Select, grab and move - faster way

learner9753

I have work to tagging text with numbers.

Orginal text sample:
“1|w| Na początku stworzył Bóg niebo i ziemię.
|7225| |1254| |430| |853| |8064| |853| |776|”

Text tagged:
“1|w| Na początku|7225| stworzył|1254| Bóg|430| [-]|853| niebo|8064| i|853| ziemię.|776|”

And that thousands of times.

To select tag i must to double click LMB, to grab it - wait 0.5 second, then hold LMB and move to proper place.

I write certain macro in AutoHotkey program to reduce this steps to clicking and holding simultaneously Ctrl and LMB but I must wait this 0.5 second. When I don’t wait and click thrice LMB the whole line will be highlighted.

Can I in some way change settings of notepad++ to work this way that thrice clicking will grab my numerical tag? Or some shortcut or plugin will do this work?

Alan Kilborn

@learner9753

I think maybe a Pythonscript could be written for this use case. Are you interested in that?

You might have to adjust your workflow slightly…would that be okay?

What I’m thinking is that the double-click action would “cut” your text, and then you immediately start moving the mouse and when you stop your mouse that’s where the previously cut text would get pasted. There would still need to be some sort of delay involved so that the stopping of the mouse could be detected, but it could be shorter than 0.5 s.

Also, you’d have to train yourself for when you don’t want this behavior…NOT to double click to select! :)

But I’m curious about your example. You seem to have extra | in the “after” text; those wouldn’t get selected with a double-click action by default…

learner9753

Thanks for your response! Sure, this could save my life :)
Contact me on alexander.post(at)protonmail.com for details.
I am for that functionality: holding left Control + LMB will highlight and “cut” my number with “|” delimeter. Then this number will float with my cursor automatically, without any other action and embed when I click LMB again. Can you do that? It will be great…
About your question: I add this delimeter in Preferences -> Delimeter -> “Add your character…”.

Alan Kilborn

@learner9753 said:

I am for that functionality: holding left Control + LMB will highlight and “cut” my number with “|” delimeter. Then this number will float with my cursor automatically, without any other action and embed when I click LMB again. Can you do that?

Nope, it wouldn’t work that way. Scripting only gives you so much capability (with reasonable effort). It would work the way I said before, but I can make it plainer, I think: Double click some text, it totally disappears. You now have a normal looking caret and you have no mouse button down. Next you move the mouse to where you want the text to appear but you DO NOT STOP on the way (if you stop it will get pasted wherever you stop). When you reach your stopping point your text gets pasted without any other action (besides stopping).

Contact me on alexander.post(at)protonmail.com for details.

Gosh if I contacted you any way other than postings back-n-forther here it would have to be with an invoice for services. ;)

Alan Kilborn

Here’s a Pythonscript that implements the functionality:

from Npp import editor, SCINTILLANOTIFICATION, NOTIFICATION

try:
    install_state
except NameError:
    install_state = 0  # 0 = first run, 1 = active, 2 = inactive

if install_state == 0:

    paste_upon_mouse_stopped = False
    pos_of_cut = -1
    cut_word_length = 0
    LINE_NUMBER_MARGIN_DEFAULT_BACK_RGB = editor.styleGetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER)
    BLUEISH_RGB = (135, 206, 250)  # margin color when paste is pending

    def dwell_start_callback(args):
        if install_state == 2: return
        global paste_upon_mouse_stopped
        if paste_upon_mouse_stopped:
            pos_of_mouse_stop = args['position']
            if pos_of_mouse_stop != -1:  # if mouse cursor points beyond end-of-line or other non-position'd spot
                if pos_of_mouse_stop < pos_of_cut or pos_of_mouse_stop > pos_of_cut + cut_word_length:
                    editor.setSelectionStart(pos_of_mouse_stop)
                    editor.setSelectionEnd(pos_of_mouse_stop)
                    editor.paste()
                    editor.setSelectionStart(pos_of_mouse_stop)
                    editor.styleSetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER, LINE_NUMBER_MARGIN_DEFAULT_BACK_RGB)
                    paste_upon_mouse_stopped = False

    def double_click_callback(args):
        if install_state == 2: return
        ss = editor.getSelectionStart()
        se = editor.getSelectionEnd()
        if ss != se:
            global cut_word_length, pos_of_cut, paste_upon_mouse_stopped
            cut_word_length = len(editor.getSelText())
            editor.cut()
            pos_of_cut = editor.getCurrentPos()
            paste_upon_mouse_stopped = True
            editor.styleSetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER, BLUEISH_RGB)

    editor.setMouseDwellTime(300)  # set a more reasonable value than the default (10000000 ms)

    editor.callback(dwell_start_callback, [SCINTILLANOTIFICATION.DWELLSTART])
    editor.callback(double_click_callback, [SCINTILLANOTIFICATION.DOUBLECLICK])

    install_state = 1

else:

    install_state = 2 if install_state == 1 else 1

It turns the line number margin area blue while the functionality is “in progress”. This was kind of interesting to experiment with, not sure of its general usefulness…

