Excel data always pasted as image

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willi.am
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:36 pm

Excel data always pasted as image

Post by willi.am »

Not sure if this is a bug or feature, but I am sure it's an edge case...

Image

1. Enter some text in Microsoft Excel, like an empty cell with "test".

Image

2. Paste text in POP Peeper, with CTLR + V (keep style) or CTRL + SHIFT + V (plain data).

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3. The text from the cell is pasted.

So far, so good. But the thing is with step 2 that POP Keeper is always trying to paste the textual data as an image, even with CTRL + SHIFT + V, which should "delete" the image wrapper around the copied data, and only paste the textual data.

You can "cancel" the option to paste the data as an image, but I think (when using CTRL + SHIFT + V) it should not be an image in the first place?
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Jeff
Admin / Developer
Posts: 9433
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2001 9:46 pm

Re: Excel data always pasted as image

Post by Jeff »

Ok, to back things up a little:
1) I wasn't aware that Ctrl+Shift+V was "official" -- I was surprised when it actually did something (ie. paste)
2) Google AI tells me this was added in March 2023. But another search tells me that "Microsoft is also working to make the shortcut available system-wide through its PowerToys program" -- I use PowerToys so maybe that's why it works. (I see it in powertoys but it's Win+Ctrl+Alt+V). This is a rabbit hole I'm going to stop exploring now.
3) The editor that POP Peeper uses supports Rich Text (e.g. bold, etc.) but since POP Peeper itself doesn't currently support the ability to send marked up text, it forces everything to plain text when you paste.

So, as far as PP is concerned, it has special code to include an image that's on the clipboard as an attachment. The primary use of this being to quickly add screenshots. (similar but different, you can also "copy" file(s) from FileExplorer and then "paste" them to include them as attachments).

When you copy from a spreadsheet, it appears to copy an image and the text to the clipboard. I'd say this is slightly unusual; or at least I haven't come across it before.

I'll add this to my notes to look into, but I'm not sure that PP can tell the distinction as to whether you "pasted" or "pasted plain text".


In the meantime --
I don't have excel, but I have the equivalent LibreOffice Calc which behaves similarly as to what you've described. If you copy the text of the cell instead of copying the cell itself, PP will only paste the text and not prompt about the image. Not sure that's any easier than just pressing <esc> though...
willi.am
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:36 pm

Re: Excel data always pasted as image

Post by willi.am »

CTRL + SHIFT + V = paste without formatting

CTRL + V = "paste as is"

This also works in other software, but I don't know from which date :-)

Even WhatsApp web does paste an Excel-cell as a stupid image, don't know why.

Just copy a cell (or a row of cells) and paste it straight into WhatsApp web : you get a picture of the sheet.

It can come in handy (you keep the formatting, formulas, etc...) but I don't like it.

It has nothing to do with POP Peeper, I guess! :)

Image

ABOVE : EXCEL

Image

ABOVE : WHATSAPP WEB
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Jeff
Admin / Developer
Posts: 9433
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2001 9:46 pm

Re: Excel data always pasted as image

Post by Jeff »

As far as I can tell -- after some research -- there's no way for the app to tell which keyboard shortcut you used to paste. Unfortunately, there's not much (well, *any*) documentation about it, so it's probably too new for it to come up.

However, I think I will change PP so that it favors text over the image; after all, there already is a menu option to paste the image from the clipboard in that case (and I should consider moving that menu item from "Options" to "Edit").
willi.am
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2024 5:36 pm

Re: Excel data always pasted as image

Post by willi.am »

Yeah, I'm not a developer, but it seems there's no official API for "reading" the format (or "intended" format) of the clipboard.

Also it looks like CTRL + SHIFT + V only works in web-based software;

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewth ... /?p=107124

Maybe it's an Chromium thing, although Firefox ain't using it of course :-)

Well, it's funny after all, I will just hit CTRL + V -> CANCEL and I'm done as well.
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