mirrors/emacs
1
Fork 0
mirror of git://git.sv.gnu.org/emacs.git synced 2026-02-27 02:10:52 -08:00
Code Issues Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Update Killing chapter of manual for Emacs 24 clipboard changes.

Browse source 
* doc/emacs/frames.texi: Move Cut and Paste node and subnodes into
killing.texi, except Mouse Commands and Word and Line Mouse.

* doc/emacs/killing.texi (Killing, Deletion and Killing, Killing by Lines)
(Other Kill Commands, Kill Options): Copyedits.
(Deletion and Killing, Kill Ring): Kill/yank now use clipboard.
(Yanking): Move yank-excluded properties discussion here.
(Cut and Paste): Move from frames.texi.  Update subnodes to
describe x-select-enable-clipboard case.
This commit is contained in:
Chong Yidong 2011-07-10 23:38:49 -04:00
parent 35fe9c6044
commit 4d45a8b7a2
4 changed files with 281 additions and 263 deletions
Download patch file Download diff file Expand all files Collapse all files

12
doc/emacs/ChangeLog
View file

@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
2011-07-11 Chong Yidong <cyd@stupidchicken.com>
* killing.texi (Killing, Deletion and Killing, Killing by Lines)
(Other Kill Commands, Kill Options): Copyedits.
(Deletion and Killing, Kill Ring): Kill/yank now use clipboard.
(Yanking): Move yank-excluded properties discussion here.
(Cut and Paste): Move from frames.texi. Update subnodes to
describe x-select-enable-clipboard case.
* frames.texi: Move Cut and Paste node and subnodes into
killing.texi, except Mouse Commands and Word and Line Mouse.
2011-07-10 Andy Moreton <andrewjmoreton@gmail.com> (tiny change)
* makefile.w32-in (EMACSSOURCES): Replace major.texi with modes.texi.

18
doc/emacs/emacs.texi
View file

@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ Important Text-Changing Commands
* Mark:: The mark: how to delimit a ``region'' of text.
* Killing:: Killing (cutting) text.
* Yanking:: Recovering killed text. Moving text. (Pasting.)
* Cut and Paste:: Clipboard and selections on graphical displays.
* Accumulating Text:: Other ways of copying text.
* Rectangles:: Operating on text in rectangular areas.
* CUA Bindings:: Using @kbd{C-x}, @kbd{C-c}, @kbd{C-v} to kill and yank.
@ -329,6 +330,12 @@ Yanking
* Appending Kills:: Several kills in a row all yank together.
* Earlier Kills:: Yanking something killed some time ago.
Killing and Yanking on Graphical Displays
* Clipboard:: How Emacs interacts with the system clipboard.
* Primary Selection:: The temporarily selected text selection.
* Secondary Selection:: Cutting without altering point and mark.
Registers
* RegPos:: Saving positions in registers.
@ -493,7 +500,8 @@ Multiple Windows
Frames and Graphical Displays
* Cut and Paste:: Mouse commands for cut and paste.
* Mouse Commands:: Moving, cutting, and pasting, with the mouse.
* Word and Line Mouse:: Mouse commands for selecting whole words or lines.
* Mouse References:: Using the mouse to select an item from a list.
* Menu Mouse Clicks:: Mouse clicks that bring up menus.
* Mode Line Mouse:: Mouse clicks on the mode line.
@ -515,14 +523,6 @@ Frames and Graphical Displays
* Non-Window Terminals:: Multiple frames on terminals that show only one.
* Text-Only Mouse:: Using the mouse in text-only terminals.
Killing and Yanking on Graphical Displays
* Mouse Commands:: Moving, cutting, and pasting, with the mouse.
* Word and Line Mouse:: Mouse commands for selecting whole words or lines.
* Cut/Paste Other App:: Transfering text between Emacs and other apps.
* Secondary Selection:: Cutting without altering point and mark.
