# Make the clipboard persistent **URL:** \ **Category:** Ideas\ **Tags:** bug-filed\ **Created:** [October 21, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906 "2022-10-21T14:19:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ursus-kirk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/ursus-kirk/32/2222_2.png) [@ursus-kirk](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/ursus-kirk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/1 "2022-10-21T14:19:52Z")
Using the Gramps Clipboard extensively has one drawback. After closing and restarting the app the clipboard is empty again. An option to remember the items would be helpfull. ---
**Author:** ![bgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@bgee](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/bgee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/2 "2022-10-21T14:44:13Z")
I second this idea. There are about a half-dozen clipboard items that I use almost every session. It would be handy to have a way to reload them in a batch. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/3 "2022-10-21T14:58:54Z")
The [**Collections Clipboard**](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Addon:Collections_Clipboard_Gramplet) add-on gramplet has this ability. Clipboard contents survive a restart of Gramps but not a Tree switch. ---
**Author:** ![DaveSch](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/davesch/32/40_2.png) [@DaveSch](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/DaveSch)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/4 "2022-10-21T16:08:43Z")
And all views in both side- and bottom bars can have their own collections clipboards each holding different items. ---
**Author:** ![bgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@bgee](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/bgee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 3:06pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/5 "2022-10-23T15:06:21Z")
I did not know about this add-on. I gave it a try and it works nicely. Thanks for the tip! I see that the contents of the Collections Clipboard are different depending on which view you are in. For example, the Persons view does not necessarily have the same contents as the Relationships view. That might be useful - or not. I need to spend more time getting used to it. ---
**Author:** ![cdhorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@cdhorn](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/cdhorn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/6 "2022-10-23T15:11:22Z")
> [@emyoulation](#): > > Clipboard contents survive a restart of Gramps but not a Tree switch. It would be useful if we had get\_user\_metadata and set\_user\_metadata methods that could be used by addons like this and the restore hist addon to save and fetch their state in the actual database. Then nothing would be lost when switching trees. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/7 "2022-10-23T15:29:35Z")
> [@bgee](#): > > I see that the contents of the Collections Clipboard are different > depending on which view you are in. Not only for each view. It has a different collection saved for each Gramplet bar: Sidebar or Bottombar. There is no “Category” filtering associated with a view. So they are just different [information silos](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_silo). This gives the potential for more than 24 collections. So being ‘structured’ in your approach is helpful. The Dashboard is the only place that allows Multiple copies in the same view with the ability to rename them in the GUI. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/e/eb7732aebfdc3bdb5bcb678a50cfdf2d00704e77.png) That means you can tell the detached/undocked Collections Clipboards apart in the Windows menu. Undocked Collections Clipboard Gramplets from the other views all have identical duplicate listings in the Windows menu. The Dashboard also remembers which of its Gramplets were undocked and restores them that way … although it doesn’t remember screen positions. The category view collections clipboards have one reason to be used over the Dashboard. You only have 1 dashboard layout and it is not saveable or reloadable. So if you use different dashboard layouts (like a set of Database Health Gramplets and a different set of Data Entry Monitoring Gramplets) then you have to reconstruct the layout each time you switch workflow modalities. ---
**Author:** ![DaveSch](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/davesch/32/40_2.png) [@DaveSch](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/DaveSch)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/8 "2022-10-23T15:47:29Z")
One trick I use the Collection Clipboards for is for an additional long-term bookmark. Add the CC to the People sidebar. You can drag-n-drop various people records to the CC. If you right-click on a record on the CC you can make it the active record. Caution. If you migrate between different database trees, an object in one tree but not in another will disappear from CC’s. if you navigate to that view. ---
**Author:** ![bgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@bgee](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/bgee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/9 "2022-11-01T17:36:24Z")
I have been using the Collections Clipboard for a while. Very useful! Except I think I have found a bug. If I put more than one citation on the Collections Clipboard, then only the first one survives a restart of Gramps. All of the place references come through with no problem. It is only citations that it loses. So far those are the only two kinds of references I have tried. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/12 "2024-01-08T13:54:04Z")
> [@bgee](#): > > Except I think I have found a bug. > > If I put more than one citation on the Collections Clipboard, then only > the first one survives a restart of Gramps. Have you confirmed this behavior and filed a Bug Report? ---
**Author:** ![bgee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@bgee](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/bgee)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 3:49pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/13 "2024-01-08T15:49:14Z")
I have not been using the Collections Clipboard addin for quite a while. As I recall from some months ago - Yes, it is repeatable. I used the addin for several weeks, and every time I started it one of the saved citations was gone. No, I never filed a bug report on it. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 4:22pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/make-the-clipboard-persistent/2906/14 "2024-01-08T16:22:06Z")
> [@bgee](#): > > No, I never filed a bug report on it. This behavior has appended to similar report as a note: - [0012553](https://gramps-project.org/bugs/view.php?id=12553#c66140): [Collections Clipboard gramplet] Version: 1.0.41 bad functionality (multiple issues: list changes between sessions)