Is there a way to create a shortcut where I can edit the clipboard and then copy the new contents to the clipboarIs there a wayd

By Dawn 👩🏻‍🦯, 18 June, 2020

Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Hello everyone!

I have a question about creating a Shortcut. I am working to create a shortcut where I could edit the contents of the clipboard and then copy it again. I have a couple examples of how I would be using it if it helps. But I will be copying voiceovers speech to the clipboard. And then I’d like to edit it. And then I would use it to search for books on book share, andCreate a list of CDs. And I would be getting the album names from Spotify. And I will put them into a list. Here are a couple examples of how I would be using this. I have tried the two shortcuts for editing the clipboard, and adjusting the clipboard, and they don’t seem to be doing what I need them to do. And I’m having a hard time making one that will do what I want it to do. But here are some examples of how I will be using this

Example 1.

The Killer Clown Calamity (A Charlie Rhodes Mystery, #7), by Amanda M. Lee, 4.75 out of 5 stars, 535, Published in 2020 Actions available

I would like to edit this, so that when I paste this into book share, it says:

The Killer Clown Calamity Amanda M Lee

Example 2.

I would find an album, or a song, and I would copy the speech to the clipboard to either put the album in my list, or search for the song on iTunes. This is from Spotify. So that when I get it at the contents of the clipboard, this is what it would say.

What it says now:

Relentless. 2019 Button

But when I pasted into my list, I want it to say:

Relentless

What I would be doing, is:

Citizen soldier

1. Relentless
And so on.

Any and all help you guys could give me is greatly appreciated. I’m also going to be using Pages to create the album list if that helps. Thank you all so much in advance!

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Comments

By Laura Tosetto on Sunday, July 5, 2020 - 14:32

Hello there!
I played around with Shortcuts for a while and came up with something that might be what you're trying to accomplish. This shortcut gets the contents of the clipboard and shows you an alert with a text field already filled with what you copie, so that you can edit it as you wish. When you press OK, the action will automatically copy your edited text, so you just have to paste it where you want.
I'm going to share here the link to the shortcut I created, but if you don't trust it you can just review it and do it yourself. Hope this helps, and hope I am allowed to share shortcut links in here. Otherwise just let me know and I'll remove it and explain the various steps to create it in more detail.
Here's the link: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/28c4ba1fc11848798cc270d37dcf8174

By Dawn 👩🏻‍🦯 on Sunday, July 5, 2020 - 14:32

Thank you so much! You just make my life a lot easier! And saved me a lot of time! Now I can at least start the projects that I want to start! I don’t know why, but I have a hard time making shortcuts. I’m OK with getting ones from apps like Weather Gods installed and run. But when it comes to making them, I’m still really lost. It’s something I’d like to master though.
Maybe if I listen to the podcasts on here about Shortcuts again. LOL once again, you guys have made my life so much easier and saves the day! Thank you again!

By Laura Tosetto on Sunday, July 5, 2020 - 14:32

I'm really glad that helped you out!
I know that it seems a bit overwhelming at the start, but it is all about understanding how it works and what the different actions do, and figuring out how you can combine them to accomplish what you want. It is quite easy for me know, but it took some time, a bit of searching and mostly experimenting with it myself. The podcasts on here a certainly a great start. Plus, shortcuts itself has an extensive help right within the app, and also reading the description of the different actions most of the time helps clarifying what they do. In any case, if you need further help with creating specific shortcuts or just with understanding how it works, just ask and I'll try to help and explain as best as I can.
Again, I'm glad to have helped you. Being able to share your knowledge and helping others is always rewarding, and goes to show what AppleVis is all about, at least to me.

By cool cat on Sunday, July 5, 2020 - 14:32

Hi! If you don't want to chime in that's o.k. too. This may sound silly but I can't find anything about the help tutorials in the Shortcuts app. As this I don't think this will be a long or complicated shortcut, I was hoping you can give me some helpful hints on how to create a particular shortcut I want to do. Here is the Shortcut I would like to do. When using Safari, I would like to have the Incertion point be automatically be put in the google search box when I open Safari so I just have to start typing at that point, instead of going to new tab when I want to do a new google search. Well, I really don't know I hope that shortcut is not complicated. Also, if you show me the steps that can give me a starting point on how these shortcuts work.
Thanks in advance

By CuriousNetEntity on Sunday, July 5, 2020 - 14:32

I just wanted to share a tip. It is usually impossible to use someone else's shortcuts unless you go to Settings, Shortcuts, and turn off a security feature that prevents using third-party shortcuts. some of the best ones I found were not available from Apple, so this is very useful. I found one called edit clipboard that I use it exactly the way described. For searching on Google and other places, I found one called search on. It starts with the cursor already in and edit field ready to type. You type what you want to search for and then tap OK. After that you are presented with a customizable list of places to search on. I have sometimes succeeded in making my own or editing shortcuts, but at other times the process just doesn't seem to work at all. That confuses me. i've also figured out that the voiceover options for assigning a keyboard command to run a shortcut doesn't actually work.