* Clipboard:: Using the clipboard for selections.
International Character Set Support
* International Chars:: Basic concepts of multibyte characters.

181
doc/emacs/frames.texi
View file

@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ so that you can use many of the features described in this chapter.
@end ifnottex
@menu
* Cut and Paste:: Mouse commands for cut and paste.
* Mouse Commands:: Moving, cutting, and pasting, with the mouse.
* Word and Line Mouse:: Mouse commands for selecting whole words or lines.
* Mouse References:: Using the mouse to select an item from a list.
* Menu Mouse Clicks:: Mouse clicks that bring up menus.
* Mode Line Mouse:: Mouse clicks on the mode line.
@ -56,22 +57,8 @@ so that you can use many of the features described in this chapter.
* Text-Only Mouse:: Using the mouse in text-only terminals.
@end menu
@node Cut and Paste
@section Cutting and Pasting on Graphical Displays
This section describes commands for selecting a region, cutting, and
pasting using the mouse.
@menu
* Mouse Commands:: Moving, cutting, and pasting, with the mouse.
* Word and Line Mouse:: Mouse commands for selecting whole words or lines.
* Cut/Paste Other App:: Transfering text between Emacs and other apps.
* Secondary Selection:: Cutting without altering point and mark.
* Clipboard:: Using the clipboard for selections.
@end menu
@node Mouse Commands
@subsection Mouse Commands for Editing
@section Mouse Commands for Editing
@cindex mouse buttons (what they do)
@kindex Mouse-1
@ -141,7 +128,7 @@ variable @code{mouse-yank-at-point} to a non-@code{nil} value,
@kbd{Mouse-2} does not move point. Then it does not matter where you
click, or even which of the frame's windows you click on; the yank
occurs at the existing point. This variable also affects yanking the
primary and secondary selections (@pxref{Cut/Paste Other App}).
primary and secondary selections (@pxref{Primary Selection}).
@findex mouse-save-then-kill
Clicking with the right mouse button, @kbd{Mouse-3}, runs the
@ -195,7 +182,7 @@ make Emacs behave this way by enabling Delete Selection mode.
@xref{Using Region}.
@node Word and Line Mouse
@subsection Mouse Commands for Words and Lines
@section Mouse Commands for Words and Lines
These variants of @kbd{Mouse-1} select entire words or lines at a
time. Emacs activates the region around the selected text, which is
@ -224,164 +211,6 @@ Select the line you click on.
Select the text you drag across, in the form of whole lines.
@end table
@node Cut/Paste Other App
@subsection Cut and Paste with Other Window Applications
@cindex X cutting and pasting
@cindex X selection
@cindex primary selection
@cindex selection, primary
When running Emacs under the X window system, you can easily
transfer text between Emacs and other X applications using the
@dfn{primary selection} (also called the @dfn{X selection}). This is
@emph{not} the same thing as the @dfn{clipboard}, which is a separate
facility used on desktop environments such as Gnome, and on operating
systems such as Microsoft Windows (@pxref{Clipboard}).
Under X, whenever you select some text in Emacs by dragging or
clicking the mouse (@pxref{Mouse Commands}), it is also saved in the
primary selection. You can then @dfn{paste} that text into any other
X application, usually by clicking @kbd{Mouse-2} in that application.
Unlike the Emacs kill ring (@pxref{Kill Ring}), the primary selection
has no ``memory'': each time you save something in the primary
selection, either in Emacs or in another X application, the previous
contents of the primary selection are lost.
@cindex MS-Windows, and primary selection
MS-Windows provides no primary selection, but Emacs emulates it
within a single Emacs session, by storing the selected text
internally. Therefore, all the features and commands related to the
primary selection work on Windows as they do on X, for cutting and
pasting within the same session, but not across Emacs sessions or with
other applications.
