Clipboard.GetText() not working

firemyst
02 May 2025, 00:30

stackoverflow . com /questions/4648718/why-doesnt-clipboard-gettext-work

eynt
02 May 2025, 05:50

RE: Clipboard.GetText() not working

Hi

This is the print I got from the code below after copying some text to the clipboard. The a and b prints are working well but not the one of the Clipboard.GetText():

02/05/2025 05:46:32.491 | Info | Indicator instance [CopyText, EURUSD, h1] loaded.
02/05/2025 05:46:35.257 | Info | a
02/05/2025 05:46:35.272 | Info | 
02/05/2025 05:46:35.272 | Info | b
 

namespace cAlgo
{
    [Indicator(IsOverlay = true, AccessRights = AccessRights.FullAccess)]
    public class CopyText : Indicator
    {
        [STAThread]
        protected override void Initialize()
        {
            Print("a");
            string text = System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard.GetText();
            Print(text);
            Print("b");
        }

        public override void Calculate(int index)
        {
        }
    }
}

firemyst
02 May 2025, 05:55

RE: RE: Clipboard.GetText() not working

eynt said: 

Hi

 

This is the print I got from the code below after copying some text to the clipboard. The a and b prints are working well but not the one of the Clipboard.GetText():

 

02/05/2025 05:46:32.491 | Info | Indicator instance [CopyText, EURUSD, h1] loaded.
02/05/2025 05:46:35.257 | Info | a
02/05/2025 05:46:35.272 | Info | 
02/05/2025 05:46:35.272 | Info | b
 

namespace cAlgo{    [Indicator(IsOverlay = true, AccessRights = AccessRights.FullAccess)]    public class CopyText : Indicator    {        [STAThread]        protected override void Initialize()        {            Print("a");            string text = System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard.GetText();            Print(text);            Print("b");        }        public override void Calculate(int index)        {        }    }}

The Clipboard might not even be available in bots. They do have limitations. Not sure why you'd want access to the clipboard anyway for an indicator?

eynt
02 May 2025, 05:58

RE: RE: RE: Clipboard.GetText() not working

I create a button which once clicked gets the text from the clipboard and runs code based on it

firemyst
02 May 2025, 06:04

RE: RE: RE: RE: Clipboard.GetText() not working

eynt said: 

I create a button which once clicked gets the text from the clipboard and runs code based on it

And that text can't be written to a text file instead and read from there? 

Or copied into a parameter text input field and then the parameter's value read? 

Or set in a global static variable?

eynt
02 May 2025, 07:54

RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Clipboard.GetText() not working

These are all too complex, I don't see a reason why a simple copy-paste shouldn't wotk

firemyst
02 May 2025, 08:17

RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Clipboard.GetText() not working

eynt said: 

These are all too complex, I don't see a reason why a simple copy-paste shouldn't wotk

Setting a global static C# variable is took complex? 

All you do is assign it or read it like any other variable. If that's too complex, I'm not sure you should be coding anything.

//To create a "global variable", it should be public and static, and declared in a public static class. 
//In .NET it's a common way to declare constants (e.g. Math.PI), but they're not variables!

public static class EveryoneCanSeeMe
{
    public static string EveryOneCanReadAndModifyMe;
}

And as for reading/writing files, the first method below uses just as many lines of code as you need to read/write to the clipboard:

//Method #1 -----------------------
// Writing the string to the file 
File.WriteAllText(yourSavedFilePath, createText); 
  
// Reading the contents of the file 
string readText = File.ReadAllText(yourSavedFilePath); 

//Method #2 -----------------------
//WRite file
using (System.IO.StreamWriter sw = new System.IO.StreamWriter(yourSavedFilePath, false))
{
	sw.Flush();
}

//Read file
if (System.IO.File.Exists(yourSavedFilePath)) 
{
    inputString = System.IO.File.ReadAllText(yourSavedFilePath));
    System.IO.File.Delete(yourSavedFilePath);
}

Again, nothing complex about them when you actually try instead of immediately dismissing because it's not how you would like to do it.