x11 cut and paste

tim9

Please can we have regular x11 cut and paste as an option.

shift+insert should paste the same text as middle mouse button (paste buffer not clipboard)
highlight should select to paste buffer always.
middle mouse click should not move the cursor but should paste to wherever the cursor is.

Pesala

@tim9 I don't understand what you are requesting?

What is regular x11 cut and paste?

What is your OS? On Windows I expect MMB click to enable fast scrolling

DoctorG

@pesala X11 is Linux.

tim9

@pesala X11 is the X windowing protocol used on linux.

X11 has a different model for copy/paste to windows.

By default (although it can be changed in many applications) selecting text copies it to the paste buffer and middle click or shift-insert pastes the text at the cursor.

Both chrome and firefox used to get this right and then they both changed to the current model that I don't really understand but doesn't work properly.

If I select the url on this page and then middle click into this box I get:
Note: This message contains email list management information.

Which is text I selected previously in an xterm. And the URL that I selected hasn't been copied into the paste buffer at all.

If I select text on this page and then middle click I get:
What is regular x11 cut and paste?

Which is what I would expect.

But If I do shift-insert I get:
What is your OS?

which is text I selected and then I hit ctrl-C on.

Finally, when I middle click (or shift-insert) into an xterm it pastes the same text from the paste buffer and pastes it at the cursor, it doesn't move the cursor and paste all in one operation. (like everything else in linux this is configurable, not everybody does it this way but I've been working this way for maybe 30 years!)

guigirl

@tim9 said in x11 cut and paste:

shift+insert should paste the same text as middle mouse button (paste buffer not clipboard)

In my Arch KDE [Xorg session, not Wayland]:

in BOTH Vivaldi-Snapshot & Firefox-Nightly,, AND also in Kate [text editor] shift+insert pastes the clipboard not the buffer, ie, i sense you might be blaming Vivaldi for doing something wrong, but at least in Arch KDE, this behaviour is systemic not V-specific.
"highlight should select to paste buffer always" = exactly correct as you've written, in my system [as tested in V-SS, FF-N & Kate].
"middle mouse click should not move the cursor but should paste to wherever the cursor is" = exactly correct as you've written, in my system [as tested in V-SS, FF-N & Kate].

TL;DR: Your post puzzles me... it appears that your system behaves differently to mine.

Disclaimer: I tested Copy & Paste, not Cut & Paste, as i was sampling from text in your post, which ofc for me is not editable, ergo, "cut" is impossible.

guigirl

@tim9 said in x11 cut and paste:

Finally, when I middle click (or shift-insert) into an xterm it pastes the same text from the paste buffer and pastes it at the cursor

For me, in terminal [specifically, Yakuake, the dropdown terminal associated with Konsole] MC pastes the buffer where the cursor is, but shift-insert pastes the clipboard ... ie, identical behaviour as per my preceding post for the browsers & text editor.

tim9

@guigirl

Firefox/chrome/vivaldi all do the same with regards to shift-insert - they paste the clipboard, not the paste buffer. I want the option to paste the paste buffer, same as middle mouse. This matches what xterm does by default (you can change xterm to select/paste from the clipboard instead with ctrl-middle-click "Select to clipboard" but then middle click doesn't work when pasting instead unless you force xterm to copy selections to both the clipboard and the paste buffer. And, of course, you cannot then select in vivaldi (other than the address bar) and then paste into an xterm because now I wants the selection to be in the clipboard instead of the paste buffer.

If you select the URL in the address bar in vivaldi and then middle click does it paste the URL you've just selected? It doesn't for me. Hmmm, if you click the url to select it, then click again to deselect it, then drag to select it does copy it to the paste buffer but not if you double/triple click select it.

If while you're writing a reply, you select something and then middle click in the reply box other than at the cursor, does it still paste where you were typing? Again it doesn't for me, it moves the cursor and then pastes wherever the cursor now is.

(I'm talking about a regular xterm here, not gnome-terminal or anything else like that that possibly does its own thing)

guigirl

@tim9

If you select the URL in the address bar in vivaldi and then middle click does it paste the URL you've just selected?

Yes [V & N].

if you click the url to select it, then click again to deselect it, then drag to select it does copy it to the paste buffer

Yes [V & N].

if you double/triple click select it

It does copy it to the buffer for me [provable coz subsequently middle-clicking successfully pastes it].

while you're writing a reply, ... select something and then middle click in the reply box other than at the cursor, does it still paste where you were typing?

No, it pastes the buffer at that place i hovered my pointer, irrespective of where the cursor was. Clearly you dislike that behaviour, but i happen to regard it as entirely intuitive, such that it's been part of my normal workflow for years.

tim9

@guigirl said in x11 cut and paste:

@tim9

If you select the URL in the address bar in vivaldi and then middle click does it paste the URL you've just selected?

Yes [V & N].

I've found that if I turn off "Select address on activation" in settings it's less confusing. Because that selection isn't copied into the primary buffer.

if you click the url to select it, then click again to deselect it, then drag to select it does copy it to the paste buffer

Yes [V & N].

if you double/triple click select it

It does copy it to the buffer for me [provable coz subsequently middle-clicking successfully pastes it].

This is working for me now. Only thing I can assume is that I was getting confused between "selected because it's activated" and "selected because I've triple clicked". Running "watch xsel" in an xterm while testing in vivaldi gives (near) real time feedback as to what is happening.

while you're writing a reply, ... select something and then middle click in the reply box other than at the cursor, does it still paste where you were typing?

No, it pastes the buffer at that place i hovered my pointer, irrespective of where the cursor was. Clearly you dislike that behaviour, but i happen to regard it as entirely intuitive, such that it's been part of my normal workflow for years.

I guess you don't use focus follows mouse? I'm used to having the mouse in the window but absolutely no idea where it is.

I've found with xvkbd, xsel and xbindkeys I can (almost) get what I want. At the moment vivaldi is losing the final keyup event but I'm sure that can be solved, just got to play with the options. If I have a keystroke to paste the buffer I guess I don't care so much about middle click moving the mouse (I'd still prefer it as an option to not move the mouse though)

vicodin

@tim9 said in x11 cut and paste:

I've found that if I turn off "Select address on activation" in settings it's less confusing. Because that selection isn't copied into the primary buffer.

This is a great tip and explanation!

I have been clicking, seeing the selection, then middle-clicking to paste,
wondering why it didn't work, then going back and (apparently) re-selecting and then it works. This was super confusing because there is no visual difference between the select-on-activation and selecting by triple-click or click-and-drag.

@pesala It would be less confusing if select-on-activation would update the X11 selection. Or even better, if there was another checkbox for this specific behaviour.