a new API to read and write a clipboard content

[hajimehoshi]

Operating System

• [ ] Windows
• [ ] macOS
• [ ] Linux
• [ ] FreeBSD
• [ ] OpenBSD
• [ ] Android
• [ ] iOS
• [ ] Nintendo Switch
• [ ] Xbox
• [ ] Web Browsers

What feature would you like to be added?

I want a new API to read and write a clipboard content. I have not determined the API yet, but the API should match with Ebitengine's semantics. For example, we might have to restrict reading and writing the content only in Update (https://github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/issues/2658).

Why is this needed?

This is useful especially for GUI applications.

There are some existing libraries like https://github.com/golang-design/clipboard, but I'm worried that this uses its own threads and might cause impedance mismatch with Ebitengine's threads. The new API would have to use Ebitengine's internal UI (main) thread.

[hajimehoshi]

Probably I'll add github.com/hajimehoshi/ebitengine/v2/exp/clipboard as an expeirmental package:

package clipboard

func Set([]byte)
func Get() []byte

What about other mime type like images?

EDIT: https://w3c.github.io/clipboard-apis/#mandatory-data-types-x

[erexo]

I'm currently using the library mentioned in the issue (namely golang.design/x/clipboard) mainly because of it's Watch() feature. In my game I need to be notified and do action whenever the text stored in the clipboard changes, if we implement the clipboard functionalities to the Ebitengine, can we also move this feature?

[hajimehoshi]

In my game I need to be notified and do action whenever the text stored in the clipboard changes,

Interesting. I'll take a look at the implementation later.

[hajimehoshi]

Unfortunately it would not be possible to implement the 'watch' feature in a portable way if we want to include browsers https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Clipboard

[erexo]

then what about throwing error on browsers?

[hajimehoshi]

I don't think this is a good solution. What about looking at the content of the clipboard every tick?