Extending the Windows Clipboard
For programmers and writers, being able to keep a history of copy/paste and access it with a hotkey is a serious boon. Here are some of the ways I use a clipboard tool daily (sometimes fifty times a day):
- Take notes quickly–store a url, email address, or command for reference later
- Reorganize a document–clip here, copy there, then paste it all together
- Store commonly used commands and html strings for quick access
- Passwords that I type more than ten times an hour
- Storing things I use daily: IP addresses, dates, sql queries, urls
I’ve tried a few different tools, like Comfort Clipboard and XNeat Clipboard. But nothing beats Spartan for simple, direct, fast, and capable.
It allows you to store most any sort of formatted text, has 36 quick copy/paste slots, and multiple columns where you can drop text for different topics to store permanently and access them with a click.
If that wasn’t enough, it offers 10 different views, each with full hotkeys and columns. I’ve set mine up with CTRL+\ as a hotkey, so I have quick access to anything on the clipboard at the speed of typing.
It has a trial period, and is well worth the 20 bills for the full version.
For those with a little less robust needs, they also have a free version, 101clips, that is quite capable. Though I couldn’t live without the advanced capabilities of the full version.
