Drag and drop text support on Lyx 1.6.6.1

[Jose A. Rodrigo]

Hi!!

First of all congratulations for this useful program and brilliant project!!

It is not possible to drag-and-drop text (just by selecting it with
mouse pointer) like other text processors i.e. OpenWriter. Do you know
when this feature will be added to lyx? I think that it will be very
useful for many users. It will be great if this option is available for
equation editing as well. Up to now I used copy and paste shortcuts.


Many thanks!
Jose

[Steve Litt]

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
Hi!!
First of all congratulations for this useful program and brilliant project!!
It is not possible to drag-and-drop text (just by selecting it with
mouse pointer) like other text processors i.e. OpenWriter. Do you know
when this feature will be added to lyx? I think that it will be very
useful for many users. It will be great if this option is available for
equation editing as well. Up to now I used copy and paste shortcuts.
Many thanks!
Jose

If you all do implement this feature, please include a switch to turn it off.
Personally I'd prefer it be turned off by default, and if it's turned on by
default, please widely publicize the change.

The way I work, dragging and dropping of text is a sure way to garble a
document.

SteveT

Steve Litt
Recession Relief Package
http://www.recession-relief.US
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stevelitt

[Richard Heck]

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
Hi!!
First of all congratulations for this useful program and brilliant project!!
It is not possible to drag-and-drop text (just by selecting it with
mouse pointer) like other text processors i.e. OpenWriter. Do you know
when this feature will be added to lyx? I think that it will be very
useful for many users. It will be great if this option is available for
equation editing as well. Up to now I used copy and paste shortcuts.

You're welcome to file an enhancement request for this on the bug
reporter, at
http://www.lyx.org/trac/wiki/BugTrackerHome
When it might get done would depend upon whether someone feels compelled
to do it. Of course, you could always do it yourself....

Richard

[Marcelo Acuña]

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
It is not possible to drag-and-drop text (just by

selecting it with

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
mouse pointer) like other text processors i.e.

OpenWriter. Do you know

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
when this feature will be added to lyx? I think that

it will be very

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
useful for many users. It will be great if this option

is available for

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
equation editing as well. Up to now I used copy and

paste shortcuts.

I can't see any advantages for mouse drag-and-drop text against copy and paste with shortcuts.

Regards
Marcelo

[Rich Shepard]

Post by Marcelo Acuña
I can't see any advantages for mouse drag-and-drop text against copy and
paste with shortcuts.

Perhaps only for those who are not touch-typists and used to using the
pointy device for everything.

Rich

[Helge Hafting]

Post by Jose A. Rodrigo
Hi!!
First of all congratulations for this useful program and brilliant project!!
It is not possible to drag-and-drop text (just by selecting it with
mouse pointer) like other text processors i.e. OpenWriter. Do you know
when this feature will be added to lyx? I think that it will be very
useful for many users. It will be great if this option is available for
equation editing as well. Up to now I used copy and paste shortcuts.

LyX has copy+paste using mouse only - at least on linux:

1. Mark the text to be copied
2. Move the mouse to where you want to copy it
3. Press the middle mouse button. (Or both buttons, if your mouse
only have two buttons.)

Dragging a marked is something I don't miss. The keyboard shortcuts are
usually much faster than using the mouse - once you get used to them.

The reason: One has to take a hand off the keyboard, and aim the mouse
carefully. And then move the hand back to the keyboard again. When
writing, the hands are on the keyboard by default.

None of this is necessary when using keyboard shortcuts. Cut/copy, a few
cursor keys, paste. It is the faster way in openoffice too,
for that matter.

There is even a disadvantage to text dragging - it makes selecting
trickier. In LyX, if you select wrong, you can select again immediately.
You can even re-start selection in the middle of the existing selection.
This is possible only because selection dragging is not implemented.
Some mice has limited precision, and occationally mis-selects. Easy to
fix when there is no dragging.

When there is selection dragging, there is the problem of dropping the
selection in the wrong place, and the work of fixing that. This don't
happen with a keyboard paste - you don't paste until the cursor is in
the right place. But it is easy to loose the mouse button momentarily -
at least with some mice.

Helge Hafting