Get text from clipboard using GetText - avoid error on empty clipboard

Question

I'm using code like this to get text from off the Clipboard.

Dim DataObj As New MSForms.DataObject
DataObj.GetFromClipboard
myString = DataObj.GetText

I use error handling to get the past the case where the Clipboard is empty, and everything is fine as long as I keep Error Trapping set to Break on Unhandled Errors.

However, for unrelated reasons I want to set Error Trapping to Break on All Errors, and this throws an error at DataObj.GetText when it finds the empty Clipboard. Is there any kind of test I can apply further upstream to avoid trying to process an empty Clipboard?

Answer 1

Does this help?

Sub GetClipBoardText()
   Dim DataObj As MSForms.DataObject
   Set DataObj = New MsForms.DataObject '<~~ Amended as per jp's suggestion

   On Error GoTo Whoa

   '~~> Get data from the clipboard.
   DataObj.GetFromClipboard

   '~~> Get clipboard contents
   myString = DataObj.GetText(1)
   MsgBox myString

   Exit Sub
Whoa:
   If Err <> 0 Then MsgBox "Data on clipboard is not text or is empty"
End Sub

You will notice that it will handle an empty clipboard as well.

You can empty the clipboard before testing the above code by using the code below. Please paste it in a module.

Private Declare Function OpenClipboard Lib "User32.dll" _
(ByVal hWndNewOwner As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function EmptyClipboard Lib "User32.dll" () As Long

Private Declare Function CloseClipboard Lib "User32.dll" () As Long

Public Sub ClearClipboard()
    Dim Ret

    Ret = OpenClipboard(0&)
    If Ret <> 0 Then Ret = EmptyClipboard
    CloseClipboard
End Sub

EDIT: New Request by OP

Private Declare Function CountClipboardFormats Lib "user32" () As Long

Sub Sample()
    If (CountClipboardFormats() = 0) = True Then
        MsgBox "Clipboard is empty"
    Else
        MsgBox "Clipboard is not empty"
    End If
End Sub

Answer 2

Hope this helps someone else:

I was getting the error "User-Defined type not defined" on the code posted by siddharth-rout

Turns out the “Microsoft Forms 2.0 Object Library” library was missing/not activated.

Got it to work with this (http://excel-macro.tutorialhorizon.com/vba-excel-reference-libraries-in-excel-workbook/):

"Some­times you won’t find the desired ref­er­ences in the list, say you won’t find “Microsoft Forms 2.0 Object Library” in the tool/reference list in that case you need to browse the FM20.DLL file from the system32"

Answer 3

add the follwoing code just b4 the breaking line for debuging.... the error disapeared for me after that test.. wierd but it somehow works (Excel 2010)

myString = DataObj.GetText(1)
MsgBox myString