Whenever you kill some text using a command such as @kbd{C-w}
(@code{kill-region}), or copy it into the kill ring using a command
such as @kbd{M-w} (@code{kill-ring-save}), that text is also saved in
the primary selection. @xref{Killing}.
@vindex select-active-regions
If you set the region using the keyboard---for instance, by typing
@kbd{C-@key{SPC}} and moving point away from the mark---the text in
the region is not normally saved to the primary selection. However,
if you change the variable @code{select-active-regions} to @code{t},
the region is saved to the primary selection whenever you activate the
mark. Each change to the region also updates the primary selection.
@vindex yank-pop-change-selection
If you change @code{yank-pop-change-selection} to @code{t}, rotating
the kill ring with @kbd{M-y} (@code{yank-pop}) also saves the new yank
to the primary selection (@pxref{Yanking}).
@vindex save-interprogram-paste-before-kill
If you change @code{save-interprogram-paste-before-kill} to
@code{t}, each kill command first saves the existing selection onto
the kill ring. This prevents you from losing the existing selection,
at the risk of large memory consumption if other applications generate
large selections.
You can yank the primary selection into Emacs using the usual yank
commands, such as @kbd{C-y} (@code{yank}) and @kbd{Mouse-2}
(@code{mouse-yank-at-click}). These commands actually check the
primary selection before referring to the kill ring; if no primary
selection is available, the kill ring contents are used. To prevent
yank commands from accessing the primary selection, set the variable
@code{x-select-enable-primary} to @code{nil}.
The standard coding system for the primary selection is
@code{compound-text-with-extensions}. You may find that the pasted
text is not what you expected. In such a case, you can specify
another coding system for the selection by typing @kbd{C-x @key{RET}
x} or @kbd{C-x @key{RET} X}. Alternatively, you can request a
different data type by modifying the variable
@code{x-select-request-type}. @xref{Communication Coding}.
@node Secondary Selection
@subsection Secondary Selection
@cindex secondary selection
In addition to the primary selection, the X Window System provides a
second similar facility known as the @dfn{secondary selection}.
Nowadays, few X applications make use of the secondary selection, but
you can access it using the following Emacs commands:
@table @kbd
@findex mouse-set-secondary
@kindex M-Drag-Mouse-1
@item M-Drag-Mouse-1
Set the secondary selection, with one end at the place where you press
down the button, and the other end at the place where you release it
(@code{mouse-set-secondary}). The selected text is highlighted, using
the @code{secondary-selection} face, as you drag. The window scrolls
automatically if you drag the mouse off the top or bottom of the
window, just like @code{mouse-set-region} (@pxref{Mouse Commands}).
This command does not alter the kill ring.
@findex mouse-start-secondary
@kindex M-Mouse-1
@item M-Mouse-1
Set one endpoint for the @dfn{secondary selection}
(@code{mouse-start-secondary}).
@findex mouse-secondary-save-then-kill
@kindex M-Mouse-3
@item M-Mouse-3
Set the secondary selection, with one end at the position clicked and
the other at the position specified with @kbd{M-Mouse-1}
(@code{mouse-secondary-save-then-kill}). This also puts the selected
text in the kill ring. A second @kbd{M-Mouse-3} at the same place
kills the secondary selection just made.
@findex mouse-yank-secondary
@kindex M-Mouse-2
@item M-Mouse-2
Insert the secondary selection where you click, placing point at the
end of the yanked text (@code{mouse-yank-secondary}).
@end table
Double or triple clicking of @kbd{M-Mouse-1} operates on words and
lines, much like @kbd{Mouse-1}.
If @code{mouse-yank-at-point} is non-@code{nil}, @kbd{M-Mouse-2} yanks
at point. Then it does not matter precisely where you click, or even
which of the frame's windows you click on. @xref{Mouse Commands}.
