.createElement(&quot;textarea&quot;);
tempText.innerText = aLink.innerText;
tempText.innerText = aLink.href;
var rng = tempText.createTextRange()

// copy the text to the clipboard
rng.execCommand(&quot;copy&quot;);
alert(&quot;The Text '&quot; + rng.text + &quot;' has been copied &quot; +
&quot;to the clipboard\n&quot; +
&quot; and can be pasted into another application.&quot;);
}
[/tt]


Never be afraid to share your dreams with the world.
There's nothing the world loves more than the taste of really sweet dreams.
AU.gif
Check out Tek-Tips Australia New Zealand forum1155
NZ.gif
 
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