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orbarrett

Right-click Copy / Paste text editing in text fields

Status: New

Hello all,

 

Being accustomed to using the right-click copy and paste text function in most of my other Windows applications (this is a standard feature), I'd much appreciate being able to do this within LabVIEW text fields as well.  Among several places in LabVIEW that would benefit from this, this feature would be an especially useful timesaver while editing the Documentation field (for VI / control / indicator properties etc).

 

Best regards,

Oliver Barrett

www.linkedin.com/in/orbarrett

12 Comments
altenbach
Knight of NI

Maybe it should be there for compatibility, but LabVIEW already has pretty rich right-click menus, so that would contribute to bloat. I would not use it.

 

Unless you are programming with the left hand tied behind your back, ctrl+c/ctrl+v is always faster to copy/paste something...anything!

 

"Right-click...browse context menu to find entry...drag down...stop the mouse on the right field...release mouse...accidentally hit the entry above or below...undo...try again..." is never very efficient, especially with these idiotic touch pads. 😄

orbarrett
Member

I overlooked the ctrl+c / ctrl+v function, that will definitely be helpful.

 

Oliver

Manzolli
Active Participant

I have my mouse extra buttons of the office workstation programed with copy and paste functions. It will be nice have this implemented because we never know where will be the next hardware and place that we will need to do some LabVIEW work. A friend of mine had to program in the back seat of a pickup truck in a tablet PC whithout keyboard.

 

It's nice to find something where it logically should be!

 

A "cut" should be added to the list.

 

André Manzolli

Mechanical Engineer
Certified LabVIEW Developer - CLD
LabVIEW Champion
Curitiba - PR - Brazil
Jim West
Member

I have a disability and I am unable to use a keyboard. I can use a mouse and I have programs where I type out things for Labview. I always have to use the menu to cut-copy-paste-delete the text in. Labview is the only application I use that doesn't have this right-click feature.

AndyVessey
Member

What is the reason for the standard 'Cut, Copy, Paste' being missing from the right click menu? I have been using LV since 1999 V5.1 and it's still not appeared or an option to enable disable it from this menu. My guess is that behind the scenes LV is Mac originated and Mac doesn't have this. I know you can use the keys and top menu for Cut, Copy, Paste but why no standard Windows right click for this?? I have been wondering for so long the real reason!!?? Can a top NI LV R&D based developer please tell me the real reason. Andy Vessey

Mr.Alex.Foster
Member

Have no keyboard at some PCs and miss this feature.

AristosQueue (NI)
NI Employee (retired)

AndyVessey: These are available in the drop menus, not in the popup menus. In the popup menus, we have seen these options mostly as noise that very few people use. There was a very very long discussion in the beta forums (which most users cannot see) for 2015 about the pros/cons of adding them. I, personally, am still not persuaded that they add any utility generally.

 

JimWest, I note your comment about disability and keyboards. That is the first time I've ever heard someone make this argument. Are you able to use LabVIEW generally? That surprises me -- I don't think I could use LV at all without a keyboard. I would be interested in hearing more about this.

 

Note that in LV 2015, there will be a new feature that will possibly offer you a fix for this. After or during NIWeek (first week of August), post to this thread to remind me as I'll be able to talk about it then.

dadreamer
Active Participant

I give my support to this idea. I think, that after all these years on Windows (I am not Mac or Linux native user) it's very uncomfortable to use LV menus to do simple things such as copy-paste operation. Keyboard shortcuts are more pleasant in this case but there are situations when I'm tired or too lazy to press Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V combinations. Almost all standard Windows applications have RMB context menus implemented. It's not a cross-compatibility issue as LV binaries are compiled on Windows and they differ from those for Mac or Linux. So, that simple tweak for LV GUI really should be realized in next version of LabVIEW (now it's going to be 2017).

X.
Trusted Enthusiast
Trusted Enthusiast

Copy Data/Paste Data [in the Data Operation submenu (Edit Mode)].

dadreamer
Active Participant

X.

It does not work as I expect or as any common Windows app works.

- These menu items ignore text selection: Copy operation copies the whole text even when I have selected a part of the text; Paste operation deletes old text in the control/indicator and then inserts new text;

- Text selection is removed after applying Copy/Paste operation (to be precise, it's removed after doing RMB on control/indicator);

- I can do Copy/Paste only with controls/indicators of the same type. So, I cannot, for instance, copy a text from String control and paste it to Numeric control or vice versa;

- These options are completely not supported in "Description and Tip" window, "Documentation" window of VI properties and maybe somewhere else, idk;

- Such Copy/Paste works only inside LabVIEW or when pasting data into LabVIEW. So, it's impossible to copy somewhat in LV and paste it to another Windows app.