# Can a view AND it's contents be duplicated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [July 5, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939 "2023-07-05T14:24:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ian.sebryk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/ian.sebryk/32/49319_2.png) [@ian.sebryk](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/ian.sebryk)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/1 "2023-07-05T14:24:09Z")
i'm sure this is a silly question, but when i copy/paste a view to duplicate it, none of the components transfer with it. i'm doing some breakpoints for devices orientation and i'd rather not rebuild the view for every breakpoint. i just wanna shuffle and tweak. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![victordcq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f6c823/32.png) [@victordcq](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/victordcq)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/2 "2023-07-05T14:27:14Z")
yes should be possible, what are you trying to paste where? show a screen shot with arrow 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/3 "2023-07-05T14:33:50Z")
shift + right click on a view will add `copy json` and `paste json` to the contextual menu. Use them. That being said, copying and pasting views should work, I do it every day... ---
**Author:** ![ian.sebryk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/ian.sebryk/32/49319_2.png) [@ian.sebryk](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/ian.sebryk)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/4 "2023-07-05T14:39:33Z")
yeah. i thought this was basic. but every time i right-click the view, and then paste... it just copies the view with none of the components. here's an image of the results (renamed for clarity): ![Screenshot 2023-07-05 083005](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/d/f/dfa07a137528d15636f80ea381ee0f4e0c36393d.png) maybe a reboot? i'll try that. EDIT: i also tried copying the `root` and pasting that... but `paste` is greyed out. ---
**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/5 "2023-07-05T14:45:07Z")
How are you trying to paste it ? Onto another already existing view ? Also... did you try to, you know... open it ? The things inside the view don't show up in the project browser until it's opened. ---
**Author:** ![ian.sebryk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/ian.sebryk/32/49319_2.png) [@ian.sebryk](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/ian.sebryk)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/6 "2023-07-05T14:57:58Z")
the text box obscures it, but there is a folder above. i am trying to paste into that. but i have tried to paste just about anywhere. and, uh... no. there's no triangle to twirl open... so i... well for !@#$ sake... how am i supposed to know that?? 😛 once i double click the new view, it populates. is that normal? THAT makes no sense. but whatever. quirk of the software, i guess. 😖 thank you. i never would have thought to open what appears to be an empty view. 👍 should we just delete this thread and pretend i never asked this question?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/7 "2023-07-05T15:03:22Z")
It doesn't populate, it just... opens. Try closing your views, you'll see they all look just like this. ---
**Author:** ![ian.sebryk](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/ian.sebryk/32/49319_2.png) [@ian.sebryk](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/ian.sebryk)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/can-a-view-and-its-contents-be-duplicated/75939/8 "2023-07-05T16:17:58Z")
okay. i see what you're saying. because i only have a couple views, i expected the same UI results NOT REALIZING that ONLY when the view is OPEN in the whatever-middle-area-region do the components populate in the Project Browser. so my expectation was, like any other software, it would show the UI bits, open or not. i shouldn't have to open a view just to see the components; i should just twirl it down and look at the list. oh well (#3). quirk of the UX. thanks for hashing this out with me.