Copyfromuser

Copyfromuser is a descriptive term used in software development to refer to the practice of copying data from user-provided input into an application's internal structures. It is not a formal feature or API name, but a label that appears in documentation and code comments to indicate the data's source during binding or processing.

Common contexts include web forms, APIs, and data binding layers where incoming payloads or form fields are copied into domain models or data transfer objects. The term often appears in guidelines about how input should be handled, and may be accompanied by flags or configuration options that enable or restrict such copying.

Security and correctness concerns are central. Copying user input directly can create risks such as mass assignment, data leakage, or privilege escalation if sensitive fields are overwritten. Best practices emphasize validation, whitelisting allowed fields, explicit mapping to a defined schema, and using separate DTOs or view models instead of copying all incoming data wholesale.

Implementation notes: use explicit field binding, validate on the server, sanitize data, and log binding decisions. In design, aim to minimize the surface area for copyfromuser by keeping internal state decoupled from raw input whenever possible.

See also: data binding, input validation, mass assignment, data sanitation.