SuperTab was exciting, then I deleted it. Over time it felt heavy, too visually complex and clunky. It became yet another morphing interface to navigate. It didn’t reduce actions it create more. While I have to make selections I don’t have to press the tab key. Nice to enhance the tab key but it’s not required.
I think the essential value of PopClip is that it saves action; it enhances “selecting” without requiring additional movement. This is elegant.
While mixing threads, to further simplify, is it possible to assign a “default action” such as “copy” WITHOUT selecting it from PopClip’s menu? Then, simply selecting an item, automatically adds it to the clipboard. With the default “copy” always “in my pocket” I could replace it by selecting from my menu of options. This brings new functionality to the act of selecting.
Could an “auto mode” be enablable so any PopClip action deploys upon selection?
That’s not a feature that currently available – Although, occasionally there is a bug where PopClip auto-copies everything, which people don’t tend to like, but you might get lucky and it happen to you
One problem might be that if you are selecting to paste in a replacement, you would lose the text you were going to paste.
Could highlight-with-modifier-key (eg, Option) trigger auto copy?
If you did create an auto copy, maybe PopClip would have a buffer for the previous contents of the clipboard, and an item in the popup to paste that buffered contents.
I’m not sure auto copy is something I want – sometimes I highlight thing to replace, as you say, or to emphasize something in a screenshot. But either or both of those modifications might ameliorate concerns.
Yes, I too played with Supertab for a couple of days and then it just becomes cumbersome and slow. Even on my Mac Studio it takes a second to popup and I ain’t got that kinda time
In Oct 21, I had emailed Nick that automatic copying would greatly help my workflow. Again and again it happens that I mark something and then execute an extension, but shortly afterwards I need the marked part somewhere else.
I had suggested to put this option in the settings, so that the user can choose if he wants to have this feature or not. I would love it if there was this option.
Hey , is there any update about auto copy ? The only thing that I care is this as I do many copy and paste for my work and have problems with tendonitis.I like the paste option as it appears but auto copy will save me a lot of mouse clicks
Hey Nick, to clarify, complexity for whom? The user (if optional, then it could be turned off). For you to develop? I have no idea what it would take to incorporate in terms of time and money. For you to support if users turn it on and get unexpected results that you then need to unravel for them? What’s the thinking behind ‘complexity’?
To be clear about where I’m coming from in furthering this conversation, I know this is your app, and you have the decision rights to invest or not in anything you deem worthwhile, and I have no intent to come across as pushy with this idea. PopClip is on and will remain on my essentials list, and I recommend it any chance I get. It’s totally fine not to add this functionality. If anything, I’d like PopClip to gain many
many more users so you are inspired to continue supporting and developing the app.
Good question … I’d say it introduces complexity in the mental model of what the app is, and affects the ability of the user to predict the outcome of their actions with the app.
The strength of PopClip is that it is, in essence, very simple. You select text; a bar of buttons appears; you click the one you want. That is it. That’s how it has always worked, and that is how it always will work. It’s predictable and reliable (or at least aims to be).
And an “auto-action” mode would fundamentally change that behaviour.
In general, l also don’t like “modes”: as in, in this mode, this happens; in the other mode, it works in this different way…
Right now, PopClip has two modes: ON and OFF. I think that is enough.
For every mode added, it multiplies the combinations.
Added to that:
Adding modal behaviour means adding UI elements to select what mode we are in
Now, the UI also has the task of explaining the modes and what they do.
The user has to ask, hmm, which mode should I be using? Which is best? Am I doing it optimally? Now, the user has been given a decision to make.
The user must also remember that they changed the mode. Should the app help them remember? Is there a visual indicator of the different behaviour, perhaps?
Further, all other features now mustwork in both modes or at least take account of these different modes. There may be new unexpected edge cases in certain combinations.
I understand that this may seem to be over-analysing it, and why not “just add it as an option”? And I know there are plenty of apps that have a bajillion modes and options that you can customize to your heart’s content. But, not this one.
Not over thought one bit. I appreciate your time and attention!
Agreed, the greatest value is that it simplifies.
Simple is damn difficult. You got the low hanging fruit AND created a pretty simple extensibility pathway. Added anymore basic functionality is going to take something and I think within possibility.
Keeping the same number of actions can you add something without going into another mode? As a user not coder who focuses heavily on the UI, I know there are ways to both access and display data with clicks and drags. For instance, click and hold is a different input then click and immediate release. I know you already incorporate holding to evoke PopClip as I frequently use it to get to paste and match style. Perhaps, click AND drag and then hold could signal intent to follow by a click and auto paste for next click only and then revert back to non auto clicking.
Another potential avenue for additional information is by have the background color of a toolbar change when it is primed to do something outside the usual.
Lastly, expanding the toolbar slightly to include a line of OPTIONAL help/explanatory text above wouldn’t complicate the functional area of the UI and might open greater utilization.
While this doesn’t address all the concerns you raise, I hope it might keep the conversation alive.
Maybe a first step and compromise would be to produce another extension that just combines the existing functions “search” AND “copy”: When I use the standard search function, I would like the text also ALWAYS be copied so I have it in the clipboard. I understand that this limits the “auto copy” functionality to just “search”, but this is what I am using and missing the most. And being just another extension would not change the overall nature of PopClip.
