http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/9871/ I would like to propose a new way to use copy/paste without the use of Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V and without right click.

I'm thinking about a way to copy one OR MORE files or folder to a temporary place which can be associated to "I've picked these files and there are in my hand". Then, you can release the group of files in a new location after browsing.

It will be thus possible to copy/paste more than one file/directory at one time :-)


Example :
- I want to copy home/me/list.pdf and home/me/subfolder/image.jpg to my usb key
- I go to home/me/ and I drag and drop list.pdf to the clipboard stack, which in represented in nautilus as a list (see
http://www.vergeylen.eu/stephane/uploads/divers/copyPaste.png )
- I can see that the clipboard contains list.pdf
- I navigate to home/me/subfolder and I drag and drop image.jpg to the same clipboard. This new file is added to the clipboard for further traitment.
- When I've chosen every files and folder I need, I navigate to my USB key (let's say, I click on its icon on the desktop, which opens a new window)
- In this new window, I see the same contents in the clipboard and I click "Copy to this place". I'm done


In summary, here is what is necessary to add to Nautilus to do this :
- A list (stack) which represent the contents of the clipboard
- An "Empty icon" to empty the clipboard
- An "Copy here icon" to copy all the clipboard in the present location
- An "Move to here icon" to move the clipboard in the present location

Furthermore, we can imagine that a Ctrl-C in another app (for example copy a text from firefox) could be viewed in the clipboard stack when opening nautilus an be pasted directly in a file...

See the screenshot I made with Gimp :
http://www.vergeylen.eu/stephane/uploads/divers/copyPaste.png



[42 votes] Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #9871


]]> en-us Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:51:53 +0000 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:03:32 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/9871/ Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:45:29 +0000
I don't think we should introduce new concepts that people are unfamiliar with, it increasses the learning curve.
We should use well-established consistent concepts that works on all other operating systems.]]> Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:47:02 +0000
First, you want a "list" where you put the files before pasting. Should all it's contents be pasted, or should it be pasted one by one? I.e. Can I only collect files for one destination (which will be pasted together) or for more (then each file has to be pasted individually)?

Second, why not develop this idea into a more generic clipboard, like using Glipper (if it ever works) as a clipboard bin to drag files into and out of?]]> Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:25:16 +0000 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:56:10 +0000
Sidney> All of the content of the list should be pasted. It will be too difficult to paste one file to one place and another to another place. I would like to keep it simple "I select a few files and I paste them at one place. slash dot"

Sidney> I don't know Glipper but a generic clipboard for Gnome/Nautilus is just what I was thinking about :-)

Eldmannen> I agree, this is a new concept, but "copy/paste" is known by everyone who uses a computer, and a temporary list to store the clipboard is already used in M$ Office, so I don't think this concept will be unatteignable :-)]]> Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:03:00 +0000 You can select files one per one by clicking on a little '+' emblem at the file icon - and it selects it like havinc ctrl+clicked it.

Maybe it's not perfectly what you requested, but nearly. You can select files in different folders - at the end you have to press Ctrl-C and Paste all these files otherwhere.

But I agree with Eldmannen too: don't invent too many complicated new things - there are plenty of people I know that DON'T know you can copy & paste things with Ctrl+C/V.

You won't believe it there are plenty of people who don't know where to click and where to doubleclick.

That's the problem with computers/usability: Programmers often can't imagine that users can't imagine what programmers had meant ;-)]]> Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:16:30 +0000 http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/8424/]]> Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:56:45 +0000
- Insert the USB stick and create NewFolder.
- Change to Places view in Nautilus.
- Drag NewFolder to an empty space in Places.
- Navigate to each file and drag into NewFolder to copy.
- Navigate and use shift-drag to move.
- When complete, right click on NewFolder in Places and choose Remove
- Voila!

One advantage of this (already existing) method is that you can create several folders on the USB stick, put each of them in Places, and sort through a bunch of files at the same time. The main disadvantage is that you have to keep your wits about you, and not confuse moving with copying.
]]> Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:42:35 +0000
What I would like is to be able to select some files, and press Ctrl+C or Ctrl+X to copy or cut, then select some more files and do the same which would add them to a list. When I finally press Ctrl+V, it should copy or move all files, not just the last-selected ones - copy those that I pressed Ctrl+C for and move those that I pressed Ctrl+X for. Perhaps Escape or some other obvious key should be used to cancel the file operation.

Of course, like everything else, this should be an option.]]> Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:47:08 +0000 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:03:03 +0000