Tech Review

Previously, I talked about Directory Opus, the most useful Windows utility I own. Today, I'll be talking about the second most useful utility I own, Clipmate by Thornsoft Development. Clipmate enhances one of the greatest computer ideas of all time, the clipboard. The clipboard allows one to save data (clips) temporarily for use in another program and since you've all used it (cut, paste, copy), I won't describe it further.

This great idea comes with one tremendous flaw, however: Windows clipboard, the free Microsoft utility that comes with every version of Windows, can only save one piece of information at a time. Indeed, next to accidentally emptying the recycle bin or forgetting to save, the most frequent "woops" moment in computing must be copying or cutting something over your previous copied or cut data.

Clipmate completely fixes this problem by saving each item you cut or paste in a file that you can use at a later time. For instance, let's say you're grabbing a series of URL addresses from a web page. Normally, to avoid losing your data, you'd have to copy an address and then paste each one in a Word document or some other permanent file. With Clipmate, you can continue copying these addresses without worrying about losing any of them; they're saved for you in order.

Of course over the eight or so years I've used it, Thornsoft has improved Clipmate. The main reasons I love Clipmate:

1. First and foremost, the ability to permanently store copied and cut items. If it only did this, I would buy it. The ability to store clips is automatic and doesn't require any input from the user.

2. The ability to view clips in a window so that you can choose the one you need.

3. You can view when each clip was created amongst other potentially useful information.

4. You can assign each clip a category (business clips, fun clips, pictures, permanent clips, etc.) Clips can be moved between categories.

5. You can assign frequently used clips a hot key ("Sanjaya was ripped off" is the one I summon most often)!

6. The ability to archive data. You can save a Clipmate database and open it three years later.

7. Powerpaste allows you to paste a series of data rapidly by going to the next clip automatically. i.e., you don't have to select each one.

8. Clipmate has a groovy new tool that docks on your taskbar. With the taskbar tool, you can see and choose your clips without opening the Clipmate window.

9. One of the features I use most is Clipmate's search. When your database grows, you'll love the fact that you don't have to scroll through a thousand clips to find the one you need.

10. Clipmate is stable with all Windows versions.

11. You can edit and print clips directly from the program.

Disadvantages:
None

Anyways, get this program (I just copied this post from word and added it to B2Evolution).
Below are some screen shots (copied earlier and pasted here).

This is the main screen. You can see that clips can be categorized on the left (and clips can be dragged dropped between categories)

The new clipbar.

Captured picture.

Text editing features.