# OleFlushClipboard

Carries out the clipboard shutdown sequence. It also releases the IDataObject pointer that was placed on the clipboard by the OleSetClipboard function.

WINOLEAPI OleFlushClipboard();

Return Values

S_OK
  The clipboard has been flushed.
CLIPBRD_E_CANT_OPEN
  The Windows OpenClipboard function used within OleFlushClipboard failed.
CLIPBRD_E_CANT_CLOSE
  The Windows CloseClipboard function used within OleFlushClipboard failed.

Remarks

OleFlushClipboard renders the data from a data object onto the clipboard and releases the IDataObject pointer to the data object. While the application that put the data object on the clipboard is running, the clipboard holds only a pointer to the data object, thus saving memory. If you are writing an application that acts as the source of a clipboard operation, you can call the OleFlushClipboard function when your application is closed, such as when the user exits from your application. Calling OleFlushClipboard enables pasting and paste-linking of OLE objects after application shutdown.

Before calling OleFlushClipboard, you can easily determine if your data is still on the clipboard with a call to the OleIsCurrentClipboard function.

OleFlushClipboard leaves all formats offered by the data transfer object, including the OLE 1 compatibility formats, on the clipboard so they are available after application shutdown. In addition to OLE 1 compatibility formats, these include all formats offered on a global handle medium (all except for TYMED_FILE) and formatted with a NULL target device. For example, if a data-source application offers a particular clipboard format (say cfFOO) on an IStorage object, and calls the OleFlushClipboard function, the storage object is copied into memory and the hglobal memory handle is put on the Clipboard.

To retrieve the information on the clipboard, you can call the OleGetClipboard function from another application, which creates a default data object, and the hglobal from the clipboard again becomes a storage object. Furthermore, the FORMATETC enumerator and the IDataObject::QueryGetData method would all correctly indicate that the original clipboard format (cfFOO) is again available on a TYMED_ISTORAGE.

To empty the clipboard, call the OleSetClipboard function specifying a NULL value for its parameter. The application should call this when it closes if there is no need to leave data on the clipboard after shutdown, or if data will be placed on the clipboard using the standard Windows clipboard functions.

See Also

OleGetClipboard, OleSetClipboard, OleIsCurrentClipboard, IDataObject