4 ms·

So if the underlying value changes enough that pasting anything but the values doesn't make sense then what's the UI here? Ctrl+C does nothing but Ctrl+Shift+C

So if the underlying value changes enough that pasting anything but the values doesn't make sense then what's the UI here? Ctrl+C does nothing but Ctrl+Shift+C gives you the option to paste values with the inappropriate ones greyed out? Does the dotted border on the copied text go away because ctrl+C isn't going to work or does it stay because some portions of paste special can still work?

tgb 6y ago
I think the scenario for pasting formula is the same as for pasting values: paste what was there at the time of copying. Is there a situation where this doesn't make sense? I'd be fine with it being kinda-wrong in situations like the original cells referred to another cell but now there's been a new row inserted and those cells are elsewhere and the clipboard hasn't updated. That's what I would expect a copy to do. Excel allows references to cells in other spreadsheets and if you edit the other spreadsheet, then the references in your first spreadsheet don't update to reflect that, so the clipboard would just act like another spreadsheet. Edit: the better way to say this is that "copy (do something) paste" should always act the same as "copy, paste on a new blank spreadsheet, (do something) and then copy and paste that onto the original spreadsheet".
- bhandziuk 6y ago
  It'd be cool if it worked like that but I'm sympathetic to it not
  - setr 6y ago
    I'm not sure I am; the current behavior is almost always surprising and unexpected. You effectively need to keep a list in your head of everything that will clear your clipboard, which is really a list of everything that could ever cause problems, more often than not a flag that is entirely unrelated to your actual intent/action. You might as well have it clear the clipboard if your next action isn't immediately paste and be done with it. Just don't bother to set the expectation that pasting will work like elsewhere.
systoll 6y ago
The dotted border is kind of the problem. It represents an active connection between the current spreadsheet and what was copied, and that connection shouldn’t exist. When implemented normally, ‘copy’ puts a copy of the selection on the clipboard; ‘paste’ takes whatever was on the clipboard and puts it at the current location. Once you copy, it shouldn’t matter what you do on the spreadsheet, because you’re pasting from the clipboard. Normal behaviour can be emulated by copy+pasting into a blank spreadsheet when you want to copy, and then copy+pasting from there when you want to paste. But then you’ve just turned that spreadsheet into what the clipboard is supposed to be.
- bhandziuk 6y ago
  Had you seen this link elsewhere in this thread? https://superuser.com/a/623142/85273 https://superuser.com/a/623142/85273

tgb 6y ago

I think the scenario for pasting formula is the same as for pasting values: paste what was there at the time of copying. Is there a situation where this doesn't make sense? I'd be fine with it being kinda-wrong in situations like the original cells referred to another cell but now there's been a new row inserted and those cells are elsewhere and the clipboard hasn't updated. That's what I would expect a copy to do. Excel allows references to cells in other spreadsheets and if you edit the other spreadsheet, then the references in your first spreadsheet don't update to reflect that, so the clipboard would just act like another spreadsheet. Edit: the better way to say this is that "copy (do something) paste" should always act the same as "copy, paste on a new blank spreadsheet, (do something) and then copy and paste that onto the original spreadsheet".

bhandziuk 6y ago
It'd be cool if it worked like that but I'm sympathetic to it not
- setr 6y ago
  I'm not sure I am; the current behavior is almost always surprising and unexpected. You effectively need to keep a list in your head of everything that will clear your clipboard, which is really a list of everything that could ever cause problems, more often than not a flag that is entirely unrelated to your actual intent/action. You might as well have it clear the clipboard if your next action isn't immediately paste and be done with it. Just don't bother to set the expectation that pasting will work like elsewhere.

systoll 6y ago

The dotted border is kind of the problem. It represents an active connection between the current spreadsheet and what was copied, and that connection shouldn’t exist. When implemented normally, ‘copy’ puts a copy of the selection on the clipboard; ‘paste’ takes whatever was on the clipboard and puts it at the current location. Once you copy, it shouldn’t matter what you do on the spreadsheet, because you’re pasting from the clipboard. Normal behaviour can be emulated by copy+pasting into a blank spreadsheet when you want to copy, and then copy+pasting from there when you want to paste. But then you’ve just turned that spreadsheet into what the clipboard is supposed to be.

bhandziuk 6y ago
Had you seen this link elsewhere in this thread? https://superuser.com/a/623142/85273 https://superuser.com/a/623142/85273