Re: clipboard/selection: customization vs. rebinding

[David De La Harpe Golden <david@harpegolden.net>]

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On 27/06/11 16:59, Chong Yidong wrote:
> David De La Harpe Golden<david@harpegolden.net>  writes:
>
>> I propose for 24 binding mouse-2 back to mouse-yank-at-click but with
>> the addition of boolean customization to control the precise behaviour
>> to allow the desired fd.o-type behaviour.
>
> It's a tough decision.  It's true that mouse-yank-at-click has fringe
> bindings, so anyone who wants the old behavior would need to rebind
> those too, which is a nuisance.
>
> However, if we introduce a boolean to control mouse-yank-at-click, that
> makes it harder for users to have both mouse yank behaviors available
> (by binding mouse-yank-at-click and mouse-yank-primary to different
> keys)---unless we introduce yet another command that unconditionally
> yanks from the kill ring, which I think is not worth the complication.
>

Hmm. actually, that command sort of already exists in the form of the 
existing mount-yank-at-click? It really "yanks from the kill-ring" - 
though that process can check the system clipboard and/or primary and 
pushing them onto the kill ring, according to x-select-enable-primary 
and x-select-enable-clipboard.

So just introducing a new mouse-yank-at-click that redirects to one of 
mouse-yank-primary or mouse-yank-last-kill (the old mouse-yank-at-click, 
renamed) depending on a customization, does achieve what I
was proposing.  Though you may still think it too messy / not worth the 
complication.


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=== modified file 'lisp/mouse.el'
--- lisp/mouse.el	2011-06-01 15:34:41 +0000
+++ lisp/mouse.el	2011-07-01 04:54:25 +0000
@@ -50,6 +50,16 @@
   :version "24.1"
   :group 'mouse)
 
+
+(defcustom mouse-yank-from-kill-ring nil
+  "If non-nil, `mouse-yank-at-click' yanks the last killed text.
+
+If nil, only the most recently selected text is inserted."
+  :type 'boolean
+  :version "24.1"
+  :group 'mouse)
+
+
 (defcustom mouse-1-click-follows-link 450
   "Non-nil means that clicking Mouse-1 on a link follows the link.
 
@@ -1240,7 +1250,21 @@
 	(kill-region (min (point) click-posn)
 		     (max (point) click-posn)))))
 
+
 (defun mouse-yank-at-click (click arg)
+  "Insert the most recently selected text at the position clicked on.
+
+If `mouse-yank-from-kill-ring` is non-nil, instead insert the last
+stretch of killed text at the position clicked on.
+
+If `mouse-yank-at-point' is non-nil, insert at point
+regardless of where you click."
+  (interactive "e\nP")
+  (if mouse-yank-from-kill-ring
+      (mouse-yank-last-kill click arg)
+    (mouse-yank-primary click)))
+
+(defun mouse-yank-last-kill (click arg)
   "Insert the last stretch of killed text at the position clicked on.
 Also move point to one end of the text thus inserted (normally the end),
 and set mark at the beginning.
@@ -2096,7 +2120,7 @@
 (global-set-key [left-fringe mouse-1]	'mouse-set-point)
 (global-set-key [right-fringe mouse-1]	'mouse-set-point)
 
-(global-set-key [mouse-2]	'mouse-yank-primary)
+(global-set-key [mouse-2]	'mouse-yank-at-click)
 ;; Allow yanking also when the corresponding cursor is "in the fringe".
 (global-set-key [right-fringe mouse-2] 'mouse-yank-at-click)
 (global-set-key [left-fringe mouse-2] 'mouse-yank-at-click)