Copy Markup

Copy input, select or other markups.

Contents

• Overview
• Installation
• Basic usage
• Configuration Options
• JavaScript API
• Events
• Common Patterns
• License

Overview

The Copy Markup component allows you to dynamically duplicate HTML elements (inputs, selects, or other markup) with a single click. It's useful for creating dynamic forms where users can add multiple instances of the same field.

Key Features:

• One-click element duplication
• Configurable copy limits
• Automatic element management
• Programmatic control via JavaScript API
• Event system for copy/delete tracking
• Support for any HTML markup

Installation

To get started, install Copy Markup plugin via npm, else you can skip this step if you are already using Preline UI as a package.

npm i @preline/copy-markup

CSS

@import the plugin's CSS file into your Tailwind CSS file.

@import "tailwindcss";

/* @preline/copy-markup */
@import "./node_modules/@preline/copy-markup/theme.css";

JavaScript

Include the JavaScript that powers the interactive elements near the end of your </body> tag:

<script src="./node_modules/@preline/copy-markup/index.js"></script>

Manual Initialization

Use the non-auto entry if you need manual initialization. In this mode, automatic initialization on page load is not included, so the component should be initialized explicitly.

<script type="module">
  import HSCopyMarkup from "@preline/copy-markup/non-auto.mjs";

  new HSCopyMarkup(document.querySelector("#copy-markup"));
</script>

Via Bundler

When using a bundler (Vite, webpack, etc.), import the plugin directly as an ES module.

@preline/copy-markup is the auto-init entry: it scans the DOM and initializes matching elements automatically.

import "@preline/copy-markup";

@preline/copy-markup/non-auto is the manual entry: use it when you want explicit control over when initialization happens, either via autoInit() or by creating a specific instance yourself.

import HSCopyMarkup from "@preline/copy-markup/non-auto";

HSCopyMarkup.autoInit();

// Or initialize a specific element manually
const el = document.querySelector("#copy-markup");
if (el) new HSCopyMarkup(el);

TypeScript

This package ships with TypeScript type definitions. No additional @types/ package is needed.

Basic usage

The following example demonstrates the minimal HTML structure required for a copy markup component. This is a base template without custom styling - you can apply your own CSS classes and styles as needed. Clicking the button will duplicate the target element.

<div id="hs-wrapper-for-copy-first">
  <input id="hs-content-for-copy-first" type="text" class="py-3 px-4 block w-full border-gray-200 rounded-lg text-sm text-gray-800 focus:z-10 dark:bg-neutral-800 dark:border-neutral-700 dark:text-neutral-200 dark:placeholder:text-neutral-500" placeholder="Enter Name">
</div>

<button type="button" data-hs-copy-markup='{
    "targetSelector": "#hs-content-for-copy-first",
    "wrapperSelector": "#hs-wrapper-for-copy-first",
    "limit": 3
  }' id="hs-copy-content-first">
  Add Name
</button>

Structure Requirements:

• data-hs-copy-markup: Required on the trigger button, contains configuration options as JSON
• targetSelector: Required, must be a valid CSS selector pointing to the element to copy
• wrapperSelector: Required, must be a valid CSS selector pointing to the container where copies will be added
• Target element must exist in the DOM

Initial State:

• One instance of the target element exists
• Copy button is enabled (unless limit is reached)

Configuration Options

Data Options

Data options are specified in the data-hs-copy-markup attribute as a JSON object.

| Option | Target Element | Type | Default | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | data-hs-copy-markup | Trigger button | - | - | Activate a Copy Markup by specifying on an element. Should be added to the button (trigger). | | :targetSelector | Inside data-hs-copy-markup | string (CSS selector) | - | Specifies the target element to copy. The value must be a valid CSS selector. Required. | | :wrapperSelector | Inside data-hs-copy-markup | string (CSS selector) | - | Specifies which element should be used for copying. The value must be a valid CSS selector. Required. | | :limit | Inside data-hs-copy-markup | number | null | Specifies how many items you can copy until the button is disabled. null means no limit. |

Example:

<button data-hs-copy-markup='{
  "targetSelector": "#hs-input-field",
  "wrapperSelector": "#hs-wrapper",
  "limit": 5
}'>
  Add Field
</button>

JavaScript API

The HSCopyMarkup object is available in the global window object after the plugin is loaded.

