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Why can't a datauri img be copied to the clipboard?

I have struck a strange issue. I have some images on the page which are rendered from Data URI's, and I would like to enable my users to copy them to the clipboard.

However, for some reason, neither Firefox nor Chrome seems to allow me to do that.

As an example take this page:

<!doctype html>
<html>
   <head>
   <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
   <meta charset="utf-8" />
   <title>Clipboard Test</title>
</head>
    <body>

    <img id="target" src="data:image/png;base64,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"/>

    </body>
</html>

available here if you want to try it.

Right clicking on the image and choosing 'Copy Image' does not seem to work for Chrome, Firefox or IE11. However right click and 'Save Image As...' does work.

Since it seems consistent across all browsers, I am assuming there must be a deliberate decision not to allow such images to be copied. Is it related to CORS - since the data URI has a different origin?

Is there anything I can do to allow these images to be copied?

The background to this is that I am trying to make it possible for users of my web application to copy SVG images onto the clipboard. I am able to convert the SVG images into PNG data URIs, which I can even save on the user's computer, but I cannot seem to get them onto the clipboard. If there are other / better ways to do this then please feel free to point them out instead!

UPDATE It seems this might be related to the receiving application rather than the browser. After seeing the comments from @Mi-Creativity I re-tested using additional applications. Pasting such images into MS Paint does seem to work, while pasting them into MS Office applications does not. Unfortunately for me that is the main use case of my users.

like image 516
harmic Avatar asked Nov 02 '15 01:11

harmic


1 Answers

I installed the inside clipboard tool and used that to compare data on the clipboard when using a data URI vs. a normal HTTP URI for the image. Using Chrome, in both cases there are four formats placed on the clipboard:

  • CF_BITMAP
  • CF_DIB
  • CF_DIBV5
  • HTML

The first three are identical in content. The HTML version is different - they contain snippets of the HTML document, one with a data URI and the other with a HTTP URI.

Armed with this additional information I did some more googling and found this similar previously reported problem.

It seems the likely cause is that MS Office applications are attempting to paste in the HTML version, which fails because Office does not understand data URIs, and ignoring the more useful bitmap versions available on the clipboard.

Users can work around this by using the 'paste-special' option, although it is a lot fiddlier than I would like.

like image 130
harmic Avatar answered Oct 08 '22 01:10

harmic