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Group F: Copy/Paste/Duplicate

These scenarios involve copying and pasting or duplicating campaign structures. Platform IDs are cleared on paste/duplicate, ensuring pasted entities always CREATE new entities rather than updating originals.
Scenarios in this group:
  • Copying and pasting new entities
  • Copying and pasting existing entities (IDs cleared)
  • Cross-parent paste operations
  • Duplicating campaign structures
  • Multiple paste operations

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Scenario F1: Copy/Paste New Entities

Setup:
  • Create new campaign with ad set and ad (no IDs)
  • Copy the campaign structure (Ctrl+C)
  • Paste (Ctrl+V)
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: Original:
EntityHas ID?ActionResult
Campaign ANoCREATENew campaign created
Ad Set A1NoCREATENew ad set created
Ad A1aNoCREATENew ad created
Pasted:
EntityHas ID?ActionResult
Campaign BNoCREATENew campaign created
Ad Set B1NoCREATENew ad set created
Ad B1aNoCREATENew ad created
Result:
  • 2 campaigns created (A and B)
  • 2 ad sets created (A1 and B1)
  • 2 ads created (A1a and B1a)
  • All entities receive platform IDs
Copy/paste is useful for creating multiple similar campaigns quickly. Paste multiple times to create many copies.

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Scenario F2: Copy/Paste Existing Entities (IDs Cleared)

Setup:
  • Load existing campaign with ad sets and ads (all have IDs)
  • Copy the campaign structure
  • Paste
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: Original (loaded):
EntityHas ID?Has Changes?ActionResult
Campaign AYesNoSKIPNo API call
Ad Set A1YesNoSKIPNo API call
Ad A1aYesNoSKIPNo API call
Pasted (IDs cleared):
EntityHas ID?ActionResult
Campaign BNo (cleared)CREATENew campaign created
Ad Set B1No (cleared)CREATENew ad set created
Ad B1aNo (cleared)CREATENew ad created
Result:
  • Original campaign unchanged (skipped)
  • New campaign B created (duplicate of A)
  • New ad set B1 created (duplicate of A1)
  • New ad B1a created (duplicate of A1a)
Critical: Platform IDs are cleared on paste. This ensures pasted entities create new entities rather than updating the originals. You cannot accidentally update the original campaign by editing the pasted copy.

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Scenario F3: Copy/Paste and Edit Before Publishing

Setup:
  • Load existing Campaign A
  • Copy and paste to create Campaign B
  • Edit Campaign B name and budget
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: Original:
EntityHas ID?Has Changes?ActionResult
Campaign AYesNoSKIPNo API call
Pasted and edited:
EntityHas ID?ActionResult
Campaign BNo (cleared)CREATENew campaign created with edited values
Result:
  • Campaign A unchanged
  • Campaign B created with new name and budget
  • Campaign B is independent of Campaign A
Copy/paste + edit is the recommended way to create campaign variations. Paste creates a copy, then you edit the copy before publishing.

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Scenario F4: Paste Multiple Times

Setup:
  • Load existing Campaign A
  • Copy Campaign A
  • Paste 5 times
  • Edit each pasted campaign (different names)
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A (original): SKIP
Campaign B (paste 1): CREATE
Campaign C (paste 2): CREATE
Campaign D (paste 3): CREATE
Campaign E (paste 4): CREATE
Campaign F (paste 5): CREATE
Result:
  • Campaign A unchanged
  • 5 new campaigns created (B, C, D, E, F)
  • Each new campaign is independent
This is efficient for creating multiple campaigns with similar structures. Paste multiple times, edit each copy, and publish all at once.

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Scenario F5: Copy Ad Set, Paste Under Different Campaign

Setup:
  • Load Campaign A with Ad Set A1
  • Load Campaign B (different campaign)
  • Copy Ad Set A1
  • Paste under Campaign B
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: 
Campaign A: SKIP
  └─ Ad Set A1 (original): SKIP

Campaign B: SKIP
  └─ Ad Set B1 (pasted, ID cleared): CREATE
Result:
  • Campaign A and Ad Set A1 unchanged
  • New Ad Set B1 created under Campaign B
  • Ad Set B1 is a copy of Ad Set A1 but independent
You can copy ad sets or ads and paste them under different parents. IDs are cleared, so new entities are created.

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Scenario F6: Duplicate Function

Setup:
  • Load existing Campaign A
  • Right-click Campaign A → Duplicate
  • Duplicated Campaign B appears on canvas
  • Publish
Expected Behavior: Original:
EntityHas ID?Has Changes?ActionResult
Campaign AYesNoSKIPNo API call
Duplicated:
EntityHas ID?ActionResult
Campaign BNo (cleared)CREATENew campaign created
Result:
  • Campaign A unchanged
  • Campaign B created (duplicate of A)
  • Campaign B is independent of Campaign A
The Duplicate function is equivalent to copy/paste. It clears platform IDs and creates new entities on publish.

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ID Clearing Flow

This diagram shows how platform IDs are cleared during copy/paste:

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Why IDs Are Cleared

Platform IDs are cleared on paste to prevent accidental updates to original entities: Without ID clearing (dangerous): 
1. Copy Campaign A (ID: camp_123)
2. Paste Campaign B (still has ID: camp_123)
3. Edit Campaign B
4. Publish
5. Campaign A is updated (unexpected!)
With ID clearing (safe): 
1. Copy Campaign A (ID: camp_123)
2. Paste Campaign B (ID cleared, no ID)
3. Edit Campaign B
4. Publish
5. New Campaign B created (ID: camp_456)
6. Campaign A unchanged (safe!)
If IDs weren’t cleared, editing and publishing pasted nodes would update the original entities. This would be confusing and dangerous. ID clearing ensures pasted nodes are independent.

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Common Questions

This is expected behavior. Platform IDs are cleared on paste to ensure pasted entities create new entities rather than updating originals.If you want to update an existing campaign, load it using Select Existing and edit it directly (don’t copy/paste).
No. Paste always clears platform IDs, so pasted entities always create new entities.To update an existing campaign, load it using Select Existing and edit it directly.
A duplicate campaign is created with identical settings to the original. Both campaigns exist on the platform with different IDs.This is useful for creating exact duplicates.
Yes. Copy/paste works across platforms. After pasting, change the platform in the campaign configuration, adjust platform-specific settings, and publish.See Cross-Platform Transfer for more details.
Yes. Paste as many times as you want. Each paste creates an independent copy with no platform ID. Edit each copy as needed and publish all at once.

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Next Steps

Group G: Reconnect

Learn about reconnecting nodes to different parents.

Cross-Platform Transfer

Learn about copying campaigns between platforms.

Decision Logic

Understand how platform IDs affect publishing decisions.

Campaign Builder

Learn about canvas operations including copy/paste.