---
title: Copying existing atoms
framework: QuickTime File Format
role: article
role_heading: Article
path: quicktime-file-format/copying_existing_atoms
---

# Copying existing atoms

Copy existing atoms within an atom container.

## Overview

Overview QuickTime provides several functions for copying existing atoms within an atom container. The QTInsertChildren function inserts a container of atoms as children of a parent atom in another atom container. The following figure shows two example QT atom containers, A and B.

The following code sample calls QTFindChildByID to retrieve the offset of the atom in container A. Then, the code sample calls the QTInsertChildren function to insert the atoms in container B as children of the atom in container A. The following figure shows what container A looks like after the atoms from container B have been inserted. QTAtom targetAtom;   targetAtom = QTFindChildByID (containerA, kParentAtomIsContainer,  'abcd',     1000, nil);   FailOSErr (QTInsertChildren (containerA, targetAtom, containerB)); The following figure shows a QT atom container after insert child atoms.

In the following listing, the QTInsertChild function inserts a parent atom into the atom container theSample. Then, the code calls QTInsertChildren to insert the container theSprite into the container theSample. The parent atom is newSpriteAtom. FailOSErr (QTInsertChild (theSample, kParentAtomIsContainer,     kSpriteAtomType, spriteID, 0, 0, nil, &newSpriteAtom));   FailOSErr (QTInsertChildren (theSample, newSpriteAtom, theSprite)); QuickTime provides three other functions you can use to manipulate atoms in an atom container. The QTReplaceAtom function replaces an atom and its children with a different atom and its children. You can call the QTSwapAtoms function to swap the contents of two atoms in an atom container; after swapping, the ID and index of each atom remains the same. The QTCopyAtom function copies an atom and its children to a new atom container.

## See Also

### Managing atoms

- [Creating new atoms](quicktime-file-format/creating_new_atoms.md)
- [Retrieving atoms from an atom container](quicktime-file-format/retrieving_atoms_from_an_atom_container.md)
- [Modifying atoms](quicktime-file-format/modifying_atoms.md)
- [Removing atoms from an atom container](quicktime-file-format/removing_atoms_from_an_atom_container.md)