010 Editor Manual - Using the Clipboard

010 Editor - Text/Hex Editor Homepage

What is 010 Editor?
Getting Started with 010 Editor
Using 010 Editor - Basic Editing
Using 010 Editor - Advanced Editing
Using 010 Editor - Tools
Using 010 Editor - Syntax
Using 010 Editor - Templates and Scripts
Using 010 Editor - The Repository
Menu Reference
Options Reference
Buying 010 Editor
Getting Support
License Agreement
Release Notes

Using the Clipboard

The clipboard is a temporary scratch pad that can be used to store a block of bytes. The clipboard also makes possible moving data between applications. Most clipboard operations require that a set of bytes be selected in a file (see Selecting Bytes). The following clipboard operations are supported:

Copy - Accessed from the 'Edit > Copy' menu option, this operation copies the currently selected bytes onto the clipboard. This operation does not modify the file. The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Ins can also be used to copy data.
Cut - The 'Edit > Cut' menu option copies the selected bytes onto the clipboard and then deletes the bytes from the file. The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+X and Shift+Del can also be used to cut data.
Delete - Clicking the 'Edit > Delete' menu option will delete the currently selected bytes from the file. The data on the clipboard will not be modified.
Paste - The 'Edit > Paste' menu option has two possible effects: When editing text data or when in Insert mode (INS will appear in the Status Bar), the bytes on the clipboard are inserted into the file at the current cursor position. When editing hex data in Overwrite mode (OVR will appear in the Status Bar), the bytes on the clipboard are written over the bytes in the file, starting at the cursor position. If a selection is made when a Paste operation is performed, the selection will first be deleted from the file and then the bytes will be inserted. The Insert key can be used to toggle between Insert and Overwrite mode. Note that the functionality of the Paste command can be changed in the Hex Editor Options dialog. The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+V and Shift+Ins can also be used to paste data.
Paste Special - Some applications copy data to the clipboard in a number of different formats. The 'Edit > Paste Special' menu option is similar to the Paste menu option except that the format to paste can be chosen explicitly. See Using Paste Special for more information.
Copy as Hex Text - Click the 'Edit > Copy As > Copy as Hex Text' menu option to convert the selected bytes into text characters and copy the result onto the clipboard. For example, copying the bytes 0x2F and 0xB7 as text would result in the string "2FB7" being placed on the clipboard. Use this option to transfer binary data into a text editor or to search for a set of hex bytes in the Find tool.
Copy As (export_type) - This set of options provides a quick way to export data to any of the supported export formats (see Importing/Exporting Files) and then copying the exported data to the clipboard.
Paste from Hex Text - The 'Edit > Paste From > Paste from Hex Text' command is similar to the Paste command, except that the data on the clipboard is automatically converted from hex characters to binary bytes before pasting. For example, if the four characters "17D4" were copied onto the clipboard, then the two binary bytes 0x17 and 0xD4 would be pasted into the file. Note that any characters that are not valid hexadecimal digits will be ignored in the conversion. Use this option to transfer hex bytes from a text editor into 010 Editor.
Paste From (import_type) - This set of commands provides a method of importing data that is on the clipboard in any of the supported import formats (see Importing/Exporting Files for a list of all import types). The data is imported and then inserted at the current cursor position.

Multiple Clipboards

010 Editor contains a total of 10 clipboards: the standard Windows clipboard plus 9 custom clipboards. Only one clipboard is active at a time and all Cut, Copy, and Paste commands will operate on that clipboard. The active clipboard will be checked in the 'Edit > Clipboard' menu. Select another clipboard by clicking an item in the Clipboard menu, or use Ctrl+0 up to Ctrl+9. The active clipboard is also displayed in the Status Bar (see Status Bar for more information).

Clearing Clipboards

Large blocks of memory can easily be copied to or from the clipboard (see Introduction to the Data Engine). Use the 'Edit > Clipboard > Clear Clipboards' menu option to remove all data from the 10 clipboards. This command is useful to prevent large blocks of data from being copied into memory when a file is saved or closed.

Linux Selection Clipboard

Unix systems have the concept of a selection clipboard where every time a selection is made in any program, the contents are automatically copied to a special clipboard. 010 Editor supports this clipboard on Linux systems and data can be pasted at the current mouse position by clicking the middle mouse button. Note that the position of the cursor does not change after data is pasted using this method. Any data selected in 010 Editor is available to be pasted in other programs using the middle-click technique. Note that the selection clipboard is independent of the regular clipboard used for copy and paste above.

Exiting with Large Blocks

Note that when the program exits, a large block of memory copied to the Windows clipboard is deleted unless the Leave Large Blocks on Clipboard on Exit toggle is set in the General Options.

This is the manual for 010 Editor, a professional hex editor and text editor. Use 010 Editor to edit the individual bytes of any binary file, hard drive, or process on your machine. 010 Editor contains a whole host of powerful analysis and editing tools, plus Binary Templates technology that allows any binary format to be understood.