NAME
Cut, Copy, Paste (Action
Choice) — Reference
Description
Cut, Copy, and Paste are action choices that are used in conjunction
with the clipboard. The following describes each choice:
- 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.
- Copy
An action choice that copies selected elements and
places them onto the clipboard. The selected elements are unaffected.
- 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.
When to Use
- Required
Provide a Cut choice for all elements and data.
- Required
Provide a Copy choice for all elements for which
the user can create a duplicate, and for data that the user can
duplicate.
- Required
Provide a Paste choice for all objects or elements
that the user can place or insert into other objects or elements.
Guidelines
Cut
- Required
When the user chooses Cut, remove the objects or
data to which the choice applies from their current location and
place them on the clipboard.
- Required
Display the Cut choice in a pull-down menu with
unavailable emphasis when the element to which the Cut choice applies
cannot be cut.
- Recommended
If you provide the Cut choice, provide the user
with a warning message to confirm the requested action. For example,
when the user cuts data from a spreadsheet, display a warning message
that cutting the data will affect the remaining data.
- Required
If you provide the Cut choice on an element, place
Cut in the element's pop-up menu when it can be cut.
- Required
Assign CtrlX
or Shift Delete
as the shortcut key combination for a Cut choice.
Copy
- Required
When the user chooses Copy, copy the objects or
data to which the choice applies from their current location to
the clipboard.
- Required
Display the Copy choice on a pull-down menu with
unavailable emphasis when the element to which the Copy choice applies
cannot be copied to the clipboard.
- Required
If you provide the Copy choice for an element, place
Copy in the element's pop-up menu when it can be copied.
- Required
When the user copies an element to the clipboard,
do not change the state of the source element. For example, do not
change the selection state of the element as a result of copying
it.
- Required
When the user copies an element to the clipboard,
do not change the state of the copied object on the clipboard.
- Required
Assign CtrlC
or Ctrl Insert
as the shortcut key combination for a Cut choice.
Paste
- Required
When the user chooses Paste, insert the objects
or data to which the choice applies from the clipboard to the current
cursor location.
- Required
Display the Paste choice on a pull-down menu with
unavailable emphasis when no data is in the clipboard or when the
clipboard data cannot be pasted at the cursor's position.
- Recommended
If you provide the Paste choice, provide the user
with a warning message to confirm the requested action. For example,
when the user pastes data into a spreadsheet, display a warning
message that pasting the data will affect the remaining data.
- Required
If you provide a Paste menu item for an element,
place Paste in the element's pop-up menu when the element or data
currently in the buffer can be passed into the element at the cursor's
location.
- Required
Assign CtrlV
or Shift Insert
as the shortcut key combination for a Paste choice.
Essential Related Topics
For more information, see the Clipboard
and Edit (Menu) reference
pages.
Supplemental Related Topics
For more information, see the Copy To (Dialog Choice),
Delete (Action Choice),
and Undo (Choice) reference
pages.
Printable version
