Cannot copy - paste into thumbnail view

[ebergerxn]

I cannot copy from the clipboard and then past the image into XNView. I need to first copy the image to Explorer and then drag it to the Main Pane of XNViewMP where you see the thumbnails.

My setup has the folder tree on the left and the thumbnail views on the right. I've been having this problem since at least v1.93 and am experiencing it on two different Win11 machines. I just updated to 1.11.6 and still have this issue.

[jkm]

Pasting images into the XnViewMP browser works fine for me (Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V). I can copy from Windows Explorer and paste into the XnViewMP Browser, or I can copy from one Folder in XnViewMP to another.

You might want to check exactly what you're putting in the clipboard. To paste into the XnViewMP browser, it must be an actual file, not merely image data (pixels).

[ebergerxn]

I see what you mean, if I copy a jpg I can paste it into the thumbnail view. And if I have received an email in Thunderbird with attached jpgs I can also drag them to the thumbnail view. Furthermore, if the email has an embedded image and I right click it and select copy, to put it in the clipboard, I can then right click in my file manager (Directory Opus) and paste it into a folder as a jpg.

However, I now realize that Explorer does not support that operation (pasting an image from Clipboard) which is also what happens in XnViewMP. Is there a reason why XnViewMP should not support the type of image handling capability that Directory Opus handles to nicely?

So I guess this should be moved from a bug to a request?

[jkm]

This is not a bug.

The answer to your question is not clear, because imprecise terminology is muddying the issue.

However, I now realize that Explorer does not support that operation (pasting an image from Clipboard)

Pasting "an image"? That does that mean?

Explorer DOES allow pasting an image from the clipboard, when there is an image file on the clipboard. But if you just have some bitmap data, a bunch of pixels, on the clipboard, that is "image data", not "an image file". It is not a file, and cannot be pasted as such. Explorer moves/deletes/renames/copies/pastes/etc files, not arbitrary bits of data.

I don't know what Directory Opus does and doesn't do. I haven't touched it in about 20 years. It sounds like you're saying that if you have some arbitrary pixel data in the clipboard, and do a paste in Directory Opus, it says "Oh, I should invent and create a new file to hold this, and write it to the file system". Does it automatically select a file format (jpeg, bmp, png, tiff) as well and re-encode the image data if necessary? Does it invent a file name for you, or does it make you type one in? If you just have some text that you copied out of MS-Word on the clipboard and paste it in Directory Opus, does it create a new file to receive the text?

Most apps don't don't do that. You might look at an article on how the Windows clipboard actually works to better understand why.

If I'm misunderstanding you, "pasting an image from Clipboard" is too vague. You can describe exactly what you're doing (the steps) from beginning to end, or record a video of you doing it, where it "doesn't work" in XnViewMP. But that probably won't get you what you want...

Cheers...

[ebergerxn]

I'm suspecting I can't get the feature I would like in XN, but let me try to describe it more clearly.

If I have an embedded image in a TBird email, an easy way to copy it is to either right click on it and select copy image, or to use SnagIt and to copy the portion of my screen that contains the image. Using the first method I can then paste it to a folder in Directory Opus and it creates a file labeled Clipboard Image.jpg. That opens as a jpg or can be dragged to XN as a jpg. Likewise if I tell SnagIt to copy the captured image to the clipboard it works the same way. I can paste it in Opus and it shows up as Clipboard Image.jpg. So both of these methods allow copying from the clipboard to Opus but neither of them allows copying from the clipboard to Explorer or XNView.

I guess Opus has some "smarts" that allows this.

By the way, you really should try Opus - it is a fabulous program and light years ahead of Explorer.

Thank you.

[jkm]

Ok, yes I understand exactly what you mean.

When you perform that particular action in Thunderbird (you might also have the option to save the image as a file), or when you use SnagIt, those applications do the same thing: they are placing a bitmap on the clipboard, nothing more. So it's not a file, and cannot be pasted as such.

But as I guessed before, Directory Opus is automagically taking whatever you have on the clipboard, inventing the necessary details (like a filename) and converts it to a file and saves it for you. Like I said, most apps don't do this, and don't hold your breath waiting for it to be added to XnViewMP.

However, an FYI regarding something that you said before:

if I have received an email in Thunderbird with attached jpgs I can also drag them to the thumbnail view.

