onbeforecopy Event

Fires on the source object before the selection is copied to the system clipboard.

Syntax

Inline HTML <ELEMENT onbeforecopy = "handler" ... > All platforms
Event property object.onbeforecopy = handler JScript only
object.onbeforecopy = GetRef("handler") Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) 5.0 or later only
Named script <SCRIPT FOR = object EVENT = onbeforecopy> Internet Explorer only

Event Information

Bubbles Yes
Cancels Yes
To invoke
Right-click to display the shortcut menu and select Copy.
Or press CTRL+C.
Default action None.

Event Object Properties

Although event handlers in the DHTML Object Model do not receive parameters directly, a handler can query an event object for data.
Available Properties
altKey Sets or retrieves a value that indicates the state of the ALT key.
altLeft Sets or retrieves a value that indicates the state of the left ALT key.
cancelBubble Sets or retrieves whether the current event should bubble up the hierarchy of event handlers.
clientX Sets or retrieves the x-coordinate of the mouse pointer's position relative to the client area of the window, excluding window decorations and scroll bars.
clientY Sets or retrieves the y-coordinate of the mouse pointer's position relative to the client area of the window, excluding window decorations and scroll bars.
ctrlKey Sets or retrieves the state of the CTRL key.
ctrlLeft Sets or retrieves the state of the left CTRL key.
dataTransfer Provides access to predefined clipboard formats for use in drag-and-drop operations.
offsetX Sets or retrieves the x-coordinate of the mouse pointer's position relative to the object firing the event.
offsetY Sets or retrieves the y-coordinate of the mouse pointer's position relative to the object firing the event.
returnValue Sets or retrieves the return value from the event.
screenX Retrieves the x-coordinate of the mouse pointer's position relative to the user's screen.
screenY Sets or retrieves the y-coordinate of the mouse pointer's position relative to the user's screen.
shiftKey Sets or retrieves the state of the SHIFT key.
shiftLeft Retrieves the state of the left SHIFT key.
srcElement Sets or retrieves the object that fired the event.
type Sets or retrieves the event name from the event object.
x Sets or retrieves the x-coordinate, in pixels, of the mouse pointer's position relative to a relatively positioned parent element.
y Sets or retrieves the y-coordinate, in pixels, of the mouse pointer's position relative to a relatively positioned parent element.

Remarks

The onbeforecopy event fires on the source element. Use the setData method to specify a data format for the selection.

Example

This example uses the onbeforecopy event to customize copy behavior.

<HEAD>
<SCRIPT>
var sNewValue = "copy event fired";
var bFired = false;
var sSave = "";
function Source_Beforecopy()
{
sSave = oSource.innerText;
bFired = true;
event.returnValue = false;
}
function Source_Copy()
{
window.clipboardData.setData("Text", sNewValue);
}
function Target_BeforePaste()
{
event.returnValue = false;
}
function Target_Paste()
{
event.returnValue = false;
oTarget.value = window.clipboardData.getData("Text");
}
</SCRIPT>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<SPAN ID=oSource onbeforecopy="Source_Beforecopy()"
oncopy="Source_Copy()">copy this text</SPAN>
<INPUT ID=oTarget onbeforepaste="Target_BeforePaste()"
onpaste="Target_Paste()">
</BODY>

This feature requires Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5 or later. Click the following icon to install the latest version. Then reload this page to view the sample.

Standards Information

There is no public standard that applies to this event.

Applies To

A, ADDRESS, AREA, B, BDO, BIG, BLOCKQUOTE, CAPTION, CENTER, CITE, CODE, CUSTOM, DD, DFN, DIR, DIV, DL, DT, EM, FIELDSET, FORM, hn, I, IMG, LABEL, LEGEND, LI, LISTING, MENU, NOBR, OL, P, PLAINTEXT, PRE, S, SAMP, SMALL, SPAN, STRIKE, STRONG, SUB, SUP, TD, TEXTAREA, TH, TR, TT, U, UL