Index: /trunk/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/actions/CopyAction.java
===================================================================
--- /trunk/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/actions/CopyAction.java	(revision 8193)
+++ /trunk/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/actions/CopyAction.java	(revision 8194)
@@ -57,4 +57,12 @@
     public static void copy(OsmDataLayer source, Collection<OsmPrimitive> primitives) {
         /* copy ids to the clipboard */
+        String ids = getCopyString(primitives);
+        Utils.copyToClipboard(ids);
+
+        Main.pasteBuffer.makeCopy(primitives);
+        Main.pasteSource = source;
+    }
+
+    public static String getCopyString(Collection<? extends OsmPrimitive> primitives) {
         StringBuilder idsBuilder = new StringBuilder();
         for (OsmPrimitive p : primitives) {
@@ -62,9 +70,5 @@
             idsBuilder.append(p.getId()).append(",");
         }
-        String ids = idsBuilder.substring(0, idsBuilder.length() - 1);
-        Utils.copyToClipboard(ids);
-
-        Main.pasteBuffer.makeCopy(primitives);
-        Main.pasteSource = source;
+        return idsBuilder.substring(0, idsBuilder.length() - 1);
     }
 
Index: /trunk/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/data/osm/SimplePrimitiveId.java
===================================================================
--- /trunk/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/data/osm/SimplePrimitiveId.java	(revision 8193)
+++ /trunk/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/data/osm/SimplePrimitiveId.java	(revision 8194)
@@ -12,5 +12,5 @@
     private final OsmPrimitiveType type;
 
-    public static final Pattern ID_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("((n(ode)?|w(ay)?|r(el(ation)?)?)/?)(\\d+)");
+    public static final Pattern ID_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("((n(ode)?|w(ay)?|r(el(ation)?)?)[ /]?)(\\d+)");
 
     public SimplePrimitiveId(long id, OsmPrimitiveType type) {
Index: /trunk/test/unit/org/openstreetmap/josm/actions/CopyActionTest.java
===================================================================
--- /trunk/test/unit/org/openstreetmap/josm/actions/CopyActionTest.java	(revision 8194)
+++ /trunk/test/unit/org/openstreetmap/josm/actions/CopyActionTest.java	(revision 8194)
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package org.openstreetmap.josm.actions;
+
+import org.junit.BeforeClass;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.JOSMFixture;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.Relation;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.Way;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collections;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.is;
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+
+public class CopyActionTest {
+
+    @BeforeClass
+    public static void setUpBeforeClass() {
+        JOSMFixture.createUnitTestFixture().init();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testCopyStringWay() throws Exception {
+        final Way way = new Way(123L);
+        assertThat(CopyAction.getCopyString(Collections.singleton(way)), is("way 123"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testCopyStringWayRelation() throws Exception {
+        final Way way = new Way(123L);
+        final Relation relation = new Relation(456);
+        assertThat(CopyAction.getCopyString(Arrays.asList(way, relation)), is("way 123,relation 456"));
+        assertThat(CopyAction.getCopyString(Arrays.asList(relation, way)), is("relation 456,way 123"));
+    }
+}
Index: /trunk/test/unit/org/openstreetmap/josm/data/osm/SimplePrimitiveIdTest.groovy
===================================================================
--- /trunk/test/unit/org/openstreetmap/josm/data/osm/SimplePrimitiveIdTest.groovy	(revision 8193)
+++ /trunk/test/unit/org/openstreetmap/josm/data/osm/SimplePrimitiveIdTest.groovy	(revision 8194)
@@ -28,3 +28,9 @@
         assert SimplePrimitiveId.fuzzyParse("foo relation/123 and way/345 but also node/789").toString() == "[relation 123, way 345, node 789]"
     }
+
+    void testFromCopyAction() {
+        assert SimplePrimitiveId.fromString("node 123") == new SimplePrimitiveId(123, OsmPrimitiveType.NODE)
+        assert SimplePrimitiveId.fromString("way 123") == new SimplePrimitiveId(123, OsmPrimitiveType.WAY)
+        assert SimplePrimitiveId.fromString("relation 123") == new SimplePrimitiveId(123, OsmPrimitiveType.RELATION)
+    }
 }