[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Selection-to-Clipboard Inconsistencies
From:       "Jamethiel Knorth" <jamethknorth () hotmail ! com>
Date:       2004-06-05 20:40:04
Message-ID: BAY7-F66Uv9LXuMWvhF0005bc09 () hotmail ! com
[Download RAW message or body]

>From: Leo Savernik <l.savernik@aon.at>
>Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 21:41:57 +0200
>
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>Hash: SHA1
>
>Am Samstag 05 Juni 2004 19:33 schrieb Jamethiel Knorth:
>[...]
> > The largest problem I have is that it is very inconsistent at the 
>moment.
> > If you have good reason why I should be proposing a different change,
> > please do explain it fully.
>
>An example why keyboard selection should not affect the primary selection 
>is
>this:
>
>You have an input field with loads of (unselected) text in it. You want to
>replace it with what is currently in your primary selection. But you cannot
>mmb paste it, as the text field is still full of crap. The text field 
>doesn't
>provide a delete button (unlike konqueror's location bar).
>
>If keyboard selection does not overwrite the primary selection, you simply
>click into the input field, hit Ctrl+A, Del, and mmb paste. Four quick 
>steps.
>
>If keyboard selection *does* overwrite the primary selection, you have to
>delete every character manually (by del or backspace). Depending on how 
>much
>crap is in there, this may take a long time.
>
>For a real-world example that works this way, take Netscape Navigator's
>location bar. Keyboard selection does replace the primary selection there,
>and if I want to mmb-paste an url into the bar, I have first to delete 
>every
>single character. For long urls this takes an annoyingly long time.

However, the location bar is the only case where I run into this. The most 
common place for copy and paste is in word processing and text editing, and 
there it is very useful to be able to select with keyboard and paste with 
mouse.

The reason is that, while working, your hands are already on the keyboard, 
so it is natural to select from there, and your hands have to use the mouse 
to swiftly travel to where you want to paste, so your hands are then there.

By contrast, the keyboard selection in the location bar is very inefficient 
anyway. You use the mouse to select text, then move to the location bar. 
There, you use the keyboard to select and delete, then move back to the 
mouse to paste. Then, to go there, you need to either move the mouse to the 
'go' button or return to the keyboard and press enter.

If you are worried about speed, it is faster to select the text, then hit 
ctrl+c, ctrl+l, ctrl+v (in many browsers ctrl+l selects or clears the 
location bar).

And, even using middle mouse-button paste, the faster method is to paste at 
the start of the line, hit shift+end, and then press delete. This also 
leaves your hand poised to strike enter and go where you want to.


Of all that, the most important thing is that the location bar is a single 
case, and splitting the selection behavior is less consistent. However, I am 
not entirely certain. The location bar is one of the most used widgets on 
the desktop. Are there many other cases?

_________________________________________________________________
Getting married? Find great tips, tools and the latest trends at MSN Life 
Events. http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=married

_______________________________________________
kde-usability mailing list
kde-usability@kde.org
https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-usability
[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]