[kuekacang]

Recently I've been considering simple click-to-copy button is a bad ux since it can destroy one's clipboard (granted, I'm not using clipboard manager). This might be mitigated with a confirmation before actually replacing the clipboard, but I haven't encountered such implementation. Maybe due to ctc more often appear in tech-related websites.

[p1mrx]

Instead of click-to-copy, you could do click-to-highlight, so that "right-click > Copy" highlights the text on right-click if it's not initially selected. There is some subtlety in the logic, because it shouldn't interfere when the user manually selects a substring.

For a demo of click-to-highlight, install IPvFoo and use your mouse in the popup window. See the 'selectWholeAddress' function in https://github.com/pmarks-net/ipvfoo/blob/master/src/popup.j...

[kuekacang]

I'm aware of that gesture, but I think it shows the point that it requires extra intention from the user to do select+copy on an input-looking field with copy button attached, instead of being part if the default ctc button experience.

Not that I am searching, but I wonder if there's already tog/nielson/other ux research on this specific interaction.

[kevin_thibedeau]

More OSs should adopt X11 paste from the primary selection. It can safely coexist with a regular clipboard.

[mintplant]

I highly recommend getting a clipboard manager! They keep a (usually configurable) history of your most recent clipboard items and allow switching the active selection between them.

[kuekacang]

Surely. First time I used clipboard management was long time ago somewhen in windows xp era. But growing older make me not really incentivized on trying myself to relearn clipboard history gestures. I might do that someday though.

The difference is now I know git and text editor with hot-save support; with mostly textual clipboard, the texts usually just land in either git/editor.

[whstl]

So far the alternatives to capricious developer choices are:

- Draw Chinese characters into a translator

- Just have every website support every language ever

- Install cliboard manager software to handle the fact you don’t always want to copy

Gotta love HN.

[mintplant]

It's frustrating that sharing workarounds in good faith attracts drive-by snark like this comment.

[48terry]

I don't want a good-faith workaround for a website hijacking my clipboard. I want the website and its developers to stop doing things that are stupid and wrong.

[mintplant]

I don't disagree! But as long as they continue to do stupid and wrong things, workarounds remain useful.

[tln]

Here's my recent favorite UI for ID numbers

Hover shows icon for copy rich link Clicking shows menu with copy plain text, copy rich link, search for backlinks, etc Element itself is a link that can be ⌘-clicked, right clicked etc