OpenClipboard failed when copy pasting data from WPF DataGrid
I've got a WPF application using datagrid. The application worked fine until I installed Visual Studio 2012 and Blend+SketchFlow preview. Now, when I'm trying to copy the data from the grid into the clipboard with Ctrl + C (in any application), I'm getting the following exception:
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x800401D0): OpenClipboard Failed (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800401D0 (CLIPBRD_E_CANT_OPEN))
at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHRInternal(Int32 errorCode, IntPtr errorInfo)
at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHR(Int32 errorCode, IntPtr errorInfo)
at System.Windows.Clipboard.Flush()
at System.Windows.Clipboard.CriticalSetDataObject(Object data, Boolean copy)
at System.Windows.Controls.DataGrid.OnExecutedCopy(ExecutedRoutedEventArgs args)
at System.Windows.Controls.DataGrid.OnExecutedCopy(Object target, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs args)
at System.Windows.Input.CommandBinding.OnExecuted(Object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Input.CommandManager.ExecuteCommandBinding(Object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e, CommandBinding commandBinding)
at System.Windows.Input.CommandManager.FindCommandBinding(CommandBindingCollection commandBindings, Object sender, RoutedEventArgs e, ICommand command, Boolean execute)
at System.Windows.Input.CommandManager.FindCommandBinding(Object sender, RoutedEventArgs e, ICommand command, Boolean execute)
at System.Windows.Input.CommandManager.OnExecuted(Object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e)
at System.Windows.UIElement.OnExecutedThunk(Object sender, ExecutedRoutedEventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Input.ExecutedRoutedEventArgs.InvokeEventHandler(Delegate genericHandler, Object target)
at System.Windows.RoutedEventArgs.InvokeHandler(Delegate handler, Object target)
at System.Windows.RoutedEventHandlerInfo.InvokeHandler(Object target, RoutedEventArgs routedEventArgs)
at System.Windows.EventRoute.InvokeHandlersImpl(Object source, RoutedEventArgs args, Boolean reRaised)
at System.Windows.UIElement.RaiseEventImpl(DependencyObject sender, RoutedEventArgs args)
at System.Windows.UIElement.RaiseTrustedEvent(RoutedEventArgs args)
at System.Windows.UIElement.RaiseEvent(RoutedEventArgs args, Boolean trusted)
at System.Windows.Input.RoutedCommand.ExecuteImpl(Object parameter, IInputElement target, Boolean userInitiated)
at System.Windows.Input.RoutedCommand.ExecuteCore(Object parameter, IInputElement target, Boolean userInitiated)
at System.Windows.Input.CommandManager.TranslateInput(IInputElement targetElement, InputEventArgs inputEventArgs)
at System.Windows.UIElement.OnKeyDownThunk(Object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Input.KeyEventArgs.InvokeEventHandler(Delegate genericHandler, Object genericTarget)
at System.Windows.RoutedEventArgs.InvokeHandler(Delegate handler, Object target)
at System.Windows.RoutedEventHandlerInfo.InvokeHandler(Object target, RoutedEventArgs routedEventArgs)
at System.Windows.EventRoute.InvokeHandlersImpl(Object source, RoutedEventArgs args, Boolean reRaised)
at System.Windows.UIElement.RaiseEventImpl(DependencyObject sender, RoutedEventArgs args)
at System.Windows.UIElement.RaiseTrustedEvent(RoutedEventArgs args)
at System.Windows.UIElement.RaiseEvent(RoutedEventArgs args, Boolean trusted)
at System.Windows.Input.InputManager.ProcessStagingArea()
at System.Windows.Input.InputManager.ProcessInput(InputEventArgs input)
at System.Windows.Input.InputProviderSite.ReportInput(InputReport inputReport)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndKeyboardInputProvider.ReportInput(IntPtr hwnd, InputMode mode, Int32 timestamp, RawKeyboardActions actions, Int32 scanCode, Boolean isExtendedKey, Boolean isSystemKey, Int32 virtualKey)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndKeyboardInputProvider.ProcessKeyAction(MSG& msg, Boolean& handled)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.CriticalTranslateAccelerator(MSG& msg, ModifierKeys modifiers)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.OnPreprocessMessage(Object param)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Int32 numArgs)
at MS.Internal.Threading.ExceptionFilterHelper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate method, Object args, Int32 numArgs, Delegate catchHandler)
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.LegacyInvokeImpl(DispatcherPriority priority, TimeSpan timeout, Delegate method, Object args, Int32 numArgs)
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.Invoke(DispatcherPriority priority, Delegate method, Object arg)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.OnPreprocessMessageThunk(MSG& msg, Boolean& handled)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.WeakEventPreprocessMessage.OnPreprocessMessage(MSG& msg, Boolean& handled)
at System.Windows.Interop.ComponentDispatcherThread.RaiseThreadMessage(MSG& msg)
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(DispatcherFrame frame)
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrame(DispatcherFrame frame)
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.Run()
at System.Windows.Application.RunDispatcher(Object ignore)
at System.Windows.Application.RunInternal(Window window)
at System.Windows.Application.Run(Window window)
at System.Windows.Application.Run()
This is really annoying.
