Monday, April 24, 2017

Don't Just Copy & Paste! Store it on the Web Clipboard!

I have just finished teaching equilibrium, so my near daily need for a double arrow is done. Where I can type two dashes and a greater than sign (-->) in a Google doc and get an arrow, a double arrow is harder to come by. To solve my problem I used the Web clipboard

What is the Web clipboard?

The Web clipboard is a place where you can store copied text or images for use in Google docs. It's like your computer's clipboard, where all your control+C or command+C text and images go, except it lives on the Web. Here are a couple of things I love about the Web clipboard compared to Cut, Copy, and Paste:
  • You can copy between computers. Put something on the Web clipboard at work and then access it on your desktop computer at home. Because it's web-based.
  • You can store many images on the Web clipboard at once. Your computer's clipboard can only store your most recent copied or cut text or image. The Web clipboard lets you store several and choose the one you need when you need it.
  • Things stay on the Web clipboard for 30 days. Need a double arrow for the next 30 days while you teach equilibrium? Store it on the web clipboard!

Here's how you use the Web clipboard:

Highlight text or an image that you want to copy. Go to the Edit menu and drag down to Web clipboard. Then select Copy to web clipboard. If you have created a Drawing (like a double arrow to use while you teach equlibrium), go to the Actions menu and drag down to Web clipboard and then Copy entire drawing to web clipboard.



In the document where you want to place your copied item, put your cursor where the copied item belongs. Go to the Edit menu and drag down to Web clipboard. Then hover over the Drawings that are copied until you find the one you want. Click on it and it will be pasted into its location.


With a couple of quick clicks, I can turn this 
into this

Once I create that double arrow and copy it to the Web clipboard, it remains there for the next 30 days, so it is available every time I write a test, lab, or quiz and I need the double arrow. Next year, when it is no longer on the web clipboard, I can just put it there again! If there are things you need over and over - maybe graphic organizers or certain diagrams or phrases or directions - consider trying out the Web clipboard. It is a great time saver!

4 comments:

  1. Absolutely nice feature!
    But did you know that there is Inicode for the arrow you wanted?
    ⇆ ⇄
    I found them on this page.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice tip! For those double arrows, you can also Insert > Special characters. Draw the arrows, and you will get a couple of suggestions. Insert, then you copy. Go to Tools > Preferences an make a Auto substitution for that particular sign.

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  3. Today this news came in:
    The web clipboard in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides was originally developed to improve the copy and paste experience in browsers with fidelity issues. As these issues have become less prevalent across many browsers, we’re looking to simplify the user experience by removing the web clipboard, which is rarely used, on September 13th, 2017.
    http://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2017/05/web-clipboard-to-be-removed-from-google.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is bad news for me because i love the web clipboard. In the link above, Google does note that copy and paste might have additional functionality. I am hoping that this might include some web clipboard features.

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