Clipboard manager recommendation

Mo_B · 2023-10-04 06:49:50

Hi,

does anybody have a recommendation for a clipboard manager on Xfce?
I was using Parcellite for years now, and found it's incomplete in some areas like it does not automatically clears the clipboard for password managers:
https://github.com/rickyrockrat/parcellite/issues/86
https://github.com/rickyrockrat/parcellite/issues/85

I would like to have a more sophisticated clipboard manager for also keeping text snippets and templates to use.

I know clipman is Xfce's default. It's quite similar to Parcellite from the feature set. Does it behave better with password managers clear requests?

Looking for lists of available clipboard managers I found:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/clipboard#Managers

That GPaste sounds promising, or is that too much Gnome related?

Tamaranch · 2023-10-04 08:28:59

Mo_B wrote:

I know clipman is Xfce's default. It's quite similar to Parcellite from the feature set. Does it behave better with password managers clear requests?

No, it's still a feature request: https://gitlab.xfce.org/panel-plugins/x … /issues/72
No snippets or templates either.

eriefisher · 2023-10-04 11:29:51

I'm currently using clipman but I was using clipit. It may do what you want. Looks like it's now diodon.

apt show clipit
Package: clipit
Version: 1.4.4+git20190202-2
Priority: optional
Section: misc
Maintainer: Debian QA Group <packages@qa.debian.org>
Installed-Size: 326 kB
Depends: libayatana-appindicator3-1 (>= 0.2.92), libc6 (>= 2.7), libglib2.0-0 (>= 2.30.0), libgtk-3-0 (>= 3.19.12), libpango-1.0-0 (>= 1.14.0), libx11-6, xdotool, zenity, diodon
Homepage: https://github.com/CristianHenzel/ClipIt
Tag: interface::graphical, interface::x11, role::program, scope::utility,
 uitoolkit::gtk, x11::application
Download-Size: 62.2 kB
APT-Sources: https://deb.debian.org/debian unstable/main amd64 Packages
Description: lightweight GTK+ clipboard manager (deprecated)
 Clipboard manager with features such as:
  * Save history of your last copied items
  * Search through the history
  * Global hotkeys for most used functions
  * Execute actions with clipboard items
  * Exclude specific items from history
 .
 ClipIt was forked from Parcellite and adds many bugfixes and features to the
 project.
 .
 Diodon is a replacement for ClipIt, which is no longer supported.
 .
 This package may be safely removed after the migration to Diodon is complete.

eriefisher · 2023-10-04 11:32:27

apt show diodon
Package: diodon
Version: 1.13.0-1
Priority: optional
Section: utils
Maintainer: Oliver Sauder <os@esite.ch>
Installed-Size: 1,092 kB
Depends: libdiodon0 (= 1.13.0-1), zeitgeist-core (>= 0.9.14), dconf-gsettings-backend | gsettings-backend, libayatana-appindicator3-1 (>= 0.5.3), libc6 (>= 2.4), libglib2.0-0 (>= 2.46), libgtk-3-0 (>= 3.22), libpeas-1.0-0 (>= 1.1.1)
Homepage: https://launchpad.net/diodon
Tag: uitoolkit::gtk
Download-Size: 63.3 kB
APT-Sources: https://deb.debian.org/debian unstable/main amd64 Packages
Description: GTK+ Clipboard manager
 Diodon is a lightweight clipboard manager for Linux written in Vala which
 "aims to be the best integrated clipboard manager for the Gnome/Unity desktop".
 .
 Diodon features include Ubuntu indicator, clipboard sync (primary selection
 and Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V clipboard) and a zeitgeist integration for an infinite
 clipboard history.

Mo_B · 2023-12-01 08:40:14

Clipit is a fork from Parcellite which I'm currently using. Latest release was 2020.
Diodon sounds promising (Aiming to be the best integrated clipboard manager for the Unity desktop ...)
I don't see any relationship of Diodon to ClipIt.

Diodon is available on Gentoo via the inofficial gentoo-unity7 Overlay: https://github.com/c4pp4/gentoo-unity7/ … tra/diodon
It further depends on gnome-extra/zeitgeist and dev-libs/dee.
Let's see if it is not too much Unitiy depending and usable on Xfce...

PseudAnonymous · 2023-12-17 01:09:42

I don't use a clipboard manager myself any more: eventually, I found I resented the time I spent managing the thing. I mean, if you don't have your clipboard manager save Absolutely everything. All the time, you might as well not use one in the first place ... just curate information you want to keep in a dedicated app instead (even if some of it is only temporary and you delete it at the end of the day). Clearing it out on a daily basis was just too mindnumbingly tedious (so, I didn't) and deleting literally hundreds of old entries every couple of months was a chore I didn't relish at all. So, I gave up on the things in favour of actively curating information with apps designed for that specific purpose (Obsidian, Kiwix, that kind of thing).

