Advanced Paste: Custom template library + quick switching + direct paste hotkeys #45418
Description
Description of the new feature / enhancement
Please enhance PowerToys Advanced Paste with template-based pasting , allowing users to create and reuse a set of custom paste templates. Users should be able to quickly switch templates in the Advanced Paste UI, and optionally bind a dedicated hotkey to a template for “no-panel, transform-and-paste” workflows.
Core capability (single request: a Template Library)
-
Add a Templates management page under PowerToys Settings > Advanced Paste :
- Create / edit / delete templates with:
- Name
- Output format (PlainText / Markdown / HTML / JSON / Auto)
- Template body
- Support placeholders (examples):
- {{clipboard_text}}
- {{clipboard_html}}
- {{date}} , {{time}}
- {{newline}}
- (Optional but very important) support simple filters:
- {{clipboard_text | trim}}
- {{clipboard_text | json_escape}}
- Provide a Preview area:
- Shows “clipboard input” and “rendered output” before applying
- Create / edit / delete templates with:
-
Add a Templates section in the Advanced Paste panel (e.g., Win+Shift+V):
- Templates are searchable, pinnable, and can be sorted by recent usage
- Keyboard quick selection (e.g., Ctrl+1..0 or 1..0 when the panel is open)
-
Allow optional per-template global hotkeys :
- Hotkey action: read clipboard → apply template → write back to clipboard (respecting output format) → paste (Ctrl+V or a safer paste mechanism)
- Enables “snippet-like” high-frequency formatted pastes without opening the panel every time
This enhancement should be fully local and deterministic (no AI, no network required), making it suitable for offline/enterprise environments and easier to control and reproduce.
Scenario when this would be used?
I frequently need to wrap or transform clipboard content into a consistent format before pasting into browsers, docs, ticketing systems, Markdown editors, and code review tools. Examples:
- Turn arbitrary copied text into Markdown quote blocks, code blocks, or table rows
- Convert copied links/titles into a fixed format like title or a ticket reference style
- Turn text into JSON field values (requires correct escaping) for configs and API tools
- Paste plain text only into browser forms (avoid rich formatting) while adding prefixes/suffixes (quotes, tags, etc.)
- When asking AI, wrap raw info into a prompt template and paste the composed “advanced prompt” text
These are workflows done dozens of times per day . Templates + hotkeys would significantly increase Advanced Paste’s practical value.
Supporting information
Template examples
- Markdown quote
{{clipboard_text}}
- Markdown code block
```text
{{clipboard_text}}
3. JSON field (needs escaping)
{"text":"{{clipboard_text | json_escape}}"}
4. Browser-friendly plain text (trim / normalize)
{{clipboard_text | trim}}
Why this fits Advanced Paste
- Advanced Paste already converts clipboard data into other formats before pasting. A template library generalizes that capability from fixed actions to user-configurable transformations that match real workflows.
- Templates naturally benefit from PowerToys settings features (sync/backup/import/export).
Acceptance criteria (high level)
- Users can create templates and apply them from the panel; output is pasted in the chosen format
- Templates can be bound to global hotkeys for direct transform-and-paste without opening the panel
- Support at least {{clipboard_text}} and {{clipboard_html}} , plus a basic json_escape filter (critical for JSON/code-related use cases)