Add "copy" to contextual menu

mronkko
Currently I can use drag and drop to create bibliography entries from zotero items in my text editor. However, drag and drop is problematic if Firefox and the text editor are both full screen since I cannot use Expose and drag and drop at the same time. A solution would be to add a new item "copy" to the contextual menu of zotero items. This would enable me to use the work flow that I normally do: 1) copy something from program A 2) use expose to switch to program B 3) paste the copied thing in program B)

I know that I can drag and drop while using cmd+tab application switcher, so this is more of an usability suggestion.

Mikko
  • adamsmith
    use the "create bibliograpy from.." button. I don't see any reason that wouldn't work - OK, you need to hit return once more, but that's not really an issue, is it?
  • mronkko
    The extra enter is not an issue. However, people in general are used to moving things between programs using copy-paste, not Generate bibliography - paste.

    Copy could be just a wrapper to Generate bibliography with the default format and placing it in the clipboard.

    Mikko
  • dstillman
    Ctrl-Alt-c on Windows/Linux, Cmd-Shift-c on OS X. Replace 'c' with 'a' to copy a citation instead. These are both listed (and configurable) in the preferences.
  • mronkko
    edited March 12, 2009
    I did not know about these keyboard shortcuts. However, for stupid use like me the fact that there is no menu item for copy leads to the conclusion that you cannot copy-paste from the list. If the function to copy a reference to clipboard exists, why is there no menu item for it? Also, why is it not cmd + c, which is the normal shortcut for copy?

    Please don't get me wrong, I like the software a lot and recommend it to others. This post was not critique of the software but a suggestion on how to make it easier for a new user to learn how to use it.

    Mikko
  • ahoward
    @Mikko - I'm sure there's a more technical way to explain it, but the reason it's not Cmd+C is because that would imply that you're doing something else. Typing Cmd+C when you have an item selected in the center column would seem like you're copying the item, say to another collection. When you change it to something like Cmd+Shift+C, you don't have the same engrained associations and expectations.
  • mronkko
    @ahoward This is why modern clipboard software can store multiple formats. When copying the citation I could indeed paste it to a collection or to an editor. This is what drag and drop already does (at least kind of). The content that you drop is defined based on where you drop it. Similar functionality can be accomplished with copy and paste.

    From the perspective of usability and new users, it is a good thing if the software works in a similar way as other software that you are familiar with.

    Mikko
  • ahoward
    I would agree, only, right now, you can't copy and paste items between collections or into Finder. The only copying option available is to copy the citation, and I don't think it's a good idea to create a keyboard shortcut that will imply functionality which does not exist.
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