[Spectacle] [Bug 356831] New: cannot send image to clipboard in background mode

[dantmnf via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

Bug ID: 356831
Summary: cannot send image to clipboard in background mode
Product: Spectacle
Version: unspecified
Platform: Archlinux Packages
OS: Linux
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: General
Assignee: ***@BaloneyGeek.com
Reporter: dantmnf2+***@gmail.com

When I launch Spectacle with "--background --clipboard", it won't send the
captured image to clipboard, but save it to disk and send a notification.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. open a terminal
2. launch `spectacle --background --clipboard --fullscreen`
3. check clipboard and default save directory of Spectacle

Actual Results:
$ spectacle --background --clipboard --fullscreen
"Copied image to clipboard"
------
Desktop notification: A new screenshot was captured and saved to /blah/blah
------
Nothing happens to clipboard.

Expected Results:
The captured image should be in clipboard.
Related notifications or nothing should be shown.

[Boudhayan Gupta via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> changed:

What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status|UNCONFIRMED |RESOLVED
Resolution|--- |WONTFIX

--- Comment #1 from Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> ---
It turns out the clipboard loses its content if the application closes down,
making this feature impossible in background mode. I must have forgotten to
remove the clipboard option from the final release - I'll do that in the next
point release.

[dantmnf via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #2 from dantmnf <dantmnf2+***@gmail.com> ---
It's a bad news :-(
Can you add a "instant copy" option to GUI mode?

[Boudhayan Gupta via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #3 from Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> ---
You can just press the "Copy to Clipboard" button or Ctrl+C on the keyboard.
Adding a "Copy to clipboard on Spectacle start" will unintentionally destroy
clipboard contents and confuse users who were expecting to paste something, so
that won't happen without careful thought and consideration.

[Boudhayan Gupta via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> changed:

What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC| |***@melvinvermeeren.com

--- Comment #4 from Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> ---
*** Bug 356952 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

***@posteo.de changed:

What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC| |***@posteo.de

--- Comment #5 from ***@posteo.de ---
This so sad actually! I managed to get this perfect way of using spectacle
(spectacle -b -c -r, for me) working by installing the clipboard manager
clipit, which keeps the clipboard after an application has closed. Is there no
way to work around it? It just makes spectacle exactly the way I like it!

[Boudhayan Gupta via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #6 from Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> ---
I would suggest save the file with a known filename and then use some other
utility to copy the image data to the clipboard. Keeping this feature in
Spectacle would just confuse users because unless you have a clipboard manager
installed it won't work at all.

[via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #7 from ***@posteo.de ---
I guess I'll just keep my copy of this working version for me, since it does
exactly what I want it to do. It also works perfectly with KDE's own klipper
(which is part of pretty much any normal kde installation anyway). Thanks for
answering!

[Melvin Vermeeren via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #8 from Melvin Vermeeren <***@melvinvermeeren.com> ---
Hiding the option in the GUI for regular users makes sense, but why not allow
the command-line flag for advanced users? It looks like quite a big amount of
users would like that feature and I don' t see a valid reason to not add it as
a command-line flag.

You could print something like "This option requires a clipboard manager to
function!" in the --help. Besides, Plasma 5 ships with the clipboard applet
enabled.

Alternatively, spectacle could have some sort of daemon mode in which case the
daemon process keeps running so a clipboard manager isn't needed at all. I
would prefer adding just the flag though.

Please reconsider this hidden feature, it would make a lot of people happy.

[Mike H via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

Mike H <***@gmail.com> changed:

What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC| |***@gmail.com

--- Comment #9 from Mike H <***@gmail.com> ---
This doesn't even require a clipboard manager...

The semantics of X11 PRIMARY and CLIPBOARD selections are:
the app must stay running -UNTIL THE DATA IS TRANSFERRED OUT INTO THE PROGRAM
THAT PASTES.

So..by extension, just keep a hidden copy of the program in the background,
_UNTIL THE RECIPIENT PROGRAM ASKS FOR ITS CLIPBOARD_ and then exit.

Or, if the CLIPBOARD changes and Spectacle is no longer the holder of the
CLIPBOARD selection, then just quit the program and send a notification
"another program has usurped the clipboard"

Really guys, this seems so easy to me?

[Pastafarianist via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

Pastafarianist <***@gmail.com> changed:

What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC| |***@gmail.com

--- Comment #10 from Pastafarianist <***@gmail.com> ---
I'm joining those who vote for adding this feature in some way to spectacle. A
command line flag with an explanation in "--help" of its prerequisites would
probably do just fine.

[via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #11 from ***@posteo.de ---
I simply went to keep spectacle from upgrading and saving a package of it for
later installs. I have the arch x64 package if you'd like to have it.

[GreggJS via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

GreggJS <***@gmail.com> changed:

What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC| |***@gmail.com

--- Comment #12 from GreggJS <***@gmail.com> ---
I'm a long time MS Windows user that switched over to OpenSuse over 8 months
ago. I refuse to go back to MS Windows and there has been a learning curve. But
not having this feature is still such a drag. I hate having to save to files
and then copy/paste it into emails, etc.. I want to just paste it somewhere
from the clipboard. I went so far as to try the oldest version of spectacle
available in Yast. But that just gives the broken --clipboard option (where it
sends it to disk and notifies).

Please add this feature.

[Boudhayan Gupta via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #13 from Boudhayan Gupta <***@BaloneyGeek.com> ---
This feature will always be broken, I'm afraid. There's nothing I can do about
this - this is a limitation of X11. Maybe we'll revisit this in the Wayland
era.

You do know you can just drag the image preview to your e-mail client /
browser, right?

[Pastafarianist via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #14 from Pastafarianist <***@gmail.com> ---
If you wish to have this option, Shutter is a good alternative. It sits in
background (there is a tray icon) and thus works around the issue Boudhayan
Gupta has described.

[GreggJS via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #15 from GreggJS <***@gmail.com> ---
(In reply to Boudhayan Gupta from comment #13)

Post by Boudhayan Gupta via KDE Bugzilla
This feature will always be broken, I'm afraid. There's nothing I can do
about this - this is a limitation of X11. Maybe we'll revisit this in the
Wayland era.
You do know you can just drag the image preview to your e-mail client /
browser, right?

I did notice that before posting my comment. But that requires me to go back
through the files to preview or view to figure out what's what before dragging
and dropping instead of just taking the screenshot and pasting it where I want
it. One extra step for each screenshot (which I have to take lots of) just adds
up to inefficient way of doing things. I'm trying to adjust the way I do things
and maybe put all similar like files into subfolders - this way I can at least
do as you say with a clean pictures folder. Anyhow, still like the tool
(thanks!), love linux, and appreciate your comment.

Cheers,
Gregg

[GreggJS via KDE Bugzilla]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=356831

--- Comment #16 from GreggJS <***@gmail.com> ---
(In reply to Pastafarianist from comment #14)

Post by Pastafarianist via KDE Bugzilla
If you wish to have this option, Shutter is a good alternative. It sits in
background (there is a tray icon) and thus works around the issue Boudhayan
Gupta has described.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have a look.

Cheers,
Gregg