[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #53110] Variable Editor: Copy/paste selections should limit to the matrix size

[Dan Sebald]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?53110>

                 Summary: Variable Editor: Copy/paste selections should limit
to the matrix size
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: sebald
            Submitted on: Fri 09 Feb 2018 07:51:40 PM UTC
                Category: GUI
                Severity: 3 - Normal
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Incorrect Result
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: 
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: dev
        Operating System: Any

    _______________________________________________________

Details:

Since there have been some recently added Variable Editor bug reports, I'll
add another one.  I'm working on a revamp of the Variable Editor which should
be ready for test in a day or two.  I've noticed, though, that in general the
copy/paste could use some extra work.  I've fixed some bugs, but just looking
at the code I can tell that some things can't be correct.

Just as an example, here is how the paste algorithm is currently coded:


      for (int i = 0; i < indices.size (); i++)
        view->model ()->setData (indices[i], text.toDouble ());


The problem is that what's in the "text" could be a collection of CR-delimited
entries, not just a single ASCII-encoded number.  Here is what I think is a
more useful algorithm:


          QStringList cells = text.split(QRegExp("\n|\r\n|\r"));
          int clen = cells.size ();
          for (int i = 0; i < indices.size (); i++)
            model->setData (indices[i], cells.at (i % clen).toDouble ());


The way the above works is say somewhere in the table I select two cells

1
2

and "copy" (cntrl-C).  I then select five cells

0
0
0
0
0

and "paste" (cntrl-V).  The above turns to

1
2
1
2
1

The main point is that I can then copy a single value (e.g., "1") and paste it
into a much bigger block of cells and set the whole sub-matrix.  That seems
useful.

Anyway, I'll just pick one behavior I can tells isn't good.

If one selects a whole column or whole row using the column (row) button and
does a "copy", the action will select the whole column which includes some
empty cells at the bottom.  The empty cells are put the QTableView so that the
user can effectively expand the array by typing an entry in a empty cell.  But
as far as copy goes, we don't want to put the empty cells into the clipboard
buffer.  We aren't working with a spreadsheet that has an indefinite number of
cells, we're working with a structured matrix.  For example, if my matrix is
(I will type at the command line to simulate what is done in the V.E. table)


>> t = [1 3;2 4]
t =

   1   3
   2   4


its range is row 1:2 and column 1:2.  If I enter a value in an empty cell (say
I type "5" in cell 3,2):


>> t(3,2) = 5
t =

   1   3
   2   4
   0   5


Very structured; range is 1:3 by 1:2.  If I delete a row or column; still very
structured.  In other words, we know that our column (or row) is always going
to start at range 1 and end at one before the first empty cell.  There's no
reason to copy arbitrary empty cells into a buffer along with the valid data.




    _______________________________________________________

Reply to this item at:

  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?53110>

_______________________________________________
  Message sent via/by Savannah
  http://savannah.gnu.org/