In human-computer interaction, cut and paste or copy and paste is a user interface paradigm for transferring text, data, files or objects from a source to a destination. Most ubiquitous is the ability to cut and paste sections of plain text. This paradigm is closely associated with graphical user interfaces that use pointing devices.
The term cut and paste derives from the traditional practice in manuscript editing in which paragraphs were literally cut from a page with scissors and physically pasted onto another page. This was standard practice as late as the 1960s. Editing scissors with blades long enough to cut an 8-1/2"-wide page were available at stationery stores. The advent of photocopiers made the practice easier and more flexible.
The cut-and-paste paradigm was widely popularized by Apple in the Lisa (1981) and Macintosh (1984) operating systems and applications. It was mapped to a key combination consisting of a special control key held down while typing the letters X (for cut), C (for copy), and V (for paste). These key combinations were later adopted by Microsoft in Windows. Common User Architecture (in Windows and OS/2) also uses combinations of the Insert, Del, Shift and Control keys. Some environments allow cutting and pasting with a computer mouse (by drag and drop, for example).
Cut and paste are very frequently performed operations. It is customary to provide several methods for performing them, such as a key combination, a pulldown menu, and a toolbar button.
The text to be moved is selected by some method, typically by dragging over the text with the pointing device.
A cut operation is performed by key combination, menu, or other means.
The visible effect of the cut is to remove the text immediately from its location.
Conceptually, the text has been moved to a location often called the clipboard. The clipboard is typically invisible. On most systems there is only one location in the clipboard, hence another cut operation overwrites the previously stored information. Multiple clipboard entries are provided by many UNIX text editors and some Windows clipboard manager programs that are available over the Internet.
A location for insertion is selected by some method, typically by clicking at the desired insertion point.
A paste operation is performed which visibly inserts the clipboard text at the insertion point.
The paste operation is nondestructive; the text remains in the clipboard and additional copies can be inserted at other points.
Whereas cut and paste is usually done with a mouse on Windows-like environment, it may also sometimes be done entirely from the keyboard, especially in UNIX text editors, such as pico or vi. The most common kind of cutting and pasting without a mouse involves the entire current line, but it may also involve text after the cursor until the end of the line and other more sophisticated operations.
When cut and paste are provided, a nondestructive operation called copy is usually provided as well; copy places a copy of the selected text in the clipboard without removing it from its original location.
The clipboard is usually not displayed, because the operations of cutting and pasting, while actually independent, are usually performed in quick succession, and the user (usually) needs no assistance in understanding the operation or maintaining mental context.
Sometimes, if a section of text is cut and a different section of text is cut after it, the first section of text will be cut out of existence, with no way to retrieve it. This only applies to cut and paste programs that can only hold one thing on the clipboard. This is usually not a problem for clipboards that can hold multiple cuts.
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Copy and paste
Copy-and-paste refers to the popular, simple method of reproducing text or other data from a source to a destination, which is only different from cut and paste in that the original source text or data is not deleted or removed as it is with the latter process.
Copying can be performed on most graphical user interface systems using the key combinations Ctrl+C (used for killing the running process in UNIX and DOS environments) or Ctrl+Ins (the former being more widely supported), or by using some other method, such as a context menu or a toolbar button. Once data have been copied into the area of memory referred to as the clipboard, they can be pasted into a destination using the key combinations Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert, or methods dependent on the system. Macintosh computers use the key combinations Command+C and Command+V. In the X Window System, selecting text copies it to a clipboard, while middle-clicking pastes.
The popularity of this method stems from its simplicity and the ease with which data can be moved between various applications without resorting to permanent storage.
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Comparison to verb-object paradigm
As of 2005, the cut-and-paste paradigm is so universal as to be taken for granted, and it may be instructive to compare a competing paradigm, popular in some early, highly successful applications that were known for ease of use by the standards of the day.
Initially, no text is selected.
The user initiates the operation by selecting a move command in some manner.
The system displays a prompt such as "Move what?"
The system enters a modal state in which the only actions available to the user are either to select text or cancel the move operation.
The user selects the text in some manner.
The system displays a prompt "To where?"
The system enters a modal state in which the only actions available to the user are either to indicate an insertion point or cancel the move operation.
The user indicates the insertion point and confirms the move operation.
The effects of the move are displayed.
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2006-06-16 08:43:09
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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When I first started on here I tried to read them but now I just go right by unless I know the person then I will read it. Most of the people I know write original answers though. Not much cut and paste.
Love & Light
Sharon
2006-06-16 15:45:06
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answer #2
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answered by Soul 5
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Yes, sometimes I do if it's a Q&A that I'm interested in. I've even done those copy and pastes but only when I felt it was beneficial to the answerer.
2006-06-16 15:43:51
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answer #3
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answered by andreahud 4
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No, but hopefully the person asking the question is interested enough to read it and maybe find it helpful. For the rest of us, it is not interesting reading though.
2006-06-16 15:45:45
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answer #4
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answered by butrcupps 6
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It's too long for an answer. Good answers should be precise, concise and informative. I think we should give enough room for others so that we'll be able to hear a lot of ideas and opinion.
2006-06-16 15:46:01
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answer #5
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answered by *** 3
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Me neither...it's too much reading to do on the computer...hurts my eyes. Plus, most of the time, I either just don't care or it's irrelevant to the question asked.
2006-06-16 15:44:04
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answer #6
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answered by LindaLou 7
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no y dont they just copy the url? its a lot quicker and can be read if really want to
2006-06-16 15:43:13
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answer #7
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answered by T 3
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It it goes beyond one screen, I very rarely read it.
If it can't be said in 100 words or less, I'm not interested.
2006-06-16 15:43:26
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answer #8
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answered by Left the building 7
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Nope. One-screen limit for the sake of both my eyesight and my patience.
2006-06-16 15:50:23
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answer #9
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answered by ? 7
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Nope. I don't. I see the word "Jesus" or "God" in maybe about 4 of those lines, and I skip it. :)
- 16 yo Pagan
2006-06-16 15:42:48
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answer #10
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answered by Lady Myrkr 6
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No..I just roll my eyes and keep on scanning down until I read some real answers...LOL.
2006-06-16 15:43:40
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answer #11
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answered by catalyst 3
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