Clipboard/variable Trap I Fell Into

[msiivola]

Lance Neustaeter revised "Define Word" macro http://www.macros.com/usermacs/umdefineword.htm trims the variable with "Variable Modify String - Trim" which does not help because the later command "Clipboard Paste" uses the untrimmed variable residing in clipboard, not in ME's own variable (I suppose...??). Replacing Clipboard Paste with "Text Type %variable%" pastes the right, trimmed variable.

[Morgan]

First of all, I probably know less about this than anybody, but here's what I discovered.

 

I highlighted some text in notepad and purposefully included some leading and following blank spaces in the highlighted area.

 

The Modify String Variable command has an "Option 2" tab, which allows you to Save to Clipboard or Save to Text File, plus some other options. In this macro, the Option 2 tab shows the Save to Clipboard button selected, leading me to think that the modification would update the information in the clipboard, removing the leading and trailing spaces, leaving only the text that was selected. If this is so, the macro should work as planned.

 

Unfortunately, for me, the Modify String Variable - Trim command either did not "happen" or it was not saved to the clipboard as ordered, because it was sent to the dictionary website with the leading and following blank spaces still there.

 

Fortunately, the MW website did not seem to mind. It ignored these blank spaces and gave a good definition anyway.

 

I'm pretty sure there is something going on here that I don't understand. There usually is.

 

Morgan

[msiivola]

I have modified the original Neustaeter's macro so that now it is possible to grab the word either with mouse or with keyboard. The line, which led me astray by using the untrimmed text from clipboard instead of the trimmed text from variable, is an inactivated line 30 in attached macro, and the "right" way is at line 32. The macro contains explanations (remarks).

Webster_Online_either_via_mouse_or_keyboard.mxe