TSE: Linux: Version: 4.50.14: <CtrlShift Grey+> CopyToWinClip(): Terminal: xterm

[knud van eeden]

Hello,

We have a problem here.

===

Note: My proposal as a general solution to such key assignment issues would be thus to use in the Linux tse.ui to assign.k

Because this is the very well known combination for basically every user around. 

Also it is extremely frequently used in about every application one is working with (email, text editors, browsers, ...)

<Ctrl C> CopyToWinClip()

<Ctrl V> PasteFromWinClip()

<Ctrl X> CutToWinClip()

and then offer and give up and reassign the current assignments in Linux tse.ui because they are very probably never used by assumed anybody anyhow.

===

Current assignment in Linux tse.ui

<Ctrl C> GotoColumn() // who uses or will use that at the moment??

<Ctrl V> is not assigned, so free

<Ctrl X> ExecMacro() // this might be used maybe by some. But compared with the frequency of use of <Ctrl X> for CutToWinClip() it might be very little used.

===

Issue:

The issue is that e.g. this key assignment for CopyToWinClip() can not really be used in terminal 'xterm'. And 'xterm' is thus our gold standard as terminal.

You see:

 <CtrlShift Grey+> 

is defined in the 'xterm' terminal to decrease the TSE window and takes priority for that and overrules thus that key assignment in TSE e.

===

Steps to reproduce:

 1. Run a cmd.exe

 2. Run xterm, e.g. by using the command line (like I do, I have it stored in a .bat file, but it works also from the cmd.exe comand line)

start wsl -d Ubuntu -- xterm -fa Monospace -ge 118x29 -fs 10 -e <put here the path to your Linux TSE e program>

For example:

start wsl -d Ubuntu -- xterm -fa Monospace -ge 118x29 -fs 10 -e "/mnt/c/temp/tse_linux/tse/e"

 3. Then inside TSE 'e' each time you press the <CtrlShift Grey+> it will make the TSE window smaller and smaller...

 4. That is of course not as expected

 5. Expected is that it should copy to the clipboard instead.

===

Conclusion: <CtrlShift Grey+> has probably not to be resolved side effects in e.g. xterm.

===

Q. Is <CtrlShift Grey+> used before in the tse.ui?

A. Yes, it is part of the tse.ui already a long time.

c:\temp\tse_linux Sat 29-11-25 17:48:16>grep -is "<CtrlShift Grey+>" tse.ui

SemWare Grep v2.07 for Win32 [Sep 13 2023]

Copyright 1996-2023 SemWare Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse45013\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse45013working\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse45014working\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse4506\tse\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse4507\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse4508\tse\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

File: C:\TEMP\tse_linux\tse450official\ui\tse.ui

<CtrlShift Grey+>       CopyToWinClip()

===

Conclusion: 

 Best to reassign in the default Linux tse.ui these keys because they are so incredibly often used and very well known

and also should not have the side effects of other keys in certain situations.

<Ctrl C> CopyToWinClip()

<Ctrl V> PasteFromWinClip()

<Ctrl X> CutToWinClip()

Thanks with friendly greetings

Knud van Eeden

     

[knud van eeden]

Additionally also including <Ctrl A> to 'mark all', because that is also such an extremly often used key assignment in about every application one is working with.

Currently:

Current assignment in Linux tse.ui

<Ctrl C> GotoColumn() // who uses or will use that at the moment??

<Ctrl V> is not assigned, so free

<Ctrl X> ExecMacro() // this might be used maybe by some. But compared with the frequency of use of <Ctrl X> for CutToWinClip() it might be very little used.

<Ctrl A> mAsciiChart() // who uses or will use that at the moment??

===

Proposal to reassign to instead

<Ctrl C> CopyToWinClip()

<Ctrl V> PasteFromWinClip()

<Ctrl X> CutToWinClip()

<Ctrl A> MarkAll()

===

[knud van eeden]

One more for now ;-)

<Ctrl z>                Scrolldown()

Instead thus (also because of the very frequent usage of this key):

<Ctrl C> GotoColumn() // who uses or will use that at the moment??

<Ctrl V> is not assigned, so free

<Ctrl X> ExecMacro() // this might be used maybe by some. But compared with the frequency of use of <Ctrl X> for CutToWinClip() it might be very little used.

<Ctrl A> mAsciiChart() // who uses or will use that at the moment??

<Ctrl Z> ScrollDown() // maybe used by some, not sure?

Proposal to reassign to instead

<Ctrl C> CopyToWinClip()

<Ctrl V> PasteFromWinClip()

<Ctrl X> CutToWinClip()

<Ctrl A> MarkAll()

<Ctrl Z> Undo()

On Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 06:18:09 PM GMT+1, knud van eeden <knud_va...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Additionally also including <Ctrl A> to 'mark all', because that is also such an extremly often used key assignment in about every application one is working with.

Currently:

Current assignment in Linux tse.ui

[Guy Rouillier]

On Sat, 2025-11-29 at 16:53 +0000, 'knud van eeden' via SemWare TSE Pro text

editor wrote:
>
> Conclusion: 
>
>  Best to reassign in the default Linux tse.ui these keys because they are so
> incredibly often used and very well known
> and also should not have the side effects of other keys in certain
> situations.
>
> <Ctrl C> CopyToWinClip()
>
> <Ctrl V> PasteFromWinClip()
>
> <Ctrl X> CutToWinClip()

I haven't tried 4.50.14 yet, but 4.50.13 tse.ui has this:

keydef PromptKeys
<Shift Del> CutToWinClip()
<Ctrl Ins> CopyToWinClip()
<Shift Ins> PasteFromWinClip()
end

These key combinations have been used for 30 years for cut, copy and paste, so
I would vote *NOT* to remove or reassign.  I've been using these forever via
the cuamark.s macro. I suppose if the majority wishes these removed, I can
always add them back via my local procedure for installing a new TSE version.