@node Clipboard
@subsection Using the Clipboard
@cindex clipboard
In desktop environments such as Gnome, and operating systems such as
Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, you can transfer data (usually text)
between different applications using the @dfn{clipboard}. The
clipboard is distinct from the primary selection and secondary
selection discussed earlier. You can access the clipboard through the
@samp{Edit} menu of the menu bar (@pxref{Menu Bar}).
@cindex cut
@findex clipboard-kill-region
The command @code{clipboard-kill-region}, which is bound to the
@code{Cut} menu item, kills the region and saves it in the clipboard.
@cindex copy
@findex clipboard-kill-ring-save
The command @code{clipboard-kill-ring-save}, which is bound to the
@code{Copy} menu item, copies the region to the kill ring and saves it
in the clipboard.
@findex clipboard-yank
@cindex paste
The @code{Paste} menu item in the Edit menu yanks the contents of
the clipboard at point (@code{clipboard-yank}).
@vindex x-select-enable-clipboard
You can customize the variable @code{x-select-enable-clipboard} to
make the Emacs yank functions consult the clipboard before the primary
selection, and to make the kill functions to store in the clipboard as
well as the primary selection. Otherwise, these commands do not
access the clipboard at all. Using the clipboard is the default on
MS-Windows and Mac OS, but not on other systems.
@node Mouse References
@section Following References with the Mouse
@kindex Mouse-1 @r{(selection)}

333
doc/emacs/killing.texi
View file

@ -6,17 +6,21 @@
@node Killing, Registers, Mark, Top
@chapter Killing and Moving Text
@dfn{Killing} means erasing text and copying it into the @dfn{kill
ring}, from which you can bring it back into the buffer by
@dfn{yanking} it. (Some applications use the terms ``cutting'' and
``pasting'' for similar operations.) This is the most common way of
moving or copying text within Emacs. It is very versatile, because
there are commands for killing many different types of syntactic
units.
In Emacs, @dfn{killing} means erasing text and copying it into the
@dfn{kill ring}. @dfn{Yanking} means bringing text from the kill ring
back into the buffer. (Some applications use the terms ``cutting''
and ``pasting'' for similar operations.) The kill ring is so-named
because it can be visualized as a set of blocks of text arranged in a
ring, which you can access in cyclic order. @xref{Kill Ring}.
Killing and yanking are the most common way to move or copy text
within Emacs. It is very versatile, because there are commands for
killing many different types of syntactic units.
@menu
* Deletion and Killing:: Commands that remove text.
* Yanking:: Commands that insert text.
* Cut and Paste:: Clipboard and selections on graphical displays.
* Accumulating Text:: Other methods to add text to the buffer.
* Rectangles:: Operating on text in rectangular areas.
* CUA Bindings:: Using @kbd{C-x}/@kbd{C-c}/@kbd{C-v} to kill and yank.
@ -29,25 +33,28 @@ units.
@cindex cutting text
@cindex deletion
Most commands which erase text from the buffer save it in the kill
ring. These are known as @dfn{kill} commands. The kill ring stores
several recent kills, not just the last one, so killing is a very safe
operation: when you make a new kill, you don't have to worry much
about losing text that you previously killed.
ring. These are known as @dfn{kill} commands, and their names
normally contain the word @samp{kill} (e.g. @code{kill-line}). The
kill ring stores several recent kills, not just the last one, so
killing is a very safe operation: you don't have to worry much about
losing text that you previously killed. The kill ring is shared by
all buffers, so text that is killed in one buffer can be yanked into
another buffer.
You can yank text from the kill ring into any position in a buffer,
including a position in a different buffer; the kill ring is shared by
all buffers. The @kbd{C-/} (@code{undo}) command can undo both kill
and delete commands (@pxref{Undo}); the importance of the kill ring is
that you can yank the text in a different place.
When you use @kbd{C-/} (@code{undo}) to undo a kill command
(@pxref{Undo}), that brings the killed text back into the buffer, but
does not remove it from the kill ring.