Instance Methods

These methods are called on a copy markup instance.

| Method | Parameters | Return Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | delete(target) | target: HTMLElement | void | Remove the element associated to the target. The target should be a Node (HTMLElement). Use this to programmatically remove copied elements. | | destroy() | None | void | Destroys the copy markup instance, removes all generated markup, classes, and event listeners. Use when removing copy markup from DOM. |

Static Methods

These methods are called directly on the HSCopyMarkup class.

| Method | Parameters | Return Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | HSCopyMarkup.getInstance(target, isInstance) | target: HTMLElement \| string (CSS selector)isInstance: boolean (optional) | HSCopyMarkup \| { id: string \| number, element: HSCopyMarkup } \| null | Returns the copy markup instance associated with the target. If isInstance is true, returns collection item object { id, element } where element is the HSCopyMarkup instance. If isInstance is false or omitted, returns the HSCopyMarkup instance directly. Returns null if copy markup instance is not found. |

Usage Examples

Example 1: Deleting copied elements

// Get the copy markup instance
const instance = HSCopyMarkup.getInstance('#hs-copy-content', true);

if (instance) {
  const { element } = instance;
  const deleteBtn = document.querySelector('#hs-delete-btn');

  deleteBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
    // Delete a specific copied element
    const copiedElement = document.querySelector('#hs-copy-markup-item-first');

    if (copiedElement) {
      element.delete(copiedElement);
    }
  });
}

Example 2: Using instance methods (recommended pattern)

// Get the copy markup instance
const instance = HSCopyMarkup.getInstance('#hs-copy-content', true);

if (instance) {
  const { element } = instance;

  // Access instance properties
  console.log('Items:', element.items);
  console.log('Limit:', element.limit);

  // Delete a copied element programmatically
  function removeCopiedItem(itemElement) {
    element.delete(itemElement);
  }

  // Clean up when removing from DOM
  function removeCopyMarkup() {
    element.destroy();
  }
}

Example 3: Destroying copy markup instance

const instance = HSCopyMarkup.getInstance('#hs-copy-content', true);

if (instance) {
  const { element } = instance;
  const removeBtn = document.querySelector('#hs-remove-btn');

  removeBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
    // Clean up before removing from DOM
    element.destroy();
    // Now safe to remove the element
    document.querySelector('#hs-copy-content').remove();
  });
}

Events

Copy markup instances emit events that can be listened to for copy/delete tracking and custom behavior.

| Event Name | When Fired | Callback Parameter | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | on:copy | When target element was copied | HTMLElement (copied element) | Fires when a new copy of the target element is created. Returns the newly created element. | | on:delete | When target element was deleted | HTMLElement (deleted element) | Fires when a copied element is deleted. Returns the deleted element. |

Event Usage Example

// Get copy markup instance
const instance = HSCopyMarkup.getInstance('#hs-copy-content', true);

if (instance) {
  const { element } = instance;

  // Listen to copy event
  element.on('copy', (copiedElement) => {
    console.log('Element copied:', copiedElement);
    // Perform actions after element is copied
    // e.g., initialize other plugins on the new element, update counters
  });

  // Listen to delete event
  element.on('delete', (deletedElement) => {
    console.log('Element deleted:', deletedElement);
    // Perform cleanup or state updates
  });
}

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Limited Copies

Limit the number of copies that can be created.

<button data-hs-copy-markup='{
  "targetSelector": "#hs-field",
  "wrapperSelector": "#hs-wrapper",
  "limit": 5
}'>
  Add Field (Max 5)
</button>

Pattern 2: Dynamic Form Fields

Create dynamic form fields with copy functionality.

<div id="hs-fields-wrapper">
  <input id="hs-field-template" type="text" placeholder="Field name">
</div>

<button data-hs-copy-markup='{
  "targetSelector": "#hs-field-template",
  "wrapperSelector": "#hs-fields-wrapper"
}'>
  Add Another Field
</button>

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Preline Labs.

Licensed under the MIT License.