The xsel and xclip tools are used for copying text to the clipboard. I mostly use this trick to copy the standard output to clipboard, and paste it wherever I need it.
Both xsel and xclip do the same work, you can use only one.
Installing xsel:
Install xsel on Debian based distros: sudo apt-get install xsel
Install xsel on Fedora and CentOS: sudo yum install xsel
Install xsel on OpenSUSE: sudo zypper install xsel
Installing xclip:
Install xclip on Debian based distros: sudo apt-get install xclip
Install xclip on Fedora and CentOS: sudo yum install xclip
Install xclip on OpenSUSE: sudo zypper install xclip
Using xsel or xclip:
Syntax for xsel: command | xsel -ib
Syntax for xclip: command | xclip -sel clip
Example:
$ cat /path/to/file | xsel -ib
OR:
$ cat /path/to/file | xclip -sel clip
Now, paste the copied text with Ctrl – Shift – V.
You can create some aliases to ease up your work:
$ alias copy='xclip -sel clip'
OR:
$ alias copy='xsel -ib'
Now, use it like this:
$ ls | copy
To paste it, press Ctrl – Shift – V .
Make this aliases persistent:
$ echo "alias copy='xsel -ib'" >> ~/.bashrc
OR:
$ echo "alias copy='xclip -sel clip'" >> ~/.bashrc