But ... when I did use one, I swore by copyQ

It's not without fault: if you're not careful (or even if you are), it will corrupt its database, taking everything with it - fairly frequent backups are essential.

In its favour, however, are:

1. It's very flexible: along with keeping a backup of clipboard activity , you can use it as a notetaker, allowing you to take and organise notes (with custom tags) in multiple categories - it doesn't handle audio/video data, so you can only save path references (not links) to those, but it will store images as well as text.

2. It's cross-platform: Windows, MacOS, Linux - learn once, use everywhere.

3. There's a portable (zero install) Windows version, meaning you can put on a USB key and take your notes and clipboard with you wherever you go (I did myself), so long as you can run it on the host; so, natively on Windows, possibly under Wine (or maybe even Bottles) on Linux - dunno about MacOS, but, if there's a way to run Windows executables there then it might work. And, even if you don't, if you keep the database on a USB key then you just plug the key into whatever host you like and use the native version to read/write it - the app might not be portable under all circumstances, but the data can be.

4. I might be misremembering this, but it's possible that it even has a 'not this item' option (a hot-key combo that means it doesn't store the specific item), but, if it did, then I clearly didn't make enough use of it to resolve my issue of needing to clear the thing out every once in a while (or actually remember whether it does in fact have that option).

As said, backups are essential and it's a good idea not to let the database get too large or contain too many entries - it's better to have dedicated databases for each category of information and simply import them alongside a general 'clipboard' category when you want to use them.

But, if you're prepared to put the time in to keep on top of things, you could do worse - it's definitely the best one I used myself (and I tried a fair few over the years).

Last edited by PseudAnonymous (2023-12-17 01:11:45)

Mo_B · 2024-06-17 08:38:35

Nice suggestion, sounds promising, I definitly go to check that copyQ.

Btw. using no clipboard manager is no solution. I don't need deep archives (ok sometimes I do), but I definitly need more than just the usual primary and secondary clipboard. Not sure how you do that, but having your personal note pad application you even need more copy, paste and searching in that, which actually is the purpose of a simple clipboard manager.
Of course one should think about what content is appropriate for some clipboard managers persistent archive.
That might not be complete mail templates, mail clients and word processors have far better template engines.
That might not be any single mail recipient address, as addressbooks are better for that.
But that might be my bank account if I often need to paste that into different text fields or forms. That might also be my default mail address if it's too complicated to type and often needed in different documents. Also some default replies I use in different webmailers or forums.

Further thinking about it, I have a list of requirements that I would like to have on a clipboard manager:

Persistent history over restart (of course, most of them have)
Some default API for Keepass or other sensitive applications to block further clipboard archiving (that is only using primary clipboard for passwords for example). Might also be achieved by some blacklist rule set in the manager blocking some apps completely, but might not work like this if a pointer doesn't even know which application some marked text block is coming from, does it? ...ok from the feature list, copyQ seems to have such an app-blacklist feature.
Tagging items as ever-persistent, sticky for not rotating and or being dropped
Searching the history
Shortcuts for quick popup of history or persistent categories and inline search

Until here, Parcellite (my currrent default) and also forks are fulfilling the needs, just the Keepass is still storing their passwords into persistent cache, ignoring the API trying to avoid that. And popups and search might get improved, persistent items have no categories being only a plain list. separated from the temporary list.
Thinking further I would also have more wishes to a sophisticated clipboard manager:

Categories for persistent/sticky items, just like copyQ.
Multi-platform, just like copyQ: Linux, Windows, Mobiles like Android...
Some sync architecture to sync different clients via some private central cloud, preferrably Webdav, but mainly merge from shared file.

Last edited by Mo_B (2024-06-17 08:40:50)

Mo_B · 2024-06-17 10:58:31

Ok, copyQ is almost complete and powerful. GUI is somehow very basic but functional. Reading documentation and learning is essential to use the application as lot of things are not self-explaining, such as blacklisting applications from storing passwords in the clipboard archives.
I think I'm going on with copyQ. Thanks.

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#1 2023-10-04 06:49:50

Clipboard manager recommendation

#2 2023-10-04 08:28:59

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

#3 2023-10-04 11:29:51

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

#4 2023-10-04 11:32:27

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

#5 2023-12-01 08:40:14

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

#6 2023-12-17 01:09:42

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

#7 2024-06-17 08:38:35

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

#8 2024-06-17 10:58:31

Re: Clipboard manager recommendation

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