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Motif and CDE 2.1 Style Guide Reference

Clipboard

Reference

Description

The clipboard allows the user to transfer a selection from a source to the clipboard and then subsequently from the clipboard to a destination. Clipboard transfer includes the following choices:

Copy
An action choice that copies selected elements to the clipboard.

Copy Link
An action choice that places a link to selected elements on the clipboard.

Copy Special
A dialog choice that displays a dialog through which a user can choose the formats in which to copy selected elements to the clipboard.

Cut
An action choice that removes selected elements and places them onto the clipboard. The space they occupied is usually filled by the remaining elements in the scope of selection.

Paste
An action choice that places the contents of the clipboard into a specified location or into an object or objects displayed within the window.

Paste Link
An action choice that pastes a link to elements previously placed on the clipboard into a specified location or into an object or objects displayed within the window.

Paste Special
A dialog choice that displays a dialog through which a user can choose the format in which elements previously placed on the clipboard are pasted into a specified location or into an object or objects displayed within the window.

When to Use

Required
All selection scopes support transfer to the clipboard.

Required
Support clipboard transfer in any selection scope in which the current selection can be deleted or cut.

Required
If a control supports text entry or any form of data transfer into the control, it supports Paste.

Guidelines

Required
The source of a Copy, Copy Link, Copy Special, or Cut operation are the selected elements of the control for which the operation was invoked.

Required
The target of a Copy, Copy Link, Copy Special, or Cut operation is the clipboard.

Required
Cut is a move operation, Copy is a copy operation, Copy Link is a link operation. Copy Special results in either a copy or link operation, depending on the format chosen in the dialog.

Required
If Paste or Paste Special transfers a data format, it is a copy operation whose source is the clipboard.

Required
If Paste, Paste Special, or Paste Link transfers a link format, it is a link operation whose source is that of the operation that placed the link on the clipboard.

Required
The target of Paste, Paste Link, or Paste Special is the control for which the action was invoked.

Recommended
When using Copy or Cut, place as many formats of the transferred data as is practical on the clipboard.

Required
Do not make any Paste choices available when no data is in the clipboard or when the data cannot be pasted.

Required
If you provide Paste Special, do not provide Paste Link (the equivalent functionality is available via the Paste Special Dialog).

Required
If you provide Copy Special, do not provide Copy Link (the equivalent functionality is available via the Copy Special Dialog).

Essential Related Topics

For more information, see the Edit (Menu) reference page.

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