# Auto-copy the invite link?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [May 20, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151 "2020-05-20T22:50:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/1 "2020-05-20T22:50:00Z")
This is a UX improvement request regarding:
> [@Copy Invite Link link](https://meta.discourse.org/t/copy-invite-link/32648):
>
> We [just improved](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/4ad07b8c09068dad64ae0221b8e888e047b17bc6) the Invite feature, now you can copy invite link and send a personalized invitation email to your users! To generate copyable invite link go to your invites page, click on “Send an Invite” button, enter the email of the user you want to invite, now click on “Copy Invite Link” button: That’s it, now you will see copyable invite link: Copy and paste away! link scissors pencil email
At the moment, hitting  results in the link being displayed and selected - but not copied to the clipboard. That is annoying, as clutzy users like me forget to ‘ctrl-c’ or similar, and then end up pasting the invitees email address where the link was intended.
When sharing in Google Docs, it behaves as I suggest - and it is much nicer. Should we copy them in this?
---
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/2 "2020-05-20T23:59:34Z")
Forcing items into the clipboard _without user action_ is considered a destructive act, as it erases the current clipboard. I don’t think browsers are allowed to do that.
However, expressing intent to see the copyable link could be user consent, depending on the UI..
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### Author:  [@bts](https://meta.discourse.org/u/bts)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/3 "2020-05-21T00:14:05Z")
I think that’s his point — a button labeled “copy link” implies just that, the actual copy action. Versus e.g. “generate link” or “show link”.
But yeah this is getting to be a common pattern now, one click actually copying directly to clipboard to save the ctrl-C. Not essential but if a button says “copy link” that’s now what I’d expect it to do.
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### Author:  [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/4 "2020-05-21T00:28:23Z")
> [@bts](#):
>
> I think that’s his point — a button labeled “copy link” implies just that, the actual copy action. Versus e.g. “generate link” or “show link”.
Absolutely - the user is _expecting_ it to copy the link to the clipboard, and is annoyed (at least I am) when it doesn’t.
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### Author:  [@techAPJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/techAPJ)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/5 "2020-05-21T01:28:21Z")
> [@bts](#):
>
> a button labeled “copy link” implies just that, the actual copy action. Versus e.g. “generate link” or “show link”.
I’ll update the button label to “Generate Invite Link”. That makes more sense here.
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### Author:  [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/7 "2020-05-22T00:47:45Z")
> [@techAPJ](#):
>
> I’ll update the button label to “Generate Invite Link”
I agree that this makes it clearer. However, it doesn’t eliminate the additional step for the user.
Also, why would anyone ever want to generate a link but _not_ copy it?
Time to flex a Discourse feature:
### Which would you prefer?
_Poll ([view on site](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/7))_
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### Author:  [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [September 27, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/10 "2020-09-27T15:59:47Z")
I’m bringing this back up because it has tripped me up once again. In this case, it is using `/u/username/invited/links`
There is a nice big button labelled ‘Copy Link’: 
When you click it you get the modal:
> 
This _generates_ the link, but doesn’t copy it.
How about renaming ‘Copy Link’ to ‘Generate Link’, and then have a separate button on the modal which actually copies the link to your clipboard? This would make more sense and stop fools like me from pasting all sorts of junk where I intend to paste the link repeatedly!
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### Author:  [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/11 "2020-09-29T21:04:35Z")
> [@nathank](#):
>
> have a separate button on the modal which actually copies the link to your clipboard?
This is what I mean by this (taken from @angus’s Custom Wizard Plugin):
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### Author:  [@techAPJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/techAPJ)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2020, 4:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/12 "2020-09-30T04:14:30Z")
> [@nathank](#):
>
> have a separate button on the modal which actually copies the link to your clipboard?
This makes sense. Added on my list to make it so.
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### Author:  [@techAPJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/techAPJ)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2020, 8:14am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/auto-copy-the-invite-link/152151/13 "2020-11-04T08:14:07Z")
We updated the button copy for now to indicate that invite link is not copied to clipboard. It’s on my list to make the UX better but there are more pressing tasks to work on first.