BTW, once the script is run it remains “on” and available. Running it a second time will turn it “off” without really uninstalling it. A third run will turn it back on, etc.

learner9753

Thank you very much Bro!
Besides: I’m very noob in python scripting in notepad++… I tried to run this by link text (Python Script). I even do not know if this is apropriate plugin for that. I have installed Python in my computer already. I tried to install this plugin through normal executable and I do not see this in my plugin list… Excuse me ;)

Meta Chuh

welcome to the notepad++ community, @learner9753

here is the Guide How to install the PythonScript plugin on Notepad++ 7.6.3, 7.6.4 and above

learner9753

Thank you, thank you very much! Everything goes perfectly well :) This script is great! Now my workflow improves heavily :D

guy038

Hello, @learner9753, @alan-kilborn, @meta-chuh and All,

@alan-kilborn,

Your script is really surprising, as it deals with mouse gestures ! This gives it a dynamic look, in contrast to most Python scripts, which provide, obviously, static results ;-))

Now, I think that it would be very useful to add a leading and/or a trailing string to the present cut selection ! I don’t mean dialogs to enter these string values. But, simply, two variables, let’s say prefix and suffix ;-)). For instance, with, the two assignments :

prefix = "......"

suffix = " €"

and the original text :

Article A
Article B
Article C
120
270
53

We would get, after 3 mouse gestures :

Article A......120 €
Article B......270 €
Article C......53 €

What’s your feeling about it ?

@learner9753,

Starting with your example :

1|w| Na początku stworzył Bóg niebo i ziemię.
|7225| |1254| |430| |853| |8064| |853| |776|

and the result :

1|w| Na początku|7225| stworzył|1254| Bóg|430| [-]|853| niebo|8064| i|853| ziemię.|776|

Let’s suppose that any set of characters, surrounded by spaces, is always associated with a tagging number, of the next line. Then we could organize your example as below :

 1       Na       początku       stworzył       Bóg       [-]       niebo       i       ziemię.
|w|      ||        |7225|         |1254|       |430|     |853|     |8064|     |853|      |776|

Notes :

I just inserted some space characters, in order to see the associated zones clearly !
You’ve certainly noticed :
- That an empty tagging number || have been added and associated to the word Na, of your example
- The string [-] have been added, in order to correspond with the 853 tagging number of your example

Now, this template of text could be easily handled and modified with a regular expression S/R !

So, assuming, for instance, the original text, below, pasted in a new tab :

1 Na początku stworzył Bóg [-] niebo
|w| || |7225| |1254| |430| |853| |8064|

Some text
indepedent of the
main zones to process



			1 Na początku stworzył
      |w| || |7225| |1254|

Other
rubbish text
between


1 Na początku stworzył Bóg [-] niebo i ziemię.
|w| || |7225| |1254| |430| |853| |8064| |853| |776|

Open the N++ Replace dialog ( Ctrl + H )

SEARCH (?-s)^((.+\|)?\h*[^\h\r\n]+)(.*\R\h*)(\|.*?\|)\h*

REPLACE \1\4\3

Click on the Wrap around option
Choose the Regular expression search mode

Now, click on the Replace All button, exclusively, several times, till you see the line Replace All: 0 occurrence were replaced.. ( You may also use the ALT + A shortcut ! )

Note that the number of hits on the Replace All button is equal to the value : 1 + number of tags of the longest line of tagging numbers of your file !

You should get the text below :

1|w| Na|| początku|7225| stworzył|1254| Bóg|430| [-]|853| niebo|8064|


Some text
indepedent of the
main zones to process



			1|w| Na|| początku|7225| stworzył|1254|
      

Other
rubbish text
between


1|w| Na|| początku|7225| stworzył|1254| Bóg|430| [-]|853| niebo|8064| i|853| ziemię.|776|

Finally just get rid of the surplus || empty tags ( as, for instance, after the Na word ! )

Best Regards,

guy038

P.S. :

The last line of the Alan script can be changed into :

install_state = 3 - install_state  # values 1 or 2

Whatever your programming language, if you have a variable that can only take 2 values a and b, you can always use the simple assignment, below :

var = ( a + b ) - var

to express the two possible values :-))

Indeed:

If var is equal to the value a, the next value becomes (a + b) - a, i.e. the value b
If var is equal to the value b, the next value becomes (a + b) - b, i.e. the value a

So, this syntax avoids an useless test. However, as this syntax does not, explicitly, show the two values, you may indicate them in comments, if desired

For instance, let’s suppose you have a test variable, which should be -11 or +7, only. Then, simply use the simple assignment :

test = -4 - test  # test = -11 or +7

Just because (-11) + (+7) = - 4 !

