What is the difference between the DataObject and the Clipboard?

  • Article

The DataObject and the Clipboard both provide a means to move data from one place to another. As an application developer, there are several important points to remember when you use either a DataObject or the Clipboard:

  • You can store more than one piece of data at a time on either a DataObject or the Clipboard as long as each piece of data has a different data format. If you store data with a format that is already in use, the new data is saved and the old data is discarded.

  • The Clipboard supports picture formats and text formats. A DataObject currently supports only text formats.

  • A DataObject exists only while your application is running; the Clipboard exists as long as the operating system is running. This means you can put data on the Clipboard and close an application without losing the data. The same is not true with the DataObject. If you close the application that put data on a DataObject, you lose the data.

  • A DataObject is a standard OLE object, while the Clipboard is not. This means that the Clipboard can support standard move operations (copy, cut, and paste) but not drag-and-drop operations. You must use the DataObject if you want your application to support drag-and-drop operations.

Tip

You can define your own data format names when you use the SetText method to move data to the Clipboard or a DataObject. This can help distinguish between text that your application moves and text that the user moves.

See also

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