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We’ve all asked for it. Time and time again. We’re sick of writing things that can just be copied. It’s all about ease of use, why shouldn’t iPhone copy and paste be part of the big picture too?

Remember the app by Proximi called MagicPad? It was the first app on the App Store to allow copy and paste functionality. But realistically, it wasn’t that useful when you consider that the ability can only be used inside of MagicPad.

Zac White, a student developer, has taken that idea and expanded upon it. Up until now, copy and paste between programs has not been allowed to work because of the agreement of the iPhone SDK. It restricts apps from working with each other via plug-ins, and restricts background processes; so, it seemed copy and paste wouldn’t be able to work between apps. But it appears that thought was wrong.

White has started a non-profit, open source community project entitled OpenClip. OpenClip’s purpose is to enable copy and paste between applications on the iPhone. It does this all within the restrictions of the iPhone SDK. Basically, developers put OpenClip’s framework into their app, and copy and paste functionality is then available between all applications that also use the framework. The applications all access a shared space on the device, so none of the rules are broken.

Apple themselves have expressed they are working on copy and paste, but it is not a high priority on their list of features to add to the iPhone. OpenClip hopes to provide a case-study for Apple, and encourage their solution, which would presumably work with all iPhone apps, not just those with the OpenClip framework.

This is exciting news. MagicPad, WordPress, Twittelator and others have already jumped on the OpenClip bandwagon. Soon, you may be using apps for the iPhone that implement copy and paste functionality, and I can only hope Apple will follow suit and provide their own solution. OpenClip will likely never work with Safari or Mail, but it is a step in the right direction. If apps continue in that direction, we all win.

Here’s a quick video demo of the idea in action, thanks to Cali Lewis.

Product OpenClip.org

[Update]

DaringFireball has an update for us on the OpenClip framework that was very promising in adding copy and paste functionality for conforming applications. It seems that our copy and paste hopes are about to be let down again.

Apparently, what was allowing OpenClip to work was a loophole.

The OpenClip framework, by Zac White, is a very clever implementation of a fundamentally unwise idea.

Applications are supposed to be reside in a secure location on the device that no other app can access. OpenClip set up a space for copy and paste data to reside, but with the latest update to the 2.1 beta firmware, access to that space has been denied between apps.

The idea with sandboxing is that each app executes in its own space, with limited resources and with no ability to alter or modify anything outside its own sandbox.

But before you get mad at Apple for attacking OpenClip, it should be noted that this further securing of apps and their assigned space was the case before OpenClip made their announcements. So, Apple isn’t being mean and targeting OpenClip, they’re just trying to keep your device as secure as possible.

If you really want copy and paste, you have two options: don’t upgrade to 2.1 when the update drops and hope that developers continue to use the OpenClip framework, or wait for Apple’s system-wide solution. I’m sticking with the later, but I’m still a little bit sad.

Via [DaringFireball]