On graphical displays, killing text also copies it to the system
clipboard. @xref{Cut and Paste}.
Commands that erase text but do not save it in the kill ring are
known as @dfn{delete} commands. These include @kbd{C-d}
(@code{delete-char}) and @key{DEL} (@code{delete-backward-char}),
which delete only one character at a time, and those commands that
delete only spaces or newlines. Commands that can erase significant
amounts of nontrivial data generally do a kill operation instead. The
commands' names and individual descriptions use the words @samp{kill}
and @samp{delete} to say which kind of operation they perform.
known as @dfn{delete} commands; their names usually contain the word
@samp{delete}. These include @kbd{C-d} (@code{delete-char}) and
@key{DEL} (@code{delete-backward-char}), which delete only one
character at a time, and those commands that delete only spaces or
newlines. Commands that can erase significant amounts of nontrivial
data generally do a kill operation instead.
You can also use the mouse to kill and yank. @xref{Cut and Paste}.
@ -127,21 +134,22 @@ Kill an entire line at once (@code{kill-whole-line})
@kindex C-k
@findex kill-line
The simplest kill command is @kbd{C-k}. If given at the beginning
of a line, it kills all the text on the line@footnote{Here, ``line''
means a logical text line, not a screen line. @xref{Continuation
Lines}.}, leaving it blank. When used on a blank line, it kills the
whole line including its newline.
The simplest kill command is @kbd{C-k} (@code{kill-line}). If used
at the end of a line, it kills the line-ending newline character,
merging the next line into the current one (thus, a blank line is
entirely removed). Otherwise, @kbd{C-k} kills all the text from point
up to the end of the line; if point was originally at the beginning of
the line, this leaves the line blank.
More precisely, @kbd{C-k} kills from point up to the end of the
line, unless it is at the end of a line. In that case it kills the
newline following point, thus merging the next line into the current
one. Spaces and tabs at the end of the line are ignored when deciding
which case applies, so as long as point is after the last visible
Spaces and tabs at the end of the line are ignored when deciding
which case applies. As long as point is after the last visible
character in the line, you can be sure that @kbd{C-k} will kill the
newline. To kill an entire non-blank line, go to the beginning and
type @kbd{C-k} twice.
In this context, ``line'' means a logical text line, not a screen
line (@pxref{Continuation Lines}).
When @kbd{C-k} is given a positive argument @var{n}, it kills
@var{n} lines and the newlines that follow them (text on the current
line before point is not killed). With a negative argument
@ -157,10 +165,10 @@ following newline. This variable is normally @code{nil}.
@kindex C-S-backspace
@findex kill-whole-line
@kbd{C-S-backspace} (@code{kill-whole-line}) will kill a whole line
including its newline regardless of the position of point within the
line. Note that many character terminals will prevent you from typing
the key sequence @kbd{C-S-backspace}.
@kbd{C-S-backspace} (@code{kill-whole-line}) kills a whole line
including its newline, regardless of the position of point within the
line. Note that many text terminals will prevent you from typing the
key sequence @kbd{C-S-backspace}.
@node Other Kill Commands
@subsection Other Kill Commands
@ -196,10 +204,8 @@ last set. The mark is deactivated at the end of the command.
@kindex M-w
@findex kill-ring-save
The command @kbd{M-w} (@code{kill-ring-save}) copies the region into
the kill ring without removing it from the buffer. This is
approximately equivalent to @kbd{C-w} followed by @kbd{C-/}, except
that @kbd{M-w} does not alter the undo history.
@kbd{M-w} (@code{kill-ring-save}) copies the region into the kill
ring without removing it from the buffer.
Emacs also provides commands to kill specific syntactic units:
words, with @kbd{M-@key{DEL}} and @kbd{M-d} (@pxref{Words}); balanced
@ -220,12 +226,10 @@ search backward and kill text before point.
