JL, 16 February 2007 Clipboard Extenders We all know the old Windows clipboard routine.  Copy, paste, copy, paste.  Copy one item, paste it somewhere else, then go back for the next one. A clipboard extender can carry multiple clips and save you having to carry them from place to place one at a time.  You can copy, copy, copy all day long and the clips live in the clipboard extender forever unless you delete them, or enough time passes. This is a very handy thing to use if you're doing something repetitive that requires multi-clipboard contents. Recently I've been cleaning through hundreds of census records where I've needed to move things around.  So being able to have 2 or 3 different things on a clipboard at the same time is useful.  Your own examples probably come to mind.  This is the tool.   If you want to take copy & paste to a whole new level, Clipmate 7.0 is the Mercedes model, with a Rolls Royce and a BMW in the glove box.  Doesn't it make you wonder how something as simple as a clipboard can be in development long enough to have a 7.0 version?   A pop-up clipboard containing all your clips in one or a variety of "collections" can be accessed directly from your taskbar and stay out of your way when you're not using it.      or                                                              Clicking the down arrow will give you the clipboard contents in the ClipBar Popup.  If you don't want the options taking up space on your taskbar, no problem, just right-click the icon in the system tray for alternate methods.  The screen also has a roll up option.  It can be any width and still roll up conveniently out of your way. Like so:   Anything you "copy" or "cut" anywhere in any program goes directly to the clipboard and can be pasted once or become part of your "archive" of clips to be used over and over, such as personal information for filling out forms.  It handles text of any kind and image files.  This shows the list of the default "collections" to which you can add your own.  They can be accessed from the taskbar, through the Explorer Window or the "Classic" where the clip and collection lists open and close at the click of a button, as they do on the taskbar.     You can view, print, edit, reformat, merge, convert to upper or lower case, search, rename, reorder and encrypt clip items. You can add new clips by typing them on the fly.  There is also a built-in spell checker and a screen capture tool.  The windows are all resizable. You can set the program to back up your clips on schedule.  I'm getting dizzy.  And there's more.   You'll be onto the basics in no time.  But, if you need help, there's help. Clipmate costs $35.  Take this for a test-drive and smell the leather.  Every day after this, be prepared to be dazzled.    Download a Trial If you want the budget (free) model there's Ditto.   It does what it's supposed to: collects copy content.  It also has a search function and the option to create a folder tree for arranging clips into categories. It has a clip-viewer and a text editor if you need one.  Viewing graphics is clunky and awkward, so I would recommend this for text only. If you use Yahoo's Konfabulator, or want to, you can have a clipboard extender "widget".   The last time I looked there was one that carried up to 20 text-only clips.   When you find the one you like you'll wonder how you ever survived without it. JLog's Forum The Archives