Copy from clipboard using Python and Tkinter
If you have ever been working on a project where you needed to copy text from one place to another, you would have used the clipboard. The clipboard is where data is temporarily stored so that you can perform actions like copy, cut, and paste. If you are working with a Python GUI, you can use the built-in Tkinter module to access the clipboard.
In this article, we will explore how to copy text from the clipboard using Python and Tkinter.
Getting Started
To use the clipboard functionality with Tkinter, we first need to import the module.
import tkinter as tk
We will also create an instance of the Tkinter class, which provides us with a GUI window to display our application.
root = tk.Tk()
Accessing the Clipboard
The Tkinter module provides us with the functionality to access the clipboard through the clipboard_get()
method. This method returns the text that is currently stored on the clipboard.
text = root.clipboard_get()
We can now use this text to perform our desired actions.
Copying Text to the Clipboard
We can also copy text to the clipboard using the clipboard_append()
method. This method appends the passed text to the clipboard.
root.clipboard_append("Hello, world!")
Note that if there is already text on the clipboard, the clipboard_append()
method adds the new text to the existing text, it does not replace it.
Clearing the Clipboard
To clear the clipboard, we can use the clipboard_clear()
method.
root.clipboard_clear()
Example Program
Let’s now create an example program that demonstrates how to copy text to the clipboard.
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
def copy():
root.clipboard_clear()
root.clipboard_append(entry.get())
entry = tk.Entry(root)
entry.pack()
button = tk.Button(root, text="Copy", command=copy)
button.pack()
root.mainloop()
The above program creates a GUI window with an input box and a copy button. When the user clicks the copy button, the text in the input box is copied to the clipboard.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen how to copy text from the clipboard using Python and the Tkinter module. We can access the clipboard using the clipboard_get()
method, copy text to the clipboard using the clipboard_append()
method, and clear the clipboard using the clipboard_clear()
method. These methods allow us to quickly and easily work with the clipboard in our Python GUI applications.