@vindex kill-read-only-ok
@cindex read-only text, killing
Some specialized buffers contain @dfn{read-only text}, which cannot
be modified and therefore cannot be killed. But some users like to
use the kill commands to copy read-only text into the kill ring,
without actually changing it. Therefore, the kill commands work
specially in a read-only buffer: they move over text, and copy it to
be modified and therefore cannot be killed. The kill commands work
specially in a read-only buffer: they move over text and copy it to
the kill ring, without actually deleting it from the buffer.
Normally, kill commands beep and display an error message when this
Normally, they also beep and display an error message when this
happens. But if you set the variable @code{kill-read-only-ok} to a
non-@code{nil} value, they just print a message in the echo area to
explain why the text has not been erased.
@ -257,10 +261,16 @@ Replace text just yanked with an earlier batch of killed text
Append next kill to last batch of killed text (@code{append-next-kill}).
@end table
On graphical displays with window systems, if there is a current
selection in some other application, and you selected it more recently
than you killed any text in Emacs, @kbd{C-y} copies the selection
instead of text killed within Emacs.
@cindex yanking and text properties
@vindex yank-excluded-properties
The yank commands discard certain properties from the yanked text.
These are properties that might lead to annoying results, such as
causing the text to respond to the mouse or specifying key bindings.
The list of properties to discard is stored in the variable
@code{yank-excluded-properties}. These properties are also discarded
when yanking register contents and rectangles. @xref{Text
Properties,,, elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, for more
information about text properties.
@menu
* Kill Ring:: Where killed text is stored. Basic yanking.
@ -271,38 +281,34 @@ instead of text killed within Emacs.
@node Kill Ring
@subsection The Kill Ring
All killed text is recorded in the @dfn{kill ring}, a list of blocks
of text that have been killed. There is only one kill ring, shared by
all buffers, so you can kill text in one buffer and yank it in another
buffer. This is the usual way to move text from one file to another.
(There are several other methods: for instance, you could store the
text in a register. @xref{Registers}, for information about
registers. @xref{Accumulating Text}, for some other ways to move text
around.)
The @dfn{kill ring} is a list of blocks of text that were previously
killed. There is only one kill ring, shared by all buffers, so you
can kill text in one buffer and yank it in another buffer. This is
the usual way to move text from one file to another. (There are
several other methods: for instance, you could store the text in a
register; see @ref{Registers}. @xref{Accumulating Text}, for some
other ways to move text around.)
@kindex C-y
@findex yank
The command @kbd{C-y} (@code{yank}) reinserts the text of the most
recent kill, leaving the cursor at the end of the text. It also adds
the position of the beginning of the text to the mark ring, without
activating the mark; this allows you to jump easily to that position
with @kbd{C-x C-x} (@pxref{Setting Mark}). With a plain prefix
argument (@kbd{C-u C-y}), it instead leaves the cursor in front of the
text, and adds the position of the end of the text to the mark ring.
Using other sort of prefix argument specifies an earlier kill; for
example, @kbd{C-u 4 C-y} reinserts the fourth most recent kill.
@xref{Earlier Kills}.
@kbd{C-y} (@code{yank}) reinserts the text of the most recent kill,
leaving the cursor at the end of the text. It also adds the position
of the beginning of the text to the mark ring, without activating the
mark; this allows you to jump easily to that position with @kbd{C-x
C-x} (@pxref{Setting Mark}).
@cindex yanking and text properties
@vindex yank-excluded-properties
The yank commands discard certain properties from the yanked text.
These are properties that might lead to annoying results, such as
causing the text to respond to the mouse or specifying key bindings.
The list of properties to discard is stored in the variable
@code{yank-excluded-properties}. Yanking of register contents and
rectangles also discard these properties. @xref{Text Properties,,,
elisp, the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}, for more information about
text properties.
