Method and apparatus for transferring data from an application to a destination
View Patent ↗A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for sending content from a first application to a second application. In response to a user input indicating a selection of content for transfer to the second application, the selection of the content is copied to form copied content. The copied content is then automatically sent to the second application without requiring additional user manipulation of the copy content. Additionally, the destination may be another user. In this case, the second application is employed to automatically transfer the copied content to that second user.
1. A method in a data processing system for sending content from a first application to a second application, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:
providing a plurality of different applications, wherein each of said applications is available for selection by a user as the second application that is to receive the content from the first application;
responsive to detecting a single user input indicating selection of a particular application of said plurality to be the second application, copying the content to form copied content; and
without further user input after said single user input, and after forming the copied content, initiating the particular selected application to be the second application, and sending the copied content to the second application.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copied content is sent to the second application using an application program interface.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first application and the second application are selected from one of a word processing program, an email program, an instant messaging program, or a spreadsheet program.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copying step comprises:
copying, by a data transfer process in an operating system process, the selection of the content to form copied content in response to detecting the user input.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the sending step comprises:
initiating execution of the second application, by the data transfer process, if the second application is not currently executing;
sending, by the data transfer process, the copied content to the second application.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second application is a communications program and wherein the sending step further comprises:
initiating a transfer of the copied content, by the data transfer process, to a user selected destination.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copied content is stored in a clipboard handled by an operating system.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
responsive to a second user input indicating a selection of content for transfer to a file, copying the selection of content to form copied content; and
saving the copied content to the file.
9. A method in a data processing system for sending content from a first application to a second application, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:
providing a plurality of different applications, wherein each of said applications is available for selection by a user as the second application that is to receive the content from the first application, and said plurality of applications includes at least an e-mail program for transferring the content over a specified network;
responsive to detecting a single user input indicating selection of a particular application of said plurality to be the second application, copying the content to form copied content; and
without further user input, initiating the particular selected application to be the second application, and sending the copied content to the second application.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said plurality of applications includes a word processing program located in the data processing system.