# AG\_CLIPBOARD

> [HTML Version](ag_clipboard.htm)

_Reviewed and revised December 2023_

**tab(-10, AG\_CLIPBOARD); opcode, srow, scol, erow, ecol, rtnflag, text; chr(127);**     [Tab(-10,x) Syntax Notes](ag_xxx_syntax-notes.md)

AG\_CLIPBOARD (65) allows for copying text from a variable or screen coordinates to the clipboard, or for retrieving the contents of the clipboard.

This function has both a [subroutine and a print tab implementation](subroutine-print-pairs.md).

**Parameters**

_rtnflag _

Set to 1 to request a response

See [MX\_CLIPBOARD](mx_clipboard.md)[xs](keyword-types.md) for descriptions of the remaining parameters.

**Response**

If _rtnflag_ is not set to 1, none. Otherwise the response depends on the opcode. For opcodes 1, 3, and 5, the response is:

_status_,~

For opcodes 0 and 2, the response (retrieve clipboard contents) is:

_status_,<clipboard contents>~

Note that unlike most other AG\_xxx responses, this one ends with a tilde instead of a carriage return, partly because the clipboard contents may or may not contain carriage returns. Consequently you cannot use a traditional INPUT statement to retrieve the response and must rely on a method which doesn't require a carriage return termination. See Examples.

**Examples**

Copy some explicit text to the ATE clipboard:

\! opcode=3, coordinates=0, rtnflag=0 (no response needed)

? tab(-10,AG\_CLIPBOARD);"3,0,0,0,0,0,some clipboard text";chr(127);



Retrieve ATE clipboard contents. Note that return string is formatted as 'status,text~' with no trailing <CR>, so we can't use INPUT to retrieve it. Instead we'll input it one character at a time to build up the string, then parse it into the status and text...

MAP1 PLINE\$,S,512

MAP1 A,F

? tab(-10,AG\_CLIPBOARD);"2,0,0,0,0,1";chr(127);

do

A = getkey(-1)

if A # 126 PLINE\$ = PLINE\$ + chr(A)

loop until A=126  \! terminate on tilde (126)



\! now parse it out

A = instr(1,PLINE\$,",")

if A > 0 then STATUS = PLINE\$\[1,A-1\] : PLINE\$ = PLINE\$\[A+1,-1\]



? "Status: ";STATUS

? "Clipboard contents: ";PLINE\$



Note that the above case could be handled much more simply with a single instance of [MX\_CLIPBOARD](mx_clipboard.md).

**Comments**

The keyboard command CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+S can also be used to copy the current screen text contents to the clipboard.

**See Also**

•	[MX\_CLIPBOARD](mx_clipboard.md)[xs](keyword-types.md)