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  3. There are times when I wonder what MS developers are smoking...

There are times when I wonder what MS developers are smoking...

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  • N newton saber

    Don't you know WordStar?[^] Ctrl-Insert for copy Shift-Insert for paste Works everywhere. Visual Studio messes it up. :D Solves that empty-line-copy problem too, from what I can tell. *** EDIT *** Oh, interesting, Ctrl-Insert and Shift-Insert are from the IBM Common User Acess (CUA)[^]

    D Offline
    D Offline
    DJ van Wyk
    wrote on last edited by
    #19

    That's the old school way of doing it. I can remember it from the DOS / Word Perfect / Quatro Pro days. Funny thing is, nobody ever considered copy/pasting an empty line back then. We did things more efficiently by using the huge [Enter] key on the keyboard.

    My plan is to live forever ... so far so good

    N 1 Reply Last reply
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    • V Vark111

      I wish they would separate that option to one for copy and one for cut. Because I agree that copying a blank line is just silly. Cutting however? When I'm rearranging code (commenting / moving similar methods/props next to each other, etc..., ergo, a lot of cutting/pasting), I use ctrl-x to cut (read: delete) blank lines all the time. Much easier to do with one hand on the mouse, and the other on ctrl-x. ctrl-delete requires me to leave the mouse or contort.

      D Offline
      D Offline
      DJ van Wyk
      wrote on last edited by
      #20

      In VS I prefer to use [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[L] to remove empty lines. That way I don't lose what's in the clipboard. It normally happens when I decide to move chunks of code around by cutting what I want to keep, removing all lines to clean up, then going to the new location and pasting. That way I don't have to scroll around or remember where to clean up again.

      My plan is to live forever ... so far so good

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

        IIRC, copy only ever did anything at all if there was a selection - and most apps work that way even today. The whole idea of copy working on non-selected data is bad, I think - but I wish it worked in MS error message boxes where you can't select anything anyway! :laugh:

        Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

        C Offline
        C Offline
        Corneliu Tusnea
        wrote on last edited by
        #21

        Ctrl+C works in "most" error message boxes. It copies the complete contents + title + buttons as text. I love it. You don't need to "select" anything except to have the message box focused. Sample: --------------------------- Microsoft Visual Studio --------------------------- Cannot move 'RandomFile.Debug.config'. The destination folder is the same as the source folder. --------------------------- OK ---------------------------

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        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

          There's been a niggle with VS for me for a while: I use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste, but they are close together and occasionally I get a Copy when I wanted a Paste. Normally I just sigh, and go back to copy it again - but it annoys me a little when I'm on a blank line with nothing selected, and the Paste operation copies the blank line to the clipboard. Why? Why do that? Well, it's deliberate: there's an option to specifically do that.

          Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> All Languages -> General ... "Apply Cut or Copy commands to blank lines when there is no selection"

          And for whatever reason the default state is "Yes, copy a damn blank line to the clipboard when there is no selection". Why, Microsoft? Why? :doh:

          Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

          O Offline
          O Offline
          Oleg A Lukin
          wrote on last edited by
          #22

          Did you ever try Ctrl+Shift+V after that? Twice ;)

          Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. T.Jefferson

          OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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          • N newton saber

            Don't you know WordStar?[^] Ctrl-Insert for copy Shift-Insert for paste Works everywhere. Visual Studio messes it up. :D Solves that empty-line-copy problem too, from what I can tell. *** EDIT *** Oh, interesting, Ctrl-Insert and Shift-Insert are from the IBM Common User Acess (CUA)[^]

            G Offline
            G Offline
            greldak
            wrote on last edited by
            #23

            They were the ones shown on the menus in Win 3.1

            N 1 Reply Last reply
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            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

              There's been a niggle with VS for me for a while: I use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste, but they are close together and occasionally I get a Copy when I wanted a Paste. Normally I just sigh, and go back to copy it again - but it annoys me a little when I'm on a blank line with nothing selected, and the Paste operation copies the blank line to the clipboard. Why? Why do that? Well, it's deliberate: there's an option to specifically do that.

              Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> All Languages -> General ... "Apply Cut or Copy commands to blank lines when there is no selection"

              And for whatever reason the default state is "Yes, copy a damn blank line to the clipboard when there is no selection". Why, Microsoft? Why? :doh:

              Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

              S Offline
              S Offline
              Simon ORiordan from UK
              wrote on last edited by
              #24

              Why? Retentive code reviews.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • O Oleg A Lukin

                Did you ever try Ctrl+Shift+V after that? Twice ;)

                Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. T.Jefferson

                OriginalGriffO Offline
                OriginalGriffO Offline
                OriginalGriff
                wrote on last edited by
                #25

                Nope, never heard of that one! :sigh: There are times, Microsoft...and inventing a cure for a problem you cause without actually curing the problem...

                Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

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                • C Corneliu Tusnea

                  Ctrl+C works in "most" error message boxes. It copies the complete contents + title + buttons as text. I love it. You don't need to "select" anything except to have the message box focused. Sample: --------------------------- Microsoft Visual Studio --------------------------- Cannot move 'RandomFile.Debug.config'. The destination folder is the same as the source folder. --------------------------- OK ---------------------------

                  G Offline
                  G Offline
                  grralph1
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #26

                  You have hit the nail on the head. This is the reason why copying non-selected makes you shoot blanks, but it lets you copy the un-selectable. Sort of nice. I am a bit pissed off about this as I didn't know about this until your post. So Thanks Corneliu. There is always a reason.

                  "Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980

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                  • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                    There's been a niggle with VS for me for a while: I use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste, but they are close together and occasionally I get a Copy when I wanted a Paste. Normally I just sigh, and go back to copy it again - but it annoys me a little when I'm on a blank line with nothing selected, and the Paste operation copies the blank line to the clipboard. Why? Why do that? Well, it's deliberate: there's an option to specifically do that.

                    Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> All Languages -> General ... "Apply Cut or Copy commands to blank lines when there is no selection"

                    And for whatever reason the default state is "Yes, copy a damn blank line to the clipboard when there is no selection". Why, Microsoft? Why? :doh:

                    Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                    M Offline
                    M Offline
                    MikeTheFid
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #27

                    I know well the annoyance when I too miss the "v" key and press the "c" key instead. Indeed, WTF were they thinking!?! I started using BRIEF (Basic Reconfigurable Interactive Editing Facility) in the late 80's and it's keyboard shortcuts have stuck with me ever since. Cut-Copy-Paste are such fundamental operations they demand a single key all their own; none of this rubbish multi-finger pinky-x, pinky-c, and pink-v! Insert ==> Edit|Paste Keypad + ==> Edit|Copy Keypad - ==> Edit|Cut Simple, intuitive, and since I do far more copying than cutting, they used the enlarged "+" key on the numeric keypad to give your finger an ample target. Brief was (is) a brilliant editor and it's ideas have stood the test of time IMNSHO.

                    Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright

                    OriginalGriffO E 2 Replies Last reply
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                    • M MikeTheFid

                      I know well the annoyance when I too miss the "v" key and press the "c" key instead. Indeed, WTF were they thinking!?! I started using BRIEF (Basic Reconfigurable Interactive Editing Facility) in the late 80's and it's keyboard shortcuts have stuck with me ever since. Cut-Copy-Paste are such fundamental operations they demand a single key all their own; none of this rubbish multi-finger pinky-x, pinky-c, and pink-v! Insert ==> Edit|Paste Keypad + ==> Edit|Copy Keypad - ==> Edit|Cut Simple, intuitive, and since I do far more copying than cutting, they used the enlarged "+" key on the numeric keypad to give your finger an ample target. Brief was (is) a brilliant editor and it's ideas have stood the test of time IMNSHO.

                      Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright

                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriff
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #28

                      And it had multiple source "windows", and mouse support, and... I loved it to death - for the first time, you could look at several parts of your code at the same time (Microsoft, are you listening?) I think I still have the original disks and manual in the spare room - but they'll be on 360K floppies (possibly 720, I can't remember) and I don't have anything to read them any more!

                      Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                      D M 2 Replies Last reply
                      0
                      • G greldak

                        They were the ones shown on the menus in Win 3.1

                        N Offline
                        N Offline
                        newton saber
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #29

                        greldak wrote:

                        They were the ones shown on the menus in Win 3.1

                        You're right. That's how I learned them and I've never forgotten them. They work in places the other hotkeys don't.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • D DJ van Wyk

                          That's the old school way of doing it. I can remember it from the DOS / Word Perfect / Quatro Pro days. Funny thing is, nobody ever considered copy/pasting an empty line back then. We did things more efficiently by using the huge [Enter] key on the keyboard.

                          My plan is to live forever ... so far so good

                          N Offline
                          N Offline
                          newton saber
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #30

                          DJ van Wyk wrote:

                          old school way of doing it

                          best way... :D

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                            And it had multiple source "windows", and mouse support, and... I loved it to death - for the first time, you could look at several parts of your code at the same time (Microsoft, are you listening?) I think I still have the original disks and manual in the spare room - but they'll be on 360K floppies (possibly 720, I can't remember) and I don't have anything to read them any more!

                            Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                            D Offline
                            D Offline
                            DJ van Wyk
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #31

                            OriginalGriff wrote:

                            (Microsoft, are you listening?)

                            No

                            My plan is to live forever ... so far so good

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M MikeTheFid

                              I know well the annoyance when I too miss the "v" key and press the "c" key instead. Indeed, WTF were they thinking!?! I started using BRIEF (Basic Reconfigurable Interactive Editing Facility) in the late 80's and it's keyboard shortcuts have stuck with me ever since. Cut-Copy-Paste are such fundamental operations they demand a single key all their own; none of this rubbish multi-finger pinky-x, pinky-c, and pink-v! Insert ==> Edit|Paste Keypad + ==> Edit|Copy Keypad - ==> Edit|Cut Simple, intuitive, and since I do far more copying than cutting, they used the enlarged "+" key on the numeric keypad to give your finger an ample target. Brief was (is) a brilliant editor and it's ideas have stood the test of time IMNSHO.