Although it might not seem obvious from an end user perspective, the clipboard and drag-and-drop are totally different mechanisms for data interchange; for drag and drop, both the source and target application must be open and participate (whereas the clipboard is simpler, passive, and works even if the original application is closed). Thunderbird's drag and drop support is somewhat more robust than how it handles the clipboard.

You noticed that you can drag and drop an attached image file from Thunderbird to XnViewMP: that is standard and to be expected...

But actually, you should be able to drag and drop any image from Thunderbird, whether it is attached or not (like an inline embedded image from a remote URL). I tested this and when you drag a non-attached image from a Thunderbird email to XnViewMP, Thunderbird automatically packages the image as a file to facilitate the drag and drop, in the same way it would if you right clicked on the inline image (not the attachment icon) and selected "save image as". I tested this and it works fine. The an image file just appears in XnViewMP wherever you drop it.

So that would probably be the simplest way to get images from Thunderbird to XnViewMP. No clipboard or Directory Opus necessary...

But that sort of functionality is dependent on the sending application, known as the "source", Thunderbird in this case. If you tried that same trick with an image from some other email client or application, still dropping it in XnViewMP, it might not work.

So the next time you want to get any image out of Thunderbird, instead of using the clipboard or SnagIt, try to just drag and drop it.

Hopefully this helps...

[ebergerxn]

Thank you for the explanation and the tip. I think I am reasonably computer savvy, yet I learn stuff all the time. It never occurred to me that I could drag embedded images and you are correct, it works just fine.

[ebergerxn]

You have been so helpful, so perhaps you can explain one other related issue. If I download a zip file of photos and then open it to reveal a group of jpeg files, and want to drag it into the thumbnail viewer in XnView it will not let me do it. I first have to drag the files to another folder in Explorer (or Opus) and then drag them to XnView. Why can't I drag them directly to XnView?

Not a big deal, but curious.

[jkm]

Again, with drag-and-drop, the two applications (source and target) have to cooperate. The source application is that one that's opening the ZIP. Some applications are better at this and have more robust drag-and-drop support than others. With Windows Explorer, something about that cooperation isn't working.

If I have a jpeg inside a ZIP, and use Explorer to drag and drop it from the zip into an open MS-Word document (another MS application, obviously) then it works and the image appears. But it doesn't work with XnViewMP. (I don't know about Directory Opus, but the same conditions apply.)

However, using a more intelligent ZIP manager (I use WinRAR) drag and drop from a zip file into XnViewMP works just fine. So obviously XnViewMP supports this type of drag and drop, but why isn't it working with Explorer?

One might think that "if it doesn't work with Explorer, it must be an XnViewMP problem" but I can give you other examples...

Drag and drop a jpeg from a zip into Adobe Photoshop:
From Explorer: fails, nothing happens
From WinRAR: Photoshop opens the jpeg as expected

Drag and drop a jpeg from a zip into Irfanview:
From Explorer: fails, the drop is rejected with a do-not-enter cursor.
From WinRAR: Irfanview opens the jpeg as expected

Drag and drop a jpeg from a zip into an email composition window in Thunderbird:
From Explorer: fails, nothing happens.
From WinRAR: Thunderbird adds the jpeg as an attachment; works perfectly

Drag and drop a jpeg from a zip into Media Player Classic:
From Explorer: fails, nothing happens
From WinRAR: MPC opens the jpeg as expected

Drag and drop a jpeg from a zip into Google Chrome:
From Explorer: fails, nothing happens.
From WinRAR: fails; Chrome sees the file name, but gives a ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND

So clearly drag-and-drop support for this sort of operation is not universal. Other than with other Microsoft applications, Windows Explorer does not seem to be particularly good at it; not nearly as good as WinRAR. And even support with WinRAR is not perfect.

If you really want to do this sort of thing, you might find it advantageous to get a better archive manager, like WinRAR.

Hopefully this helps...

[ebergerxn]

Thank you again. Well, fortunately it is a relatively easy work around dragging to a folder in Opus or Explorer and then immediately dragging to XN.

By the way, I'm on TB 155 and on my PC I can drag from a zip (opened using either Explorer or Opus) and it enters into TB just fine.

I appreciate all the help.