Paste normal cut text in column mode

[fahrrad13]

Hello,

column mode is amazing, but is there a way to insert (multi-line) text using the column mode, which was cut (or copied) via the normal mode?

For example to go from:

ID = 
ID = 
1
2
END

directly to:

ID = 1
ID = 2
END

without being left with the two blank lines above END, which would happen using normal column mode.

thanks for any suggestions!

[Coises]

@fahrrad13 said:

Hello,

column mode is amazing, but is there a way to insert (multi-line) text using the column mode, which was cut (or copied) via the normal mode?

For example to go from:

ID = 
ID = 
1
2
END

directly to:

ID = 1
ID = 2
END

without being left with the two blank lines above END, which would happen using normal column mode.

thanks for any suggestions!

There is a way, at least for your specific example, but it’s typically more error-prone trouble than it’s worth.

First, you must have these settings at Settings | Preferences | Editing2 both checked (which they are by default):

Enable Multi-Editing (Ctrl+Mouse click/selection)
Enable Column Selection to Multi-Editing

After making sure of that:

1. Make a column selection surrounding the 1 and 2.
2. Hold down Shift and press the right arrow key once. (That changes the column selection to a multiple selection and includes the line endings in the selections.)
3. Cut.
4. Make an empty column selection following the blanks at the end of the first two lines.
5. Hold down Shift and press the right arrow key once.
6. Paste.

[DanielCollins]

Thanks for the detailed steps, Coises — that Shift+Right Arrow trick to turn the column selection into a multi-editing selection is the part I had been missing.

One alternative that worked well for me in a similar case, when the values are already on separate lines, is to skip the cut step altogether: place a caret at the end of each target line with Ctrl+click (multi-editing), then paste the multi-line text. Notepad++ puts one pasted line at each caret, so the 1 goes after the first ID = and the 2 after the second, with no blank lines left behind. It is a bit fiddly if there are many lines, but for two or three lines it is quicker than converting the selection back and forth.

Either way, checking that both multi-editing options are enabled in Settings > Preferences > Editing 2 first, as you said, seems to be the key.