Paste Stack: copy several things, paste them one by one
Stop switching windows once per field.
Pro⌘⌥S
What it does
The Paste Stack turns copy and paste into a queue. You collect several copies while you are in the source document, then paste them out one at a time where they are needed. The window switching, which is the actual cost of moving data between two apps, happens once.
Collecting is something you switch on for the job: choose Paste Stack, Start collecting in the ClipBuddy menu bar menu, and Stop collecting when you are done. While collecting is on, every copy also joins the stack; your normal history keeps recording as usual.
When it is the right tool
- Filling a form from a spreadsheet row or a PDF.
- Moving a list of values into a config file.
- Rebuilding an address, a name, an order number and a date into a support reply.
Stack or slots
Use the stack for a one time sequence you will drain and forget. Use slots for the same handful of values every day. They are different tools and they do not compete.
Tips
- Mind the order. Stack order pastes the newest copy first. To paste field by field in reading order, switch to Queue order in the Paste Stack menu, or copy the fields bottom to top.
- Whether each item is pasted for you or left for your own ⌘V is the paste mode setting, not something the stack decides.
- Multi-select in the picker (⌘M) is the alternative when you want everything joined into one paste with a separator instead of pasted separately.
- You can try the whole flow, including both orders, in the demo on the home page.
Fill a form without window switching
- 1 Start collecting
Right-click the ClipBuddy icon in the menu bar and choose Paste Stack, Start collecting.
- 2 Collect your copies
Copy each value from the source document. Each copy joins the stack. In Stack order the last copy pastes first, so copy the last field first, or switch to Queue order and copy in reading order.
- 3 Switch once
Move to the form or document you are filling. You will not need to go back.
- 4 Paste them out with ⌘⌥S
Click the first field and press ⌘⌥S, then the next field and ⌘⌥S again. Each press takes the next item off the stack.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from normal history?
History is a pile you search. The stack is a queue you drain, so pasting five values takes five presses of ⌘⌥S instead of five searches.
What order do items come out in?
Stack order, the default, pastes the newest copy first, like a stack of plates. Queue order pastes the oldest first, in the order you copied. You can switch between them in the Paste Stack menu.
Does plain ⌘V use the stack?
No. ⌘V pastes whatever is on the clipboard and leaves the stack alone. Only ⌘⌥S takes the next item.
How many items can the stack hold?
Up to 50. If you collect more, the oldest item is dropped.
Does the stack paste for me?
It follows your paste mode. In the default Clipboard mode each item is put on the clipboard for your own ⌘V. In Active-app mode, with Accessibility granted, ClipBuddy pastes each one into the app in front.