Editing ClipBoard Help File

This is the Help "file" for the Python Application whose main page is: [[Python Smart ClipBoard]]
 
= This Help Page is Early Draft =

2021  April  .... working on enhancements so may get this page right, had to get wiki here working again, finally is 
Fix coming soon..... No it is not, help is going to link to the main project page.  This material will be reused elsewhere if useful.

This Python program (clip_board.py) is an application to enhance the windows ( unix ?? ) clipboard by adding the ability to it to:

* Transform keyboard contents, referred to as "Transforms".
* Insert predefined elements into the clipboard, referred to as "Snippets".
* Open example files in a configurable editor or ide, referred to as "Snips". -- This really does not involve the clipboard, but is a sort of high powered version of snippets
* Interpret copied text as commands or directions to the system to carry out some action specified in the clipboard contents, for example, browse to some website.
* The program is easily modified by adding transforms, snips, or snippets, this may require some python programming.


    The program does not have a clipboard history as I, so far, have not found that useful. There are a lot of other apps with this feature.


For a quick overview on use once installed see the GUI documentation at: ClipBoard GUI That page will also link to the 4 areas of operation:

* [[Clipboard Transformations]]
* [[Clipboard Snippets]]
* [[Clipboard Snips]]
* [[Clipboard Commands]]


== Transformations ==

Transformations is one of the principal functions of the ClipBoard App, there is a whole page that lists most of them ( they are frequently enhanced keeping up is hard to do )

'''[[Clipboard Transformations]]'''

== Commands ==
Interpret copied text as commands or directions to the system to carry out some action specified in the clipboard contents, for example, browse to some website.
'''[[Clipboard Commands]]'''

== GUI ==

Using the GUI see: [[ClipBoard GUI]]

== Meta Tool Bar ==
the meta tool bar is the button bar across the top, it performs actions ( like help ) that are about the application, like configuration, but are not part of its purpose ( like transforming clipboard contents )





== draft material ==



 

*Edit the parameter file:  Use your development environment for Python or a text editor to edit parameters.py.  See also: The section below, [[Configuration Files For Python]].  I have a button on the GUI for this. 

<!-----------
this cannot bee seen


*View the log:  Use the application button ( after configuring for your editor ) or any text editor on the file smart_plug.py_log. This is the default file name, it can be changed in parameters.py.
------------->
*Install: see section above.

*Debug:  see section below.

*Quick Restart of the application:  Not in this app, just shutdown and restart.

*Use your preferred text editor. In the parameter file, see below.

*Using the GUI see: [[ClipBoard GUI]]

== Setup for Backup ==
There are several different way to use the program, varying in part on how much you setup in parameters.py and how you structure your backups.  I generally set it up with a small program in the directory that I wish to backup, then to run the backup I go to that directory ( with a file manager ) and double click the file.  This is what I will describe here.  There are a lot of small variations you can make to how you run it and locate the files, you can probably figure many of these out yourself.

=== Manually Configure the Backup ===

*Copy the file _sample_backup.py from your download of the program and drop it in the source directory.  Lets say the name of this is   ....../my_important_files.
*Set up a backup location somewhere on your computer or network.   It should be named  ......./my_important_files.  You need to set up this directory manually because the backup program checks this name to make sure you do not backup to the wrong location by mistake.  Of course once this is setup it is done for good for that directory and backup configuration.
*The application comes with some sample files to be backed up and a backup location for them.
*For the rest of the setup read the file _sample_backup.py ( or your copy of it ) and then run it.
*Look at the display in the GUI for the setting the program is using, and if Ok then run the backup. See: [[Backup GUI]] for more info on the GUI
*After it has run take a look at the log files ( you can do this from the GUI once you configure parameters.py for your text editor of choice.
*_sample_backup.py will run pretty much the same no matter where it is located on you disk, except you may find the python log file left in the directory with _sample_backup.py

=== Minimally Configure the Backup ===

*Edit parameters.py to default:
**default_name = {default name for the backup}      
**log_detail_fn = {file name for the detailed log}
**log_summary_fn = {file name for the summary log}  
*Now look at the file _sample_backup_2.py for more documentation, pretty much all you have to set is the source and destination.
*Program runs like _sample_backup.py, see above.

=== No Configruation of Backup ===
In this mode the the location of the backup.py file determines the source directory and parameters.py computes a destination.  In my setup many files come from my D: drive and go to a network location rooted at I:\Data.  So I use a method in the backup.py file to compute the destination......

Code in _sample_backup_3.py and the shipped parameters.py as  parameters.set_source_here() look at these files.

=  How to Use the Parameter File = 
See: '''[[Configuration Files For Python]]'''

Editing of the parameters.py file

**See above in Download and Install
*Enable your favorite editor to work with the application.
**self.ex_editor          =  r"D:\apps\Notepad++\notepad++.exe"   # use r" or the backslashes will not work, or you can use forward slashes instead; they may be "wrong" in Windowd, but they work.
*Lots of other settings:
**Read the comments in parameters.py and change as desired.  If a setting does not work let me know.
*If you mess up.
**Re download and get back to the original parameter file.

== Links ==
*'''Click on Category ClipBoard ''' below
*'''[https://opencircuits.com/index.php?title=Python_Smart_ClipBoard Python Smart ClipBoard - OpenCircuits ]'''  main page for this application.

[[Category:ClipBoard]]