Copy to Clipboard- Custom Action Tool

[Rifad]

Copy to Clipboard Action and ShortenURL for AppSheet

I’ve developed a solution for the highly requested “Copy to Clipboard” functionality in AppSheet, addressing the feature request many users have been asking for.

One Click. That’s it.
→ Tap the link
→ It copies the text to your clipboard
→ Browser auto-closes
→ Just paste it wherever you need

No apps. No installs. Just smooth magic.

The Solution I’ve created a web service that allows you to copy text to clipboard through a simple URL, which works seamlessly with AppSheet’s “Open URL” action.

How to Use

1. Create a Custom Action in your AppSheet app
2. Set the action type to “Open URL”
3. Use this formula in the URL field:

CONCATENATE("https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/copy/", ENCODEURL([Your_Text_Column]))

1. Enable “Launch External” in the action settings

When users click the action:

• A new tab briefly opens
• The text is copied to their clipboard
• The tab automatically closes
• Once tab is closed click cmd + v or ctrl + v to paste from clipboard

Alternatively to test you can click this and try pasting from clipboard: https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/copy/Extra!%20Extra!%20Clipboard%20functionality%20discovered%20outside%20AppSheet%20universe!

Technical Overview

The solution uses:

• A Node.js web service

This implementation provides a workaround until AppSheet implements native clipboard functionality. Feel free to try it out and share your feedback!

This is a community solution addressing the feature request in the linked post, providing immediate functionality while we wait for official implementation.

Note: Tracks usage analytics.

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Edit:

Note: This is not yet completed but can test it out.

NEW FEATURE: URL Shortener

Integration I’ve added a URL shortening capability to the service, making it even more versatile for AppSheet users.

How to Use URL Shortener

1. Create a Custom Action in AppSheet

2. Set the action type to “Open URL”

3. Use this formula in the URL field:

CONCATENATE("https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/shorten/", ENCODEURL([Your_URL_Column]))

When users click the action: - A new tab briefly opens - A shortened URL is created and copied to their clipboard - The tab automatically closes - Use cmd + v or ctrl + v to paste the shortened

URL Example: Long URL:

https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/shorten/https://www.google.com

Note: This is not yet completed but can test it out.

[Jonathan1]

Pretty cool!

Thank you for this workaround!

[Gustavo_Eduardo]

Genius Rifad! Thank you!

[Fabian_Weller]

Thank you so much @Rifad this is very cool and handy!!!

[Rifad]

Thank you everyone!

[Fabian_Weller]

Hi @Rifad is this working also for LongText columns? When I try it with a LongText column and a simple text like:

Test
Test

Then it opens the new Tab, but it get’s stuck in this Tab. It does not close and it does not copy to the clipboard.
The URL is: https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/copy/Test%0ATest

It seems as if it does not like the “%0A”. This is the Newline.

[Rifad]

It should work with ENCODEURL() I have not tested. I will check this

[Rifad]

I have fixed this

NEW FEATURE: URL Shortener

Integration I’ve added a URL shortening capability to the service, making it even more versatile for AppSheet users.

How to Use URL Shortener

1. Create a Custom Action in AppSheet

2. Set the action type to “Open URL”

3. Use this formula in the URL field:

CONCATENATE("https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/shorten/", ENCODEURL([Your_URL_Column]))

When users click the action: - A new tab briefly opens - A shortened URL is created and copied to their clipboard - The tab automatically closes - Use cmd + v or ctrl + v to paste the shortened

URL Example: Long URL:

https://copy-to-clipboard.onrender.com/shorten/https://www.google.com

@Fabian_Weller

[Rifad]

Please note this shorten URL is not completely developed. You may just use it for testing. Once fully done will update here.

[Fabian_Weller]

@Rifad

It should work with ENCODEURL()

I could not get it done even with ENCODEURL(). LongText seems not to work.

For what do you use the URL shortener function?

[Rifad]

@Fabian_Weller

For what do you use the URL shortener function?

Typically used to share a record, such as with linktorow() or a file URL. Currently, it doesn’t create a permanent database since nothing is connected or stored, making it unsuitable for permanent use. However, it works fine for temporary use cases.

[Rifad]

Hi everyone, please share your feedback on the copy-to-clipboard feature—I’d like to know if it’s useful and working well.

I’m developing a new feature for the AppSheet notification system. Let me know if this will be beneficial. This is a Chrome extension that’s not yet approved; I’ll provide access to everyone once it’s approved by the Chrome Web Store and after some testing.

[APPTandem]

It’s working extra fine for me. Just to be picky, it takes like 2 seconds to open and close, but nothing to say if it give us the copy possibility! Thanks a lot!

[Rifad]

It’s running on a free server that sleeps after 15 minutes of inactivity and restarts when you copy again. I’ve implemented a workaround to fix this issue, so it should now be instant moving forward. @APPTandem

[Fabian_Weller]

@Rifad Thank you it is working fine. Thank you also for fixing the LongText issue.
To me it still needs some 3-5 sec. to copy just a simple Text like “ABC”.

[APPTandem]

Sorry, it’s not a complain because it is an excellent workaround, but it still taking about 3-5 secs

[Rifad]

Hi @APPTandem @Fabian_Weller I have pushed a new change now. It should be instant now.

[Rifad]

Update: Added a fallback UI for unsupported devices that automatically copies and closes.

[APPTandem]

You rock man! I wish I knew where to start to do things like this. It works perfectly now. Thanks a lot!

[Fabian_Weller]

Thank you @Rifad now it’s very fast click and copy