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Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 10:18
by Mollan
Hi,
I have this big copy/paste issue between a software running in Windows XP VM (Molecular Devices Clampfit) and Excel for Mac.
When I try to copy some data (usually numbers) from this program, everything goes well. Then, I paste the clipboard content Excel for Mac but all the numbers copied are there pasted in a strange format, with some sort of unknown and invisible character before them. For this reason, it is impossible for me to include those data in formulas and other macros. The only way I found to go around the problem is to manually delete that invisible character from each cell, but it's really painful if you are pasting hundreds of cells.
The same problem occurs also with every other software in Windows if I paste the clipboard content on Excel or Numbers.
Thanks in advance for the support.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 12:31
by loukingjr
Mollan wrote:Hi,
I have this big copy/paste issue between a software running in Windows XP VM (Molecular Devices Clampfit) and Excel for Mac.
When I try to copy some data (usually numbers) from this program, everything goes well. Then, I paste the clipboard content Excel for Mac but all the numbers copied are there pasted in a strange format, with some sort of unknown and invisible character before them. For this reason, it is impossible for me to include those data in formulas and other macros. The only way I found to go around the problem is to manually delete that invisible character from each cell, but it's really painful if you are pasting hundreds of cells.
The same problem occurs also with every other software in Windows if I paste the clipboard content on Excel or Numbers.
Thanks in advance for the support.
I don't believe you can do what you are trying to do. The shared clipboard feature is to pass plain text between host and guest. You are copying text/data that is coded so Excel knows which numbers go in which cells etc. Your best bet is to export the info into a file each can read.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 13:29
by Mollan
loukingjr wrote:
I don't believe you can do what you are trying to do. The shared clipboard feature is to pass plain text between host and guest. You are copying text/data that is coded so Excel knows which numbers go in which cells etc. Your best bet is to export the info into a file each can read.
Hi, thanks for the answer
I believe that what I'm trying to copy is plain text and it is not coded. The shared clipboard works perfectly coping and pasting all the numbers (also maintaining the separation between cells) but usually the first line pasted always has that invisible character before the copied text.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 13:38
by loukingjr
Mollan wrote:loukingjr wrote:
I don't believe you can do what you are trying to do. The shared clipboard feature is to pass plain text between host and guest. You are copying text/data that is coded so Excel knows which numbers go in which cells etc. Your best bet is to export the info into a file each can read.
Hi, thanks for the answer
I believe that what I'm trying to copy is plain text and it is not coded. The shared clipboard works perfectly coping and pasting all the numbers (also maintaining the separation between cells) but usually the first line pasted always has that invisible character before the copied text.
I think the invisible character is inserted by the programs. Nothing to do with VirtualBox. I don't use Excel or Numbers but I do copy and paste plain text without issues.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 14:56
by Mollan
loukingjr wrote:Mollan wrote:loukingjr wrote:
I don't believe you can do what you are trying to do. The shared clipboard feature is to pass plain text between host and guest. You are copying text/data that is coded so Excel knows which numbers go in which cells etc. Your best bet is to export the info into a file each can read.
Hi, thanks for the answer
I believe that what I'm trying to copy is plain text and it is not coded. The shared clipboard works perfectly coping and pasting all the numbers (also maintaining the separation between cells) but usually the first line pasted always has that invisible character before the copied text.
I think the invisible character is inserted by the programs. Nothing to do with VirtualBox. I don't use Excel or Numbers but I do copy and paste plain text without issues.
Thanks again for the answer. I'll check if other programs give me the same issue. I know for sure that TextEdit does it.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 15:07
by mpack
I don't know about Excel for Mac, but I can tell you that Excel for Windows does not do normal clipboard operations. The first thing you'd notice is that Excel has to be still running or the paste does nothing - so the data is not stored on the clipboard at all - not like simple text from a TextEdit app. I don't know the details, but it seems to render it at the last minute in whatever form the target app wants. When VirtualBox is the target app, then who knows?
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 15:13
by loukingjr
Mollan wrote:
Hi, thanks for the answer
I believe that what I'm trying to copy is plain text and it is not coded. The shared clipboard works perfectly coping and pasting all the numbers (also maintaining the separation between cells) but usually the first line pasted always has that invisible character before the copied text.
Thanks again for the answer. I'll check if other programs give me the same issue. I know for sure that TextEdit does it.
well, I just copied the quoted text from Firefox on my Mac and pasted it here in Firefox on Windows 7 with no issues.
edit: I copied this text and pasted into TextEdit with no invisible characters either.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 5. Sep 2014, 20:09
by stevemaser
This is not new behavior (unfortunately).
It's been around for a long, long time:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=44419&hilit=excel
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 7. Sep 2014, 21:14
by Mollan
Thanks for all the replies
I tried also with another Mac but the issue is still present.
@loukingjr: I have problems with the opposite situation. Copying something on a Windows XP virtual machine and paste it into native OSX.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 7. Sep 2014, 21:38
by loukingjr
Mollan wrote:Thanks for all the replies
@loukingjr: I have problems with the opposite situation. Copying something on a Windows XP virtual machine and paste it into native OSX.
as I mentioned…
edit: I copied this text and pasted into TextEdit with no invisible characters either.
as in I copied the text from Windows 7 and pasted it into TextEdit.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 8. Mar 2015, 10:54
by kurbads
In case of Win Guest Excel to Mac Host Chrome Google Spreadsheets.
Paste & copy it into Notepad before switching to host.
I wish Virtualbox could be configured to do this internally.
Because whatever it is what happens when you copy Excel data into Notepad could be done to data in Clipboard while moving focus from Guest to Host!
If Virtualbox copies only plain text between Host and Guest, why does it not convert Excel Data into plain text?
Excel run via Wine does not have this issue, it just ads a strange HTML gibberish at beginning.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 8. Mar 2015, 11:59
by mpack
VirtualBox is not comparable to Wine in any way. Wine implements a Windows compatible software API. VirtualBox does not.
Re: Copy/Paste Issue with Excel
Posted: 10. Apr 2015, 09:58
by kurbads
mpack wrote:VirtualBox is not comparable to Wine in any way. Wine implements a Windows compatible software API. VirtualBox does not.
Hi, yes but it does not mean Virtual box can't do this
'open notepad --> paste --> select all --> copy --> exit notepad'
script when focus with Excel clipboard moves out of guest.
Or when it is pasted in host, trigger the same action is triggered when you paste it in notepad on guest or even pass the actual command the destination app sends to Excel when it is pasted to.
I mean wherever you choose to paste Excel data, it is destination app which sends to Excel what it is and Excel then converts the clipboard to destination application format e.g. word or notepad. In case of Virtualbox, I understand Excel does not receive any idea about where it's data is pasted to and therefore paste operation is not possible as pointed out earlier because the date is not actually in clipboard, it is put in there during paste operation by Excel.
By the way, oddly enough when you copy and paste data from guest Excel to host Excel or Wine Excel, it pastes as a Picture object.
***WORKAROUND***
Create an Autoit script and assign it a shortcut e.g. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C
Code: Select all
Send("^c")
Run("notepad")
WinWaitActive("Untitled","",2)
Send("^v^a^x!{F4}")
Use the new shortcut whenever you want to copy anything from Guest Excel and paste it to Host because Virtualbox is unable to perform this trick for you.