clipboard behavior when using prtscn, alt+prtscn, etc

[eurytos]

I have a question about the behavior of printscreen and how it uses the clipboard.

I thought if I created a UDC open command with the following syntax the screenshot I just took would be pasted into paint automatically.

"c:\windows\system32\mspaint.exe" "<clipboard>"

But, all I can do is get paint to open with a blank image. If I then cntrl-v to paste the clipboard my screenshot will paste into mspaint.

If I change it to open "<curitem>" it will open an image I have selected just fine.

So, is a screenshot image not sent to the clipboard like I thought or is it sent to some other buffer that I am not aware of? It's also possible I just hosed up the UDC


Thanks,

[j_c_hallgren]

I thought if I created a UDC open command with the following syntax the screenshot I just took would be pasted into paint automatically.

My contribution to this topic may be a tangent, but instead of putting screenshots into paint, I now use the following pgrm to directly create a JPG from a 'PrntScrn' instead: http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/

I've used this for, maybe about, 3 yrs now and have been happy with it...yes, there are other similar products but I'm satisfied with Gadwin.

I can also thus select the exact area that I wish to capture, which means I can save just the 2" square part that I care about, for example.

[jacky]

<clipboard> refers to the text in the clipboard, or the full path/names of items in the clipboard, it cannot be any other kind of data (like pictures)

To paste your clipboard into a new picture, you can do so using Edit|Paste Special|Paste Image Into New File, and you could have a script to trigger this & follow it by a open or openwith command (newly created file would be the <curitem>).
(Just note that XY might stay on rename mode after the paste special command, not sure it would have an impact though)

[eurytos]

Thanks for both replies!

j_c_hallgren, I may have to go that route but I was trying to avoid it so I would not need to rely on other apps being installed if I take my thumb drive to a new pc.

jacky,
If I copy a .jpg file into the clipboard from the list view and then use my UDC setup as:
"c:\windows\system32\mspaint.exe" "<clipboard>"

It will open whatever image I have copied into mspaint just like I am trying to achieve directly from print screen. That was another reason I thought there might be something specific about the way the image is stored to the clipboard when using a print screen.

edit: doh! I am an idiot... It isn't using the image it's using the image path. I get it now. Slowly but surely.... Can I blame it on it being early still??

I may be able to get what I want using Edit|Paste Special|Paste Image Into New File.

Thanks again guys!

[j_c_hallgren]

j_c_hallgren, I may have to go that route but I was trying to avoid it so I would not need to rely on other apps being installed if I take my thumb drive to a new pc.

Yes, that is a limitation of this pgrm (and likely of other similar ones) but the flexibility/abilities that it gives me on my laptop, which I use 99% of the time, tends to help offset that...that's an advantage of laptop and wi-fi! A lot of portability but all the things one is used to having are there...