On graphical displays, @kbd{C-y} first checks if another application
has placed any text in the system clipboard more recently than the
last Emacs kill. If so, it inserts from the clipboard instead of the
kill ring. Conceptually, you can think of the clipboard as an
``extra'' entry in the kill ring, which is present if you recently cut
or copied some text in another application. @xref{Cut and Paste}.
With a plain prefix argument (@kbd{C-u C-y}), the @code{yank}
command instead leaves the cursor in front of the text, and adds the
position of the end of the text to the mark ring. Using any other
prefix argument specifies an earlier kill; for example, @kbd{C-u 4
C-y} reinserts the fourth most recent kill. @xref{Earlier Kills}.
@node Appending Kills
@subsection Appending Kills
@ -418,6 +424,177 @@ saved.
@code{kill-ring}; you can view the entire contents of the kill ring with
the command @kbd{C-h v kill-ring}.
@node Cut and Paste
@section ``Cut and Paste'' Operations on Graphical Displays
@cindex cut
@cindex copy
@cindex paste
In most graphical desktop environments, you can transfer data
(usually text) between different applications using a system facility
called the @dfn{clipboard}. On X, two other similar facilities are
available: the primary selection and the secondary selection. When
Emacs is run on a graphical display, its kill and yank commands
integrate with these facilities, so that you can easily transfer text
between Emacs and other graphical applications.
By default, Emacs uses UTF-8 as the coding system for inter-program
text transfers. If you find that the pasted text is not what you
expected, you can specify another coding system by typing @kbd{C-x
@key{RET} x} or @kbd{C-x @key{RET} X}. You can also request a
different data type by customizing @code{x-select-request-type}.
@xref{Communication Coding}.
@menu
* Clipboard:: How Emacs uses the system clipboard.
* Primary Selection:: The temporarily selected text selection.
* Secondary Selection:: Cutting without altering point and mark.
@end menu
@node Clipboard
@subsection Using the Clipboard
@cindex clipboard
The @dfn{clipboard} is the facility that most graphical applications
use for ``cutting and pasting''. When the clipboard exists, the kill
and yank commands in Emacs make use of it.
When you kill some text with a command such as @kbd{C-w}
(@code{kill-region}), or copy it to the kill ring with a command such
as @kbd{M-w} (@code{kill-ring-save}), that text is also put in the
clipboard. @xref{Killing}.
@vindex save-interprogram-paste-before-kill
When an Emacs kill command puts text in the clipboard, the existing
clipboard contents are normally lost. Optionally, you can change
@code{save-interprogram-paste-before-kill} to @code{t}. Then Emacs
will first save the clipboard to its kill ring, preventing you from
losing the old clipboard data---at the risk of high memory consumption
if that data turns out to be large.
The usual yank commands, such as @kbd{C-y} (@code{yank}), also use
the clipboard. If another application ``owns'' the clipboard---i.e.,
if you cut or copied text there more recently than your last kill
command in Emacs---then Emacs yanks from the clipboard instead of the
kill ring. Otherwise, it yanks from the kill ring, as described in
@ref{Yanking}.
@vindex yank-pop-change-selection
Normally, rotating the kill ring with @kbd{M-y} (@code{yank-pop})
does not alter the clipboard. However, if you change
@code{yank-pop-change-selection} to @code{t}, then @kbd{M-y} saves the
new yank to the clipboard.
@vindex x-select-enable-clipboard
To prevent kill and yank commands from accessing the clipboard,
change the variable @code{x-select-enable-clipboard} to @code{nil}.
@vindex x-select-enable-primary
@findex clipboard-kill-region
@findex clipboard-kill-ring-save
@findex clipboard-yank
Prior to Emacs 24, the kill and yank commands used the primary
selection (@pxref{Primary Selection}), not the clipboard. If you
prefer this behavior, change @code{x-select-enable-clipboard} to
@code{nil}, @code{x-select-enable-primary} to @code{t}, and
@code{mouse-drag-copy-region} to @code{t}. In this case, you can use
the following commands to act explicitly on the clipboard:
@code{clipboard-kill-region} kills the region and saves it to the
clipboard; @code{clipboard-kill-ring-save} copies the region to the
kill ring and saves it to the clipboard; and @code{clipboard-yank}
yanks the contents of the clipboard at point.
