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Cut, copy, and paste

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copy source elsewhere on the same screen, the copy would be made as soon as the shift was released. Similarly, holding shift and control would copy and cut (delete) the source. This workflow requires many fewer keystrokes/mouse clicks than the current multi-step workflows, and did not require an explicit copy buffer. It was dropped, one presumes, because the original Apple and IBM GUIs were not high enough density to permit multiple windows, as were the PARC machines, and so multiple simultaneous windows were rarely used.
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The clipboard usually stays invisible, because the operations of cutting and pasting, while actually independent, usually take place in quick succession, and the user (usually) needs no assistance in understanding the operation or maintaining mental context. Some application programs provide a means
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command structure, where the command name was provided first and the object to be copied or moved was second. The inversion from verb—object to object—verb on which copy and paste are based, where the user selects the object to be operated before initiating the operation, was an innovation crucial
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The original cut, copy, and paste workflow, as implemented at PARC, utilizes a unique workflow: With two windows on the same screen, the user could use the mouse to pick a point at which to make an insertion in one window (or a segment of text to replace). Then, by holding shift and selecting the
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commands to delineate a contiguous region of text, then delete or move it. Since moving a region of text requires first removing it from its initial location and then inserting it into its new location, various schemes had to be invented to allow for this multi-step process to be specified by the
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from a source to a destination. It differs from cut and paste in that the original source text or data does not get deleted or removed. The popularity of this method stems from its simplicity and the ease with which users can move data between various applications visually – without resorting to
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operation takes place which visibly inserts the clipboard text at the insertion point. (The paste operation does not typically destroy the clipboard text: it remains available in the clipboard and the user can insert additional copies at other
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Computer-based editing can involve very frequent use of cut-and-paste operations. Most software-suppliers provide several methods for performing such tasks, and this can involve (for example) key combinations, pulldown menus, pop-up menus, or
840: 628:. The clipboard typically remains invisible. On most systems only one clipboard location exists, hence another cut or copy operation overwrites the previously stored information. Many 340:
user. Often this was done with a "move" command, but some text editors required that the text be first put into some temporary location for later retrieval/placement. In 1983, the
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them onto another page. This practice remained standard into the 1980s. Stationery stores sold "editing scissors" with blades long enough to cut an 8½"-wide page. The advent of
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Inspired by early line and character editors that broke a move or copy operation into two steps—between which the user could invoke a preparatory action such as navigation—
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Whereas cut-and-paste often takes place with a mouse-equivalent in Windows-like GUI environments, it may also occur entirely from the keyboard, especially in UNIX
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command is issued. The data remains available to any application supporting the feature, thus allowing easy data transfer between applications.
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allow the user to perform all the basic editing operations, and the keys are clustered at the left end of the bottom row of the standard
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Visibly, "cut" text immediately disappears from its location. "Cut" files typically change color to indicate that they will be moved.
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The term "cut and paste" comes from the traditional practice in manuscript editing, whereby people cut paragraphs from a page with
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proposed the names "cut" and "copy" for the first step and "paste" for the second step. Beginning in 1974, he and colleagues at
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text-editors provide multiple clipboard entries, as do some Macintosh programs such as Clipboard Master, and Windows
