Concerned large number/size of copy actions too burdensome for ClipTrap

[nkormanik]

I'm doing some "heavy lifting" copy action, expecting ClipTrap to handle it all in stride.

(Then I'm wanting ChoppingList to nicely divide it all up for me.)

But I'm getting not-so-good results.  Some copies are getting skipped, or parts are getting lost in the shuffle.

Would it be possible to write-to-disk each copy action, so as to be extra careful that all copied stuff is safely getting saved?

If the whole huge set of copies is being held in memory, I fear that it's too much for ClipTrap to handle.

The added time of program response would be a small price to pay for extra assurance.

Please give me your opinion regarding these concerns.

Thanks, though, as always, for your excellent program.

Nicholas

[skwire]

The clipboard can be a fickle beast.  That being said, I never really designed ClipTrap to be a heavy-duty clipboard manager.  I wrote it to fill a gap between having no clipboard manager and the heavy-duty ones.  If it's missing captures, I'm not sure writing the data to disk is really going to help anything, you know?  How much data are you copying at a time?

[nkormanik]

The application I'm focusing on is MetaStock, a stock charting program.  MetaStock has no ability to allow saving a chart data to disk.  If you click on a graph line, however, you can then hit Ctrl-C, and this copies the data to the clipboard.

One can then paste into Excel, for example.

The data being copied would be a time-series of numbers, say Date, Price, Volume, etc.  And extend over time, daily, from the present going back perhaps ten years.  That's a whopper of data.

And I'm copying many such charts at once, having everything go to ClipTrap.  Then having  your ChoppingList divide it all up (by way of delimiter XXXXX).

Then I import these files as needed into Excel.

[nkormanik]

By the way, in this particular use (long columns of time-line data being copied) in the options should I have 'word-wrap' on or off?

Not really sure.

[skwire]

I'd think that word-wrap off would be less intensive but I don't have anything to back that up.

[nkormanik]

After further experimentation...

The longer I pause between subsequent copy actions, the less data that ends up missing.

I'm using a macro program for all of this, by the way.

So..., for example:

Setting pause between copy actions to 2 seconds ---> 32 blocks make it
Setting pause between copy actions to 4 seconds ---> 53 blocks make it
Setting pause between copy actions to 8 seconds ---> 89 blocks make it

I know for a fact that the total number of blocks wanted copied should be 150.  Blocks are definitely being dropped.

So..., there appears to be a 'bottleneck' in the copy process.  And not all the data is making it through, before the next copy action is undertaken.

Now, the big ClipTrap question is:  Can ClipTrap 'know' if all of the data needing to be copied actually gets copied?

Is there any way for ClipTrap to somehow say "Hey there Mr. Copy Action, hold off until I get the current data set copied, please."

Any and all thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated.

Nicholas Kormanik

[mouser]

If your other program is copying stuff to the clipboard super fast, i don't think any clipboard monitor tool is going to be able to react fast enough, so putting a delay in may be required.  But the 2,4,8 second delays *SHOULD* be plenty.

May i suggest you double check your results with another clipboard tool - may i suggest my own Clipboard Help+Spell (CHS).

Then if the same problem exists with CHS, you have a clue -- or if the problem is not seen with CHS, then you have another different clue.

If the problem is not present in CHS, or if 2 seconds is enough time for CHS to get all clips -- then im sure skwire can fix ClipTrap to handle it as well.

[nkormanik]

Thanks mouser.  I'll give it a go.

Additionally I'm wondering about the 'macro' program I'm using.  Maybe I can have it set up in a dynamic way so that it waits until all current copy action is completed before moving on to the next copy action step.

Presently I'm using static time delays -- i.e., 2,4,8 seconds.

[skwire]

Thanks, mouser.   

Nicholas, try this build:  ClipTrap v1.0.5.2

I made a single change to the clipboard watcher thread that may or may not work.  I still would suggest inserting delays in between your copy operations, though.

[nkormanik]

Skwire...  changes you made may have helped.

HOWEVER, that change may have created other issues for users.

So..., I suggest abandoning 1.0.5.2 and going back to the tried and true version.

Unless you are sure there was a definite improvement for all users.

I have ANOTHER idea to solve my problem, which involves you (hopefully).

Time for a new thread.....

[skwire]

Yeah, I was afraid of that.  I changed the priority of the OnClipboardChange thread which should have buffered stuff better.  However, doing that sometimes affect other things out of my control.  I'll revert that change.  I'm curious, though, about what you observed with that version.

In the meantime, I've added the following:

Website | Download
v1.0.6 - 2012-03-08
    + Tray icon now changes with toggle state.
    + Configurable hotkey to toggle monitoring.  (Thanks, lanux128)

[nkormanik]

Here is the first part of what was captured:


XXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXClipboard Trap Clip SaverXXXXXDate   Open   High   Low   Close   Volume   Open Int.
1/3/2000   92.6571   92.6571   87.4169   91.2700   36345200.0000   0.0000
1/4/2000   88.6223   90.0673   84.7114   85.0100   33786600.0000   0.0000


I don't know why all the extra stuff at the beginning.  Wasn't there in earlier iteration of ClipTrap.  And I didn't do anything different than before.

In the meantime, I created a new request thread.....

Thanks very much.

Nicholas

[mouser]

I'd still like to know how Clipboard Help+Spell fares on your experiments.

[nkormanik]

I haven't experimented with it just yet, though I did install it.

Take a look at the new request thread I just started and please let me know there if you think Clipboard Help+Spell can do what is asked for.

Seems to me that Clipboard Help+Spell is far grander than the fairly simple task needed.

But if you say it's the tool to use, then super.

Thanks much mouser.

[mouser]

But if you say it's the tool to use, then super.

no i think skwire may be the way to go, but i think it would be useful to see how another program behaves in this scenario.  note: dont try to run cliptrap at same time as CHS.

[rjbull]

If your other program is copying stuff to the clipboard super fast, i don't think any clipboard monitor tool is going to be able to react fast enough, so putting a delay in may be required.

-mouser (March 07, 2012, 03:36 PM)

I hit this problem some years ago.  CHS was as good as any, better than some, but it didn't matter what program I tried, none of them could keep up with very rapid changes in the clipboard.  I wondered if the problem were not with the third-party apps so much as with the Windows clipboard system itself.