Input a string to application without pasteboard or simulating typing

Question

I need to paste a string of text to whichever application is open, and I'd rather not clear the pasteboard, in case something important is there, and I'd rather not turn every single character into a keyboard event.

Is there another way?

Answer 1

You could try using accessibility: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/Accessibility/cocoaAXIntro/cocoaAXintro.html though it may be overkill.

Another option may be to copy the current contents of the pasteboard to a local variable, replace it with your own string, perform your paste, then restore the original value back to the pasteboard. Depends on what you're trying to do.