Using iClip

Copy & Paste

Clipping In button

Clipping In button

iClip enables you to copy and paste clippings from and to its clipping bins by using the buttons next to them. Clicking a Clipping In button next to a clipping bin copies from the current application to the Clipboard, and then pastes the contents into the clipping bin. The bin will then display an image that represents the contents of the clipping that it contains. The Clipping In button can be quickly recognized by the fact that the arrow of its icon points toward the clipping bin it controls.

If you press the Option key while clicking a Clipping In button, iClip simply pastes the current contents of the Clipboard into the clipping bin, avoiding copying from the current application first.

Clipping Out button

Clipping Out button

Likewise, if a clipping bin contains a clipping, clicking a Clipping Out button next to the bin copies the clipping it contains to the Clipboard, and then pastes the contents to the current application. The Clipping Out button can be quickly recognized by the fact that the arrow of its icon points away from the clipping bin it controls.

If you press the Option key while clicking a Clipping Out button, iClip simply copies the current contents of the clipping bin to the Clipboard, avoiding pasting to the current application afterward.

You can make it so that iClip always avoids copying and pasting from and to the current application. Please see the Enable Current Application Copy/Paste option in General Preferences for more details.

Action Button

Action button

Action button

Clicking an Action button next to a clipping bin opens a contextual pop-up menu to enable you to perform various functions on the clipping bin.

Depending on what the bin contains, you can perform actions such as:

Drag & Drop

Another way to get clippings to and from iClip is to use drag & drop. You can drag clippings from applications and drop them onto iClip clipping bins to store copies of them in iClip. You can then drag them from the bins and drop them back into your applications when you need to use them.

dragging & dropping a picture clipping from Safari to iClip

dragging & dropping a picture clipping from Safari to iClip

You can arrange the clippings in the clipping bins by dragging & dropping them from one bin to another. Holding down the Option key while doing so makes a copy of the clipping.

In addition to being able to drag & drop clippings into iClip, you can also drag & drop text documents and various picture documents into iClip. iClip will create clippings from the contents of these documents and store them in the clipping bins they’re dropped on.

File Aliases

You can use iClip to store file aliases in clipping bins, allowing iClip to be used as a “file launcher”. You can store an alias to virtually any file (applications, documents, folders, etc.).

Choosing Store File Alias… from the Action button pop-up menu next to a clipping bin opens a dialog that enables you to choose the file to store an alias to in the bin. A handy shortcut to do this is to drag & drop a file into a bin while holding down the Command and Option keys. Double-clicking a file alias clipping will open it.

Automatic Saving of Clippings

The clippings in the clipping bins are automatically saved for you. Each time you open iClip, the clippings that were previously in the clipping bins will be inside them again.

Pop-up Previews

Moving the cursor over a clipping bin for a moment displays a pop-up preview of the contents of the clipping.

a pop-up preview of a clipping

a pop-up preview of a clipping

iClip Window Behavior

menu bar button

iClip menu bar button

The iClip window floats above all other application windows to enable you to easily access it. You can hide the iClip window by clicking its close box. You can show or hide the iClip window by clicking the iClip button in the menu bar.

Another convenient way to hide and show the iClip window is by using a Hot Key. See Hot Keys Preferences for details on how to set and use Hot Keys.

iClip window collapsed

iClip window
collapsed

You can click the collapse/expand control to temporarily shrink the window, hiding all the clipping bins and buttons. To bring the window back to normal, click the collapse/expand control again.

Deleting Clippings in Clipping Bins

To delete the clipping that a clipping bin contains, click the Action button next to it and choose Delete Clipping from the pop-up menu that appears. Dragging a clipping to the trash will also remove the clipping from the bin.

To delete the clippings in every bin of the current clipping set, choose Clear All Clipping Bins from the Edit menu.

Adding and Removing Clipping Bins

Remove/Add Clipping Bin buttons

Remove/Add
Clipping Bin buttons

To quickly add a new clipping bin to the end of the current clipping set, click the Add Clipping Bin button. Likewise, to quickly remove the last clipping bin in the current clipping set, click the Remove Clipping Bin button.

adding multiple clipping bins

adding multiple clipping bins

You can also add or remove multiple clipping bins by pressing Option while clicking the Add Clipping Bin or Remove Clipping Bin buttons. Doing so opens a dialog that allows you to choose the number of clipping bins to add or remove.

Please note that removing clipping bins will also remove any clippings that are stored in them.