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The user selects a location for insertion by some method, typically by clicking at the desired insertion point.
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Similar patterns of key combinations, later borrowed by others, are widely available in most GUI applications.
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The capability to replicate information with ease, changing it between contexts and applications, involves
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is pressed in most graphical systems) or the entire current line, but it may also involve text after the
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refer to the dissemination of such information through documents, and may be subject to regulation by
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command creates a duplicate; in both cases the selected data is kept in temporary storage called the
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implemented several text editors that used cut/copy-and-paste commands to move and copy text.
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The user selects or "highlights" the text or file for moving by some method, typically by
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for the success of the desktop metaphor as it allowed copy and move operations based on
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became the first text editing system to call that temporary location "the clipboard".
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The act of copying or transferring text from one part of a computer-based document ("
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computer, and in a few home computer applications such the 1984 word processor
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The term "copy-and-paste" refers to the popular, simple method of reproducing
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over the text or file name with the pointing-device or holding down the
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later also adopted the Apple key combinations with the introduction of
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Conceptually, the text has now moved to a location often called the
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until the end of the line and other more sophisticated operations.
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of viewing, or sometimes even editing, the data on the clipboard.
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A personal history of modeless text editing and cut/copy-paste
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Kuhn, Werner (1993). "Metaphors create theories for users".
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concerns because of the risks of disclosure when handling
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The user performs a "cut" operation via key combination
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Clipboard Master 2.0 by In Phase Consulting, July 1994
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Spatial Information Theory a Theoretical Basis for GIS
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are sensitive, with potential for the introduction of
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2. Peer-to-Peer Communication by Means of Selections
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Laubach, Lori; Wakefield, Catherine (June 8, 2012).
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1013:American Health Information Management Association 232:has close associations with related techniques in 858: 1065: 823: 562:The sequence diagram of cut and paste operation 864: 183:. Clipboard data is later inserted wherever a 535:this was a big change as DOS users used the " 495:(CUA) standard also uses combinations of the 917: 706:Sequence diagram of the copy-paste operation 312:made the practice easier and more flexible. 889: 819: 817: 404:, which is held down while also pressing 116:Learn how and when to remove this message 701: 557: 194:based on the physical procedure used in 127: 1066: 814: 531:. For users migrating to Windows from 922:. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 846:from the original on August 20, 2014 726:Use in healthcare documentation and 175:from its original position, and the 54:adding citations to reliable sources 25: 385:popularized this paradigm with its 331:The earliest editors (designed for 13: 427:These are the standard shortcuts: 132:Cut, copy, and paste icons are in 14: 1100: 1038: 686: 363: 1015:. March 17, 2014. Archived from 553: 347:Earlier control schemes such as 326: 30: 962:from the original on 2011-11-17 906:from the original on 2013-05-26 782:Publishing Interchange Language 697:copy and paste (disambiguation) 41:needs additional citations for 998: 973: 948: 911: 799:— Cut, copy, and paste in the 23:Computer user interface method 1: 958:. Designinginteractions.com. 807: 618:users), menu, or other means. 