--
Guy Rouillier

[knud van eeden]

1. See also this very interesting article about the history of 'ZXCV' keys:

https://dialanerd.co.za/the-origins-of-ctrlc-ctrlv-ctrlx-and-ctrlz-explained 

===

Guy,

2. First and for all:

It is thus *ONLY* about 

<CTRL C> CopyToWinClip()

<CTRL V> PasteFromWinClip()

<CTRL X> CutToWinClip()

and

<CTRL Z> Undo()

and

<CTRL A> MarkAll()

and after reading the article, maybe also

<CTRL Y> Redo()

Note: These keys should thus not interfere with existing already by design present

key assignment combinations in Linux, while current keys do, like thus <CtrlShift Grey+).

===

3. And not at all about any change about these keys thus:

   > keydef PromptKeys
   >    <Shift Del>            CutToWinClip()
   > <Ctrl Ins>              CopyToWinClip()
   >  <Shift Ins>            PasteFromWinClip()
   > end

===

4. FYI: Your 3 keys above have thus nothing to do with the proposal thus and have also not be mentioned once here.

These 3 very well known and much used 3 keys within the TSE system are thus **NOT** involved in this proposal at all.

These 3 keys can thus as usual coexist with other key assignments and are not changed or removed and are not part of the proposal thus.

===

5. FYI: In general there are already long since ago more than one duplicate key assignments pairs in the tse.ui.

So it would not be some special exception.

It should be *and and* and not *or or* thus.

===

6. FYI: Regarding your key assignment above. Unfortunately at least one of them can NOT be 

used in e.g. 'xterm' terminal at all.

See screenshot. The <SHIFT INS> is thus NOT possible in e.g. our special 'xterm' terminal or thus 'Paste'. So an alternative is necessary anyhow, e.g. <CTRL V> preferably.

Typically also in Dialog boxes and File input save boxes <SHIFT INS> or thus 'Paste' is thus not possible.

===

7. FYI: About the history of <CTRL C>, <CTRL V>, <CTRL X>, <CTRL Z> read this interesting article. First use thus in 1983 only in the Apple Lisa by programmer Larry Tesler, after that in Microsoft Windows.

https://dialanerd.co.za/the-origins-of-ctrlc-ctrlv-ctrlx-and-ctrlz-explained?

or thus the consecutive 'ZXCV' keys on the bottom left of your keyboard, where the 'V' stands for 'Insert' or thus 'Paste', 

interesting to know I think.

Citing:

"

The Shortcuts Come to Windows

At the dawn of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) era for Microsoft, Apple licensed some elements of the Macintosh OS to Microsoft for Windows 1.0, but Redmond took care to not exactly duplicate the Macintosh interface. It’s probably no surprise then that between Windows 1.0 and Windows 3.0, Microsoft originally assigned different shortcuts for Undo, Cut, Copy and Paste than the ones most people use today:

• Undo: Alt+Backspace
• Cut: Shift+Delete
• Copy: Ctrl+Insert
• Paste: Shift+Insert

Windows still support these legacy shortcuts (and some people still love using them). At some point during the development of Windows 3.1, Microsoft brought Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V to Windows.

===

8. About the earliest usage of <Ctrl Insert>, <Shift Insert>, <Shift Delete>

"

Microsoft Windows 1.0 was introduced on November 20, 1985. It was a graphical operating environment that ran on top of MS-DOS. ws as well. They had already appeared in Word for Windows 2.0 in 1991, and possibly other Windows Office apps.

"

Thus your keys are at least since 1983 in use on e.g. Apple, and as such thus used before these 'ZXCV' keys which were probably introduced around 1985.

with friendly greetings

Knud van Eeden

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[knud van eeden]

Thus running 'Showkey' macro in TSE Linux WSL shows in xterm terminal shows they 

all work OK with no side issues (e.g. interference with Linux native keys) expected.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/semware/1227538703.2357779.1764508096349%40mail.yahoo.com.

[knud van eeden]

The <Ctrl Ins> came thus historically seen BEFORE <Ctrl C>, so <Ctrl Ins> is the older key assignment of the two.

Time line:

 1980 IBM introduces the <Ctrl Ins> (and others) as part of its IBM Common User Access (CUA) Standard

 1980 Microsoft implements <Ctrl Ins> (and others) also as part of the MSDOS operating system

 1983 Apple introduces the <Ctrl C> (and others) in the Apple Lisa by programmer Larry Tesler

 1985 Microsoft introduces that <Ctrl C> (and others) also starting with Microsoft 1.0.

 2025 Semware introduces <CTRL C> (and others) also in TSE Linux version 4.50.15 or higher ;-) ;-)

> when was the first usage of <Ctrl Ins> to copy?

The Ctrl + Ins shortcut for copy was part of the original keyboard

commands in early versions of Microsoft Windows and IBM systems,

introduced around the mid-1980s.

Specifically:

The Ctrl + Ins shortcut was a core part of the

 IBM Common User Access (CUA) standard

which provided consistent keyboard shortcuts across different

applications.

Microsoft adopted these shortcuts for early versions of Windows, with

the functionality available from the first public release of Windows

1.01 in November 1985.

These keys were the primary method for copying, while the now-ubiquitous

Ctrl + C was initially used as an interrupt signal in DOS and Unix-like

systems.

Other related CUA shortcuts included Shift + Delete for cut and Shift +

Insert for paste.

The Ctrl + C (copy), Ctrl + X (cut), and Ctrl + V (paste) shortcuts,

which are standard today, were popularized by Apple's Lisa computer in

1983 and Macintosh in 1984, and were later introduced to Windows as

alternatives around the time of Windows 3.0 in 1990.