How can I copy to clipboard in HTML5 without using flash?

Question

I want to use a copy-to-clipboard function in HTML5, but without using flash. Is it possible? How?

I tried to implement a copy-to-clipboad function with JavaScript, but it is not working:

function Copytoclipboard() {
    var body = document.body,
        range, sel;
    if (document.createRange && window.getSelection) {
        range = document.createRange();
        sel = window.getSelection();
        sel.removeAllRanges();
        try {
            range.selectNodeContents(el);
            sel.addRange(range);
            document.execCommand('Copy');
        } catch (e) {
            range.selectNode(el);
            sel.addRange(range);
            document.execCommand('Copy');
        }
    } else if (body.createTextRange) {
        range = body.createTextRange();
        range.moveToElementText(el);
        range.select();
        range.execCommand('Copy');
    }
}

Answer 1

You can use the HTML5 clipboard api http://www.htmlgoodies.com/html5/other/working-with-clipboard-apis-in-html5-web-apps.html#fbid=eh9tM7GHJWF

But do note that not all browsers fully support it as of now: http://caniuse.com/#feat=clipboard

Answer 2

UPDATE: This solution now works in the current version of all major browsers!

function copyText(text){
  function selectElementText(element) {
    if (document.selection) {
      var range = document.body.createTextRange();
      range.moveToElementText(element);
      range.select();
    } else if (window.getSelection) {
      var range = document.createRange();
      range.selectNode(element);
      window.getSelection().removeAllRanges();
      window.getSelection().addRange(range);
    }
  }
  var element = document.createElement('DIV');
  element.textContent = text;
  document.body.appendChild(element);
  selectElementText(element);
  document.execCommand('copy');
  element.remove();
}


var txt = document.getElementById('txt');
var btn = document.getElementById('btn');
btn.addEventListener('click', function(){
  copyText(txt.value);
})

<input id="txt" />
<button id="btn">Copy To Clipboard</button>

Note: Trying to use this solution to copy an empty string or a string that is only whitespace will not work.

ALTERNATE, SIMPLIFIED SOLUTION

This alternate solution has been tested in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

const txt = document.querySelector('#txt')
const btn = document.querySelector('#btn')

const copy = (text) => {
  const textarea = document.createElement('textarea')
  document.body.appendChild(textarea)
  textarea.value = text
  textarea.select()
  document.execCommand('copy')
  textarea.remove()
}

btn.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
  copy(txt.value)
})

<input id="txt" />
<button id="btn">Copy</button>

Note: This solution will not copy an empty string, but it will copy whitespace.

Answer 3

It's not working because it requires a user interaction such as click. Otherwise, document.execCommand will not work. You also might wanna check clipboard.js, it's a super easy library to copy text to clipboard that doesn't require Flash.

Answer 4

Function for inserting text into the clipboard:

function copyStringToClipboard (string) {
    function handler (event){
        event.clipboardData.setData('text/plain', string);
        event.preventDefault();
        document.removeEventListener('copy', handler, true);
    }

    document.addEventListener('copy', handler, true);
    document.execCommand('copy');
}

Answer 5

If you don't care that the contents of the text field will be selected prior to copy, here is two-line solution that works at least in Chrome 56 and Edge, but I bet it works in other browsers as well.

function clickListener() {
  document.getElementById('password').select();
  document.execCommand('copy');
}

document.getElementById('copy_btn').addEventListener('click', clickListener);

<input id=password value="test">
<button id=copy_btn>Copy</button>

https://jsfiddle.net/uwd0rm08/

Answer 6

You can Use Clipboard.js TO add Copy to clipboard. This work without flash take a look on Code Which I use:

//for copy to clickboard
var els = document.querySelectorAll('pre');
for (var i=0; i < els.length; i++) {
//for CLIPBOARD
var atr = els[i].innerHTML;
    els[i].setAttribute("data-clipboard-text", atr);
 //For SELECT
 var ids = "elementID"+[i]
    els[i].setAttribute("id", ids);
    els[i].setAttribute("onclick","selectText(this.id)");
 
}
    var btns = document.querySelectorAll('pre');
    var clipboard = new ClipboardJS(btns);

    clipboard.on('success', function(e) {
        console.log(e);
  });

    clipboard.on('error', function(e) {
        console.log(e);
    });
 
 //for select
 function selectText(id){
    var sel, range;
    var el = document.getElementById(id); //get element id
    if (window.getSelection && document.createRange) { //Browser compatibility
      sel = window.getSelection();
      if(sel.toString() == ''){ //no text selection
         window.setTimeout(function(){
            range = document.createRange(); //range object
            range.selectNodeContents(el); //sets Range
            sel.removeAllRanges(); //remove all ranges from selection
            sel.addRange(range);//add Range to a Selection.
        },1);
      }
    }else if (document.selection) { //older ie
        sel = document.selection.createRange();
        if(sel.text == ''){ //no text selection
            range = document.body.createTextRange();//Creates TextRange object
            range.moveToElementText(el);//sets Range
            range.select(); //make selection.
        }
    }
}

<pre>I Have To Copy it<pre>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/clipboard@2/dist/clipboard.min.js"></script>

To Know More About Its Usage visit Source :html5 copy to clipboard