@node Primary Selection
@subsection Cut and Paste with Other Window Applications
@cindex X cutting and pasting
@cindex X selection
@cindex primary selection
@cindex selection, primary
Under the X window system, there exists a @dfn{primary selection}
containing the last stretch of text selected in an X application
(usually by dragging the mouse). Typically, this text can be inserted
into other X applications by @kbd{mouse-2} clicks. The primary
selection is separate from the clipboard (@pxref{Clipboard}). Its
contents are more ``fragile''; they are overwritten by any mouse
selection, whereas the clipboard is only overwritten by explicit
``cut'' or ``copy'' commands.
Under X, whenever you select some text in Emacs by dragging or
clicking the mouse (@pxref{Mouse Commands}), it is also saved to the
primary selection.
@vindex select-active-regions
If you set the region using the keyboard---for instance, by typing
@kbd{C-@key{SPC}} and moving point away from the mark---the text in
the region is also saved to the primary selection. (The updating of
the primary selection is done at the end of each command, as long as
the region is active and non-empty.) To disable this behavior, change
the variable @code{select-active-regions} to @code{nil}.
To insert the primary selection into an Emacs buffer, click
@kbd{mouse-2} (@code{mouse-yank-primary}) where you want to insert it.
@xref{Mouse Commands}.
@cindex MS-Windows, and primary selection
MS-Windows provides no primary selection, but Emacs emulates it
within a single Emacs session by storing the selected text internally.
Therefore, all the features and commands related to the primary
selection work on Windows as they do on X, for cutting and pasting
within the same session, but not across Emacs sessions or with other
applications.
@node Secondary Selection
@subsection Secondary Selection
@cindex secondary selection
In addition to the primary selection, the X Window System provides a
second similar facility known as the @dfn{secondary selection}.
Nowadays, few X applications make use of the secondary selection, but
you can access it using the following Emacs commands:
@table @kbd
@findex mouse-set-secondary
@kindex M-Drag-Mouse-1
@item M-Drag-Mouse-1
Set the secondary selection, with one end at the place where you press
down the button, and the other end at the place where you release it
(@code{mouse-set-secondary}). The selected text is highlighted, using
the @code{secondary-selection} face, as you drag. The window scrolls
automatically if you drag the mouse off the top or bottom of the
window, just like @code{mouse-set-region} (@pxref{Mouse Commands}).
This command does not alter the kill ring.
@findex mouse-start-secondary
@kindex M-Mouse-1
@item M-Mouse-1
Set one endpoint for the @dfn{secondary selection}
(@code{mouse-start-secondary}).
@findex mouse-secondary-save-then-kill
@kindex M-Mouse-3
@item M-Mouse-3
Set the secondary selection, with one end at the position clicked and
the other at the position specified with @kbd{M-Mouse-1}
(@code{mouse-secondary-save-then-kill}). This also puts the selected
text in the kill ring. A second @kbd{M-Mouse-3} at the same place
kills the secondary selection just made.
@findex mouse-yank-secondary
@kindex M-Mouse-2
@item M-Mouse-2
Insert the secondary selection where you click, placing point at the
end of the yanked text (@code{mouse-yank-secondary}).
@end table
Double or triple clicking of @kbd{M-Mouse-1} operates on words and
lines, much like @kbd{Mouse-1}.
If @code{mouse-yank-at-point} is non-@code{nil}, @kbd{M-Mouse-2} yanks
at point. Then it does not matter precisely where you click, or even
which of the frame's windows you click on. @xref{Mouse Commands}.
@node Accumulating Text
@section Accumulating Text
@findex append-to-buffer