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User profile for user: aRKay
aRKay Author
User level: Level 2
224 points

Help with Automator to Clear Clipboard

This posting is for Terence Devlin because his email address is not available. I really
appreciated your postings on how to create a Services option to send iPhotos to
Apple Mail and this got me started on using the Automator.

I have a very simple AppleScript that I need to use all the time to clear the clipboard
and I would like to have it show up under the Services menu using Automator.

The simple AppleScript is

tell application "System Events" to set the clipboard to ""

For reasons I don't understand my OS X sometimes fails to clear the clipboard after
a paste action. You cannot add a new item until the old item is cleared

Apple used to have a Finder Clear Clipboard command but is became history.

Can this easy AppleScrip be converted to Automator format?

 24" iMac and 13" MacBook Pro both w/4GB , Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Dec 8, 2010 5:07 AM

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User profile for user: Yer_Man
Yer_Man
User level: Level 10
164,154 points

Posted on Dec 8, 2010 6:48 AM

Well I'm no expert on Automator, but when you launch automator, opt to make a Service. Then in the Left Most Pane choose Utilities, and from there choose Run Apple Script. Should be straightforward from there.

But why do you need to clear the clipboard? Surely copying something new to the cipboard overwrites what was there?

Regards

TD
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User profile for user: Yer_Man
Yer_Man
User level: Level 10
164,154 points

Dec 8, 2010 6:48 AM in response to aRKay

Well I'm no expert on Automator, but when you launch automator, opt to make a Service. Then in the Left Most Pane choose Utilities, and from there choose Run Apple Script. Should be straightforward from there.

But why do you need to clear the clipboard? Surely copying something new to the cipboard overwrites what was there?

Regards

TD
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User profile for user: aRKay
aRKay Author
User level: Level 2
224 points

Dec 8, 2010 7:31 AM in response to Yer_Man

But why do you need to clear the clipboard? Surely copying something
new to the cipboard overwrites what was there?


I agree that something new should overwrite the clipboard but sometimes
mine does not clear on paste. It something is on the clipboard, you cannot
write to the clipboard. Apple used to have a menu item in the Finder to
clear the Clipboard and it is no longer there.

Thank you again.

BTW, I changed the name of your Send via Mail to Send iPhoto via Mail because
my wife was trying use it from Safari to send a picture to someone.
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User profile for user: aRKay
aRKay Author
User level: Level 2
224 points

Dec 8, 2010 8:12 AM in response to Yer_Man

Copying something new overwrites the clipboard contents. To remove something from the clipboard, copy something else.


Mine get constipated from time to time and that is why I wanted the Clear Clipboard Services item. Thanks to your help it works perfect. I don't understand why mine does not always overwrite the
last item but the Clear Clipboard solves the problem.
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Help with Automator to Clear Clipboard

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