762:Copy & paste programming 636:programs such as the one in 7: 745: 159:technique for transferring 10: 1105: 690: 370:Lawrence G. "Larry" Tesler 295: 290: 198:print editing to create a 157:interprocess communication 149:human–computer interaction 15: 1074:User interface techniques 878:Communications of the ACM 728:electronic health records 234:graphical user interfaces 217:workstation and the 1984 190:The command names are an 932:10.1007/3-540-57207-4_24 209:in 1974, popularized by 515:used the IBM standard. 252:as part of its GUI and 707: 695:. For other uses, see 563: 493:IBM Common User Access 137: 65:"Cut, copy, and paste" 1084:Clipboard (computing) 926:. Springer: 366–376. 891:10.1145/363848.363863 705: 561: 416:for paste. These few 285:administrative bodies 265:sensitive information 230:interaction technique 163:through a computer's 153:user interface design 131: 884:(12): 793–799, 803, 797:Transposable element 787:Simultaneous editing 736:information overload 511:. Early versions of 335:terminals) provided 171:command removes the 141:Cut, copy, and paste 50:improve this article 18:Cut and Paste (film) 358:direct manipulation 981:"Clipboard Master" 874:"An online editor" 870:Lampson, Butler W. 792:X Window selection 708: 564: 418:keyboard shortcuts 192:interface metaphor 138: 1056:by Larry Tesler ( 1022:on March 12, 2016 941:978-3-540-57207-7 866:Deutsch, L. Peter 721:permanent storage 634:clipboard-manager 400:key as a special 126: 125: 118: 100: 1096: 1032: 1031: 1029: 1027: 1021: 1010: 1002: 996: 995: 993: 991: 977: 971: 970: 968: 967: 952: 946: 945: 915: 909: 907: 893: 862: 856: 855: 853: 851: 845: 830: 821: 638:Microsoft Office 583:while using the 250:operating system 238:pointing devices 236:(GUIs) that use 155:. They offer an 121: 114: 110: 107: 101: 99: 58: 34: 26: 1104: 1103: 1099: 1098: 1097: 1095: 1094: 1093: 1079:Data management 1064: 1063: 1041: 1036: 1035: 1025: 1023: 1019: 1008: 1004: 1003: 999: 989: 987: 979: 978: 974: 965: 963: 954: 953: 949: 942: 916: 912: 863: 859: 849: 847: 843: 828: 822: 815: 810: 748: 700: 693:Hurricane Venus 689: 674: 670: 613: 609: 603: 599: 556: 486: 482: 472: 468: 458: 454: 441: 437: 415: 411: 407: 399: 366: 329: 298: 293: 223:Cut & Paste 122: 111: 105: 102: 59: 57: 47: 35: 24: 21: 12: 11: 5: 1102: 1092: 1091: 1086: 1081: 1076: 1062: 1061: 1051: 1040: 1039:External links 1037: 1034: 1033: 997: 972: 947: 940: 910: 857: 833:Moss Adams LLP 812: 811: 809: 806: 805: 804: 794: 789: 784: 779: 774: 769: 764: 759: 754: 747: 744: 732:medical errors 688: 687:Copy and paste 685: 672: 668: 653: 652: 644: 641: 622: 619: 611: 605: 601: 595: 592: 555: 552: 489: 488: 484: 480: 474: 470: 466: 460: 456: 452: 446: 439: 435: 413: 409: 405: 394: 383:Apple Computer 365: 364:Popularization 362: 328: 325: 297: 294: 292: 289: 254:widget toolkit 242:computer mouse 211:Apple Computer 165:user interface 143:are essential 124: 123: 38: 36: 29: 22: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1101: 1090: 1087: 1085: 1082: 1080: 1077: 1075: 1072: 1071: 1069: 1059: 1055: 1052: 1050: 1046: 1043: 1042: 1018: 1014: 1007: 1001: 986: 982: 976: 961: 957: 951: 943: 937: 933: 929: 925: 921: 914: 905: 901: 897: 892: 887: 883: 879: 875: 871: 867: 861: 842: 838: 834: 827: 820: 818: 813: 802: 798: 795: 793: 790: 788: 785: 783: 780: 778: 775: 773: 772:Drag and drop 770: 768: 765: 763: 760: 758: 755: 753: 750: 749: 743: 741: 737: 733: 729: 724: 722: 717: 713: 704: 698: 694: 684: 680: 678: 666: 662: 658: 649: 645: 642: 639: 635: 631: 627: 623: 620: 617: 608: 598: 593: 590: 586: 582: 578: 574: 573: 572: 570: 560: 554:Cut and paste 551: 547: 544: 542: 538: 534: 530: 526: 522: 518: 514: 510: 506: 502: 498: 494: 478: 475: 464: 461: 450: 447: 445: 433: 430: 429: 428: 425: 423: 419: 412:for copy, or 403: 398: 392: 388: 384: 380: 378: 375: 371: 361: 359: 354: 350: 345: 343: 338: 334: 327:Early methods 324: 323:text editor. 322: 318: 313: 311: 307: 303: 288: 286: 282: 278: 277:carry forward 274: 270: 267:. Terms like 266: 262: 257: 255: 251: 247: 246:drag and drop 243: 239: 235: 231: 226: 224: 220: 216: 212: 208: 205: 201: 197: 193: 188: 186: 182: 178: 174: 173:selected data 170: 166: 162: 158: 154: 150: 146: 142: 135: 130: 120: 117: 109: 106:November 2023 98: 95: 91: 88: 84: 81: 77: 74: 70: 67: –  66: 62: 61:Find sources: 55: 51: 45: 44: 39:This article 37: 33: 28: 27: 19: 1024:. Retrieved 1017:the original 1000: 990:14 September 988:. Retrieved 984: 975: 964:. Retrieved 950: 923: 919: 913: 881: 877: 860: 848:. 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Index

Cut and Paste (film)

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
"Cut, copy, and paste"
news
newspapers
books
scholar
JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message

ERP5
commands
human–computer interaction
user interface design
interprocess communication
data
user interface
selected data
clipboard
interface metaphor
manuscript
page layout
Xerox
PARC
Apple Computer
Lisa
Macintosh

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