Firefox AutoCopy, Copy Text Automatically To The Clipboard

When I want to copy text in Firefox I usually highlight it with the mouse and use the shortcut Ctr-c to copy it. Sometimes I right-click on the highlighted text instead and select Copy from the context menu. Both operations take time to complete. It takes three mouse-clicks for instance to copy text only with the mouse, or one mouse-click and two keys on the keyboard to copy text with a mouse keyboard combination.

AutoCopy for the Firefox web browser optimizes the process so that it only takes one click to copy text to the clipboard.

So how does it work in detail? You can copy any text in the Firefox web browser by holding down the left-mouse button after you have highlighted the text you want to copy. The extension displays the letter C next to the highlighted text when the text has been copied to the clipboard. You can then let go of the mouse button. The highlighted text has been automatically copied to the clipboard, without having to use the keyboard or the context menu to copy it.

Even better, the extension maps the paste command to the middle-mouse button. When you want to paste the highlighted text you can do so in Firefox by pressing the middle-mouse button.

It is also possible to copy text by double-clicking it and holding down the mouse button until the copy icon appears on the screen of the browser.

The Autocopy add-on places an icon in the Firefox status bar that you can use to enable or disable the add-on temporarily. This is also the location where you can access the add-on’s settings.

Here it is possible to remove the icon from the statusbar, disable the autocopy or autopaste functionality or change the time it takes to automatically copy the highlighted text while holding down the mouse button.

Firefox users can install AutoCopy from the official Mozilla add-on repository. The add-on is compatible with all versions of the Firefox web browser from 3 on.

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Author: Martin Brinkmann, Friday May 27, 2011 -
Tags:autocopy, autopaste, Firefox, firefox add-ons, mozilla-firefox

Responses so far:

1. Daniel says:

   May 27, 2011 at 2:28 pm

   Good addon Martin.
   Also like Diigo’s toolbar for Firefox.
   It adds a right-click option to copy the url along with selected text.

   Reply
2. apex2000 says:

   May 27, 2011 at 5:51 pm

   If you are running AutoHotkey, you can add this to your script (see below for description, after the script):

   ;========== Copy/Paste
   #IfWinNotActive ahk_class ConsoleWindowClass

   bAllowOverride := False

   ~LButton::
   GetKeyState, keystate, RButton
   If (keystate = “D”)
   {
   SendInput {RButton Up}
   SendInput {Escape}
   SendInput ^v
   bAllowOverride := True
   }
   Return

   RButton::
   GetKeyState, keystate, LButton
   If (keystate = “D”)
   {
   SendInput {LButton Up}
   SendInput ^c
   bAllowOverride := True
   Return
   }
   SendInput {RButton Down}
   Return

   RButton Up::
   GetKeyState, keystate, LButton
   If (keystate = “D”)
   {
   Return
   }

   If (bAllowOverride)
   {
   bAllowOverride := False
   Return
   }
   SendInput {RButton Up}
   Return
   ;==========

   How to use:

   Click and drag to select the text you want to copy – don’t release the left mouse button. While still keeping the left mouse button down, right click – this is the copy action.

   Now go to the place where you want to paste and click and hold down the right mouse button; then click the left mouse button – this is the paste action.

   Cannot give credit to who wrote this snippet as I cannot remember who it was. Thanks to that person I can save a lot of time NOT pressing Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V.

   Hope this helps someone else too.

   Reply
3. boris says:

   May 27, 2011 at 7:55 pm

   “Auto Copy “1.0.2 is way better extension with more options than this one.

   Reply