Small Steps Forward

I am a software fiend. I’m subscribed to several software feeds and I’m constantly checking out new programs. My applications folder has 230 apps in it. I have 3 programs to prevent my computer from sleeping (Caffeine, Doze, and Jiggler, by the way). I’m keeping all three of them. Caffeine runs in the menubar and is really easy to access. I keep Doze because I’ve heard programs in the menubar eat up memory, so I want an alternative to Caffeine “just in case.” Jiggler has the ability to prevent sleeping based on whether a specific application is running, something the other two don’t do. The three programs all perform the same task, but each one does it a little differently, so I keep all three. It’s a good thing I have a big hard drive. Don’t even ask how many graphics programs I own.

There are several multiple-clipboard programs out there. I only own one.

iClip, from the start, has been a wunderkind. I’ve tested other multi-clipboard software. I haven’t found anything which compares to iClip.

Let’s start with the basics. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to use the program. The user interface is gorgeously simple and engineered for people. It’s really straightforward and intuitive; you won’t drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out. And I like the way there are many ways to get things done: if you’re a mouse person, this program is for you and if you’re a hot-key person, this program is for you.

The iClip window is a Dock-like interface, which can be placed on the top, bottom, left or right of your screen. (Yes, the top.) It will automatically show and hide like the Dock when you move your mouse over to its location. You can also set up a hot-key combination to show and hide the window, or you can click the menubar icon (if you decide to display the icon). Or you can do all three. Or any combination. (Note that moving your mouse over won’t work if you’ve got iClip on the top of your screen.)

The iClip window holds as many bins as you like. (Actually, there may be a limit. I added 60 bins to see what the limit was; after that, I gave up. If you find a limit, let me know.) A plus/minus button at the end of the window lets you easily add and delete bins on the fly. A scroll bar lets you get to bins at the other end.

Not only are there multiple ways to access the window, there are multiple ways of getting information into and out of iClip. Whatever program I’m using, I can select text, graphics, whatever and click the little in button on an iClip bin to store my selection there. Or I can drag my selection to a bin. Or I can click on a bin (or double-click, or option-click, or shift-click … more on hot-click customizing later) and type directly into the bin. Or I can press a customized hot-key combo.

I can drag clippings from iClip to the desktop and vice versa. Someone gives me their url, I can type it directly into iClip, drag it onto my desktop, and I’ve got a web location file. Drag it onto my browser’s Dock icon, and it brings up the website. Drag a url from the desktop into iClip to edit it.

Each clipping in the bin shows some of its contents in the little bin window, but for easier identification, you can name each bin. For example, I got some ridiculously long Terminal command which changes my desktop background to the current screen saver. I typed the command into an iClip bin, named the bin so I could identify it easily. Changing my background is now a breeze.

You don’t have to rely on naming the bins. Depending on the option you choose (hovering over a bin, clicking a bin, or click and holding a bin), you can see a bin’s contents in a scrollable pop-up preview window.

In addition to the in button, each bin has an out button and an edit menu button. The edit menu is where you name clippings, delete and edit clippings, and make them into plain text. The out button lets you paste the bin contents into the front application. You don’t have to use the bin’s out button; you can set a hot key instead.

We’re not done yet. Not even close.

It has multiple clip sets. One set, called “Recorder” simply saves everything you copy to the clipboard. Remember multiple bins? If you have 6 bins in the Recorder, then it saves the last six things you copied to the clipboard. If you have 60 bins, it saves the last 60 things. God, I love this program. I mentioned I only own one multiple-clipboard program? Are you beginning to see why?

You can create more clip sets. You can use the menu or a hot-key combo to do this. Yes, this is a lovely program. When I go recipe hunting on the internet, I set up a clip set just for collecting recipes. And I add a lot of bins to that set. (Did I mention that just because you have 60 bins in one clip set, you don’t have to have 60 bins for every clip set? Twenty bins for the recipes, 6 bins for the Recorder, 12 bins and growing for cumbersome Terminal commands…)

It gets better. Say you’re browsing and you find something you want to save, but not in the recipe clip set. You can choose another clip set from the drop down menu. Or you can set a customized hot-key to move to the previous or the next clip set. I keep specifying customized hot-keys because a lot of programs out there let you choose from a list of acceptable hot-keys. iClip lets you create your own, using any combination of command, option, control and shift. And it also lets you create your own hot-click combos, using mouse clicks and any combination of command, option, control and shift. This is definitely Mac programming at its best.

Oh. It gets better. You can, of course, move the info from the bins, one bin at a time. Remember that recipe collection? I can move the recipes to a word processor one by one, or I can copy all the clippings in my recipe clip set at once and paste the whole lot of them into a word processor.

Did I mention you can also paste text into multiple bins? Each paragraph goes into a separate bin.

No. We’re not there yet. First of all, I can’t believe you’re still reading this and haven’t ordered your copy immediately. But okay. Maybe you’re just as anal detail-oriented as I am.

The bins can be large, medium or small squares or circles, your preference. And of course, you can set the window transparency.

And, the creme de la creme, you can set customized hot keys and hot clicks for different features of the iClip, not just the features I listed. Almost every single thing you want to do in iClip, you can set a hot-key or hot-click combo for. I’m not a hot key person, but if you are, this is your program.

You need this program. And it’s a great deal at any price. But today only, MacZot is offering iClip 4 at a discount. Every blog review of iClip submitted to them drops the price 10 cents until the program is free or time’s up. I didn’t get that deal. I paid full price for version 3. And I upgraded to version 4 when it came out. It was worth it. This is absolutely one of my favorite programs, the kind that makes me wonder how I geeked before it existed. I definitely don’t know how you’re living without it.