Of course, if you’re using the -1 and +1 values to identify the two states, the above statement just becomes :

test = - test  # test = - 1 or + 1

Alan Kilborn

@guy038 said:

Your script is really surprising,

I don’t know about surprising but I did think it was an interesting approach to the problem! :)

What’s your feeling about it ?

Sure, go for it! :)

“install_state”

Yea, my “install_state” stuff was kind of bad in the script (wrote that part very fast). After posting initially I made it better for myself, even though I may never have use for that script.

guy038

Hello, @learner9753, @alan-kilborn, @meta-chuh and All,

Alan, my post-script, about the install_state variable, was not intended to you, personally, but to everyone, of course. Just an easy trick ;-))

Now, I tried to slightly change your script to add a prefix and/or a suffix zones to the selected and cut text on a double mouse click. Of course, changes are quite minimum but, Alan, just tell me if something seems incorrect to you ;-)). Here is my version :

# coding= utf-8

#  Modified version, on 04-20-2019, of the Alan KILBORN's Python script, which includes TWO preset
#  variables to define 2 text areas BEFORE and/or AFTER the text, selected and cut on a DOUBLE-MOUSE click
#
# ORIGINAL file at location : https://notepad-plus-plus.org/community/topic/17462/select-grab-and-move-faster-way/5

from Npp import editor, SCINTILLANOTIFICATION, NOTIFICATION

try:
    install_state
except NameError:
    install_state = 0  # 0 = first run, 1 = active, 2 = inactive

if install_state == 0:

    # ----- START of the CONFIGURATION area -----
    prefix = '......'
    suffix = ' €'
    # ----- END of the CONFIGURATION area -----

    paste_upon_mouse_stopped = False
    pos_of_cut = -1
    cut_word_length = 0
    LINE_NUMBER_MARGIN_DEFAULT_BACK_RGB = editor.styleGetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER)
    BLUEISH_RGB = (135, 206, 250)  # margin color when paste is pending

    def dwell_start_callback(args):
        if install_state == 2: return
        global paste_upon_mouse_stopped
        if paste_upon_mouse_stopped:
            pos_of_mouse_stop = args['position']
            if pos_of_mouse_stop != -1:  # if mouse cursor points beyond end-of-line or other non-position'd spot
                if pos_of_mouse_stop < pos_of_cut or pos_of_mouse_stop > pos_of_cut + cut_word_length:
                    editor.setSelectionStart(pos_of_mouse_stop)
                    editor.setSelectionEnd(pos_of_mouse_stop)
                    editor.addText(prefix)
                    editor.paste()
                    editor.addText(suffix)
                    editor.setSelectionStart(pos_of_mouse_stop)
                    editor.styleSetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER, LINE_NUMBER_MARGIN_DEFAULT_BACK_RGB)
                    paste_upon_mouse_stopped = False

    def double_click_callback(args):
        if install_state == 2: return
        if editor.getSelectionStart() != editor.getSelectionEnd():
            global cut_word_length, pos_of_cut, paste_upon_mouse_stopped
            cut_word_length = len(editor.getSelText())
            editor.cut()
            pos_of_cut = editor.getCurrentPos()
            paste_upon_mouse_stopped = True
            editor.styleSetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER, BLUEISH_RGB)

    editor.setMouseDwellTime(300)  # set a more reasonable value than the default (10000000 ms)

    editor.callback(dwell_start_callback, [SCINTILLANOTIFICATION.DWELLSTART])
    editor.callback(double_click_callback, [SCINTILLANOTIFICATION.DOUBLECLICK])

    install_state = 1

else:

    install_state = 3 - install_state

Cheers,

guy038

Alan Kilborn

@guy038 said:

Alan, just tell me if something seems incorrect to you

Seems reasonable – is there any problem with it when you run it?

guy038

@alan-kilborn,

None ! It does what I was expected to ;-)) I was thinking about syntax : may be, an other function than editor.addText() or… ?

Anyway, thank you for your offer to help !

Best regards,

guy038

learner9753

Hello @guy038
Thanks for your help and tips. But this text was only an example. This kind of work is only to do “by hand”, because things are not always so simple. Numbers are not always matching text with that simple order as in my example…