I've seen some references to this problem here and on various locations on the web, with no real solution.
I can verify that the clipboard is locked when this exception is raised in Visual Studio, as I couldn't copy paste the message (had to write it to a file). Also, the clipboard wasn't locked before the copy process started.
How to solve this problem?
We are using .NET 4.0. We had the same problem, but after logging off the system, code used to work fine for some time.
Finally we found the alternative.
If you want to copy a string to the clipboard,
string data = "Copy This"
Till now I was using the following method
Clipboard.SetText(data);
It was failing again and again. Then I looked at other methods available to set text in the clipboard in Clipboard Class and tried the following:
Clipboard.SetDataObject(data);
And it worked :). I never had the issue again.
It is a bug in the WPF Clipboard handler. You need to handle the unhandled exception in the Application.DispatcherUnhandledException event.
Add this attribute to the Application element in your App.xaml
DispatcherUnhandledException="Application_DispatcherUnhandledException"
Add this code to your App.xaml.cs file
void Application_DispatcherUnhandledException(object sender, DispatcherUnhandledExceptionEventArgs e)
{
var comException = e.Exception as System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException;
if (comException != null && comException.ErrorCode == -2147221040)
e.Handled = true;
}
I, too, have been having a problem in an application where I copy information into the clipboard as users peruse a ListBox. The information that's copied is related to the selected item, and it permits them to paste it (said info) into other applications for convenience. Occasionally I get the CLIPBRD_E_CANT_OPEN on some user's systems, but not on others.
While I still haven't been able to fix the contention, I was able to create some code to find the application causing the contention. I'd like to at least share this code in the hope it helps someone. I will add the using statement, attributes, and method I created to find the Process object of the culprit. From the Process item you can obtain the process' name, PID, main window title (if it has one), and other potentially useful data. Here's the lines of code I added without the code that calls it. (NOTE: Below the code snippet I have one more tidbit to share):
using System.Diagnostics; // For Process class
using System.Runtime.InteropServices; // For DllImport's
...
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr GetOpenClipboardWindow();
[DllImport("user32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
static extern uint GetWindowThreadProcessId(IntPtr hWnd, out uint lpdwProcessId);
...
///-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/// <summary>
/// Gets the Process that's holding the clipboard
/// </summary>
/// <returns>A Process object holding the clipboard, or null</returns>
///-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
public Process ProcessHoldingClipboard()
{
Process theProc = null;
IntPtr hwnd = GetOpenClipboardWindow();
if (hwnd != IntPtr.Zero)
{
uint processId;
uint threadId = GetWindowThreadProcessId(hwnd, out processId);
Process[] procs = Process.GetProcesses();
foreach (Process proc in procs)
{
IntPtr handle = proc.MainWindowHandle;
if (handle == hwnd)
{
theProc = proc;
}
else if (processId == proc.Id)
{
theProc = proc;
}
}
}
return theProc;
}
OTHER NOTE: One other thing I changed which simplified my code a bit was to convert from using System.Windows.Clipboard to System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard (see System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard Class)because the latter has a 4-parameter SetDataObject() method which includes a retry count and a retry delay in milliseconds. This at least removed some of the retry noise from my code.
Your mileage may vary...plus there may be side effects in this which I've not yet stumbled upon, so if anyone knows of them please comment. In any event, I hope this proves useful to someone.