                              Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright

                              E Offline
                              E Offline
                              englebart
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #32

                              I loved B.R.I.E.F. It was made my Underware Software (seriously). The thing I really miss about the old editors was that they could edit HUGE files that would not fit into all available memory. I needed that just yesterday! Notepad refused to load a 1.9gig text file on a 64bit OS with 4gigs of free memory! BRIEF had a great macro language as well. I wrote a macro to provide popup context menus for the different C structs <-> DB mappings we used on a series of projects. It was like intellisense 0.1. Somewhere along the way, they converted the macro language from a LISP-like prefix syntax to more of a C syntax. Then the IDEs started coming out and eclipsed* the single purpose editors... *bad pun

                              P 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                And it had multiple source "windows", and mouse support, and... I loved it to death - for the first time, you could look at several parts of your code at the same time (Microsoft, are you listening?) I think I still have the original disks and manual in the spare room - but they'll be on 360K floppies (possibly 720, I can't remember) and I don't have anything to read them any more!

                                Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                MikeTheFid
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #33

                                http://www.briefeditor.com/download.htm[^] Free.

                                Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright

                                OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • M MikeTheFid

                                  http://www.briefeditor.com/download.htm[^] Free.

                                  Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright

                                  OriginalGriffO Offline
                                  OriginalGriffO Offline
                                  OriginalGriff
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #34

                                  Get thee behind me, Satan! I've got too used to Intellisense, and I'm trying not to install too much old stuff - I still have QuickC for DOS installed, and had to force myself not to install Ami Pro '97 on this PC (because it was a much, much better work processor than Word is, even now...) Nooooo.....I won't do it....I won't....I'll just download it in case I need it later, honest....

                                  Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                                  "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                  "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • E englebart

                                    I loved B.R.I.E.F. It was made my Underware Software (seriously). The thing I really miss about the old editors was that they could edit HUGE files that would not fit into all available memory. I needed that just yesterday! Notepad refused to load a 1.9gig text file on a 64bit OS with 4gigs of free memory! BRIEF had a great macro language as well. I wrote a macro to provide popup context menus for the different C structs <-> DB mappings we used on a series of projects. It was like intellisense 0.1. Somewhere along the way, they converted the macro language from a LISP-like prefix syntax to more of a C syntax. Then the IDEs started coming out and eclipsed* the single purpose editors... *bad pun

                                    P Offline
                                    P Offline
                                    Private Dobbs
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #35

                                    TextPad ... :doh:

                                    E 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                      There's been a niggle with VS for me for a while: I use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste, but they are close together and occasionally I get a Copy when I wanted a Paste. Normally I just sigh, and go back to copy it again - but it annoys me a little when I'm on a blank line with nothing selected, and the Paste operation copies the blank line to the clipboard. Why? Why do that? Well, it's deliberate: there's an option to specifically do that.

                                      Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> All Languages -> General ... "Apply Cut or Copy commands to blank lines when there is no selection"

                                      And for whatever reason the default state is "Yes, copy a damn blank line to the clipboard when there is no selection". Why, Microsoft? Why? :doh:

                                      Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                                      C Offline
                                      C Offline
                                      ClockMeister
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #36

                                      LOL, you're right! I just turned it off. I've always wondered about that one, been bitten several times. Thanks for the tip!

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                        There's been a niggle with VS for me for a while: I use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste, but they are close together and occasionally I get a Copy when I wanted a Paste. Normally I just sigh, and go back to copy it again - but it annoys me a little when I'm on a blank line with nothing selected, and the Paste operation copies the blank line to the clipboard. Why? Why do that? Well, it's deliberate: there's an option to specifically do that.

                                        Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> All Languages -> General ... "Apply Cut or Copy commands to blank lines when there is no selection"

                                        And for whatever reason the default state is "Yes, copy a damn blank line to the clipboard when there is no selection". Why, Microsoft? Why? :doh:

                                        Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                                        H Offline
                                        H Offline
                                        Harrison Pratt
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #37

                                        To empty the clipboard.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                          There's been a niggle with VS for me for a while: I use CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and paste, but they are close together and occasionally I get a Copy when I wanted a Paste. Normally I just sigh, and go back to copy it again - but it annoys me a little when I'm on a blank line with nothing selected, and the Paste operation copies the blank line to the clipboard. Why? Why do that? Well, it's deliberate: there's an option to specifically do that.

                                          Tools -> Options -> Text Editor -> All Languages -> General ... "Apply Cut or Copy commands to blank lines when there is no selection"

                                          And for whatever reason the default state is "Yes, copy a damn blank line to the clipboard when there is no selection". Why, Microsoft? Why? :doh:

                                          Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                                          F Offline
                                          F Offline
                                          Freak30
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #38

                                          VS 6.0 had the much more useful option: Enable copy without selection. One of the first things I did after each installation was switching off this option. This way I was protected from almost all accidental copying. I was quite mad when I discovered they changed the option to only apply to empty lines in later versions. :mad: I don't even bother to change the setting nowadays, because most of the time when I want to paste, the cursor is on a non-empty line making the option worthless to me.

                                          The good thing about pessimism is, that you are always either right or pleasently surprised.

                                          U 1 Reply Last reply
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