A special
file or
memory area (
buffer) where
data is
stored temporarily before being
copied to another location. Many
word processors, for example, use a clipboard for
cutting and pasting. When you cut a
block of
text, the word processor copies the block to the clipboard; when you
paste the block, the word processor copies it from the clipboard to its final
destination. In
Microsoft Windows and the
Apple Macintosh operating system, the
Clipboard (with a capital C) can be used to copy data from one
application to another.
The Macintosh uses two types of clipboards. The one it calls the Clipboard can hold only one item at a time and is flushed when you turn the computer off. The other, called the Scrapbook, can hold several items at once and retains its contents from one working session to another.
