How to copy/paste using Firefox

[Emjay]

Meet Firefox Fanatics!

Your CafeMom pit stop for all your Firefox needs!

You won't use Firefox very long before you discover your browser prevents rich-text editors from using the copy & paste feature. Mozilla provides it as a service to protect you from malicious scripts. You must enable the ability for your browser to use those functions and only for sites you trust.

Here we will discuss ways to assist you in being able to use copy, cut, and paste on CafeMom with your Firefox browser.

Most users commonly use "ctrl + c" to copy and "ctrl + v" to paste. This method will gain you reliability however; we'll look at a couple other options.

Drag & Drop:
Simple and just what it says, after highlighting the text you want copied, simply click the text and drag it to where you want to paste it to and drop!

Customize your toolbar:
From the Firefox menu, select the "View" --> "Toolbars" -->Customize". "

Then your customization tool will pop up. Here you will simply drag and drop the cut, copy, and paste icons to your toolbar.

 

One click pasting with mouse wheel:
Type into the address bar of your Firefox browser about:config and hit enter, scroll down to middlemouse.paste, go to value and double click, it should now say "true".  That's it! You can now one click paste with your middle mouse wheel!  

For those of you who do not have a middle wheel, have no fear, simply use ctrl + click or try clicking the left & right mouse buttons simultaneously!

Context Menu:
Tools --> Options --> Content tab --> Enable Javascript (presumed checked) -->Advanced (same line) --> Uncheck "Disable or replace context menus".

Add Extensions:
AllowClipboard helper

Currently Allowclipboard helper has not been upgraded to be compatible with FF3.

However, you can "force" it to become compatible and enjoy the copy and pasting ability on CafeMom.

To do so, you will need to add the extension called Nightly Tester Tools 2.0.2

Once downloaded you can then go to AllowClipboard helper and download. It will tell you it's incompatible but have no fear, now that you have the Nightly Tester Tools, you're going to simply push the force compatibility button on your download pop up.

Restart your browser and you should be set!

***UPDATE***
It's still experimental and has been sent to the developer for more testing but you can try to use the AllowClipboard Helper for FF3 now. Download available here!

Lastly... Change your js files:

Setting Prefs for the Mozilla Rich Text Editing Demo

1. Quit Firefox. If you have Quick Launch running (in Windows, an icon in the toolbar), quit that too.
2. Find your Firefox profile directory. On Windows, this is often located in

   C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\.
   (See also editing configuration files for more info on locating your profile folder.)

3. Open the user.js file from that directory in a text editor. If there's no user.js file, create one.

4. Add these lines to user.js:

   user_pref("capability.policy.policynames", "allowclipboard");
   user_pref("capability.policy.allowclipboard.sites", "http://www.mozilla.org");
   user_pref("capability.policy.allowclipboard.Clipboard.cutcopy", "allAccess");
   user_pref("capability.policy.allowclipboard.Clipboard.paste", "allAccess");

   *Change the url "http://www.mozilla.org" to where you want to enable this function.

5. Save the file, and restart Firefox. The Clipboard buttons should now function.

Note: The preference is site as well as protocol specific. For example

user_pref("capability.policy.allowclipboard.sites", "http://www.mozilla.org")

is not the same as

user_pref("capability.policy.allowclipboard.sites", "https://www.mozilla.org")

(the first is http and the second is https)

If you want to allow multiple urls to access the Paste operation, separate the urls with a space. For example:

user_pref("capability.policy.allowclipboard.sites",
 "http://www.mozilla.org https://www.mozilla.org")

For more information about security policies, see http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/components/ConfigPolicy.html.

For More tips for using your Firefox browser, join us at Firefox Fanatics!

[Liansmommie]

Jan. 9, 2009 at 4:27 PM

Thanks Emjay. I keep meaning to ask about this but you know how easily I get sidetracked.

[RanaAurora]

Jan. 9, 2009 at 10:25 PM

You know what's easier?  Ctrl+c for copy, and ctrl+v for paste.  Works in Firefox, when right-clicking to do the same thing does not.

My scroll wheel is on the auto function of "Open link in new tab" and I love it.

[InHisGrace]

Jan. 9, 2009 at 10:32 PM

THANK YOU!!!

I always get on IE to be able to copy/paste. 

[trepsica]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 12:56 AM

AWESOME. i have to use safari to copy and paste, and then firefox to upload my pictures on my desktop ( i have no idea why, it works on my laptop!) this will make my life easier! THANKS!

[mamma84]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 2:22 AM

That is amazing!!  thanks so much

[rebl_roze]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 8:17 AM

OMG thank you so much for this post!!!! I love Firefox but the copy and paste thing was driving me insane LOL. You are the greatest!!!

[starbucks81]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 10:43 AM

Thanks so much Emjay...you rock! I had to keep going back to my IE just to copy and paste with links in my group.

[aluvk4evr]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 11:00 AM

hey thanks

[godzgirl21]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 11:45 AM

Thank you for posting this, I just got Firefox and had problems with the copying and pasting, so when I wanted to copy and paste I would go back to Internet Explorer to do it which is a pain. I'll do what you said later and see if that works.

[drinkactmentor]

Jan. 10, 2009 at 11:50 AM

I never knew this!  I quit using firefox as much because I couldn't copy and paste.  Now I have the tools there.  Thank you!