Insert (paste) text without overwriting text on the next line

Matt pointvicente · Mar 16, 2021, 1:47 PM

Every time I paste text from the clipboard (ie 4 lines). I have to press enter (4) times to create (4) new lines otherwise it will overwrite the existing text on the next line. This is regardless of whether or not the “insert” key is pressed. How can I prevent notepad++ from overwriting?

Alan Kilborn · Mar 16, 2021, 1:49 PM

@Matt-pointvicente

My experience is that Notepad++'s paste NEVER overwrites existing data.
Not sure why yours would be different. :-(

PeterJones · Mar 16, 2021, 2:20 PM

@Matt-pointvicente said in Insert (paste) text without overwriting text on the next line:

This is regardless of whether or not the “insert” key is pressed.

Are you sure? Can you show a screenshot, including the status bar, when you’ve done a paste when you think you are in INSERT mode but it overwrites?

Also, is it behaving like ALT key is stuck? – if Windows Accessibility turned on persistent ALT, then you might be doing a column-paste without knowing it.

Maybe you have a strange plugin. Please share ?-menu’s Debug Info.

Ekopalypse · Mar 16, 2021, 4:21 PM

@Matt-pointvicente
Also, if the copy/paste action is from Npp, are you using a rectangular selection?
If not, does the paste work as with a rectangular selection?

Alan Kilborn · Mar 16, 2021, 5:10 PM

@PeterJones said in Insert (paste) text without overwriting text on the next line:

when you’ve done a paste when you think you are in INSERT mode but it overwrites?

But Insert/overwrite doesn’t matter for paste (it always inserts), so…

you might be doing a column-paste

But column-paste never overwrites data either, although a quick look at it after the paste may lead you to believe it, but if you really examine it you see nothing was overwritten, just perhaps moved a bit.

The only way an overwrite occurs is if you have some selected text active when you paste.

Related, but the opposite “problem”: https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/18715/how-to-paste-a-selection-in-the-same-way-as-typing-in-overwrite-mode

Ekopalypse · Mar 16, 2021, 5:10 PM

oh - column paste == rectangular selection.
Why do I always get confused about rows and columns ??

Columns paste does overwrite data for me.

Ekopalypse · Mar 16, 2021, 5:11 PM

@Alan-Kilborn

you are right - not overwritten but merged somehow.

Alan Kilborn · Mar 16, 2021, 5:13 PM

@Ekopalypse

Don’t get me started about weirdnesses of column-mode again.

Ekopalypse · Mar 16, 2021, 5:15 PM

:-D there is silence - nothing but silence :-D

Matt pointvicente · Mar 19, 2021, 6:51 PM

That’s because it starting working! But wait! Today it wasn’t working again but now I KNOW why. Its called:

              BLOCK SELECT  (ALT key)

I forgot that block select causes this weird behavior. When I have free time (NOT) I’ll try to upload an example.

Alan Kilborn · Mar 19, 2021, 6:55 PM

@Matt-pointvicente

Have you read the posts above?
Again, a “block select” does not overwrite data.
But sometimes it can appear like it is doing so.
But if you look at it closely you’ll see that it is not overwriting anything.

But I will agree that sometimes you don’t get the result you think you should, so you have to undo it, provide some blank lines and try the paste again.

But really, the result you achieved you sometimes need, when pasting column data in other situations.
So, you can’t have it “both ways”, it has to work the way it does so that the feature stays powerful.