X-windows provides a valuable block-copying feature that
can be used to minimize retyping. The mouse is used to capture
areas of text that are already on the screen. For example, if you had
located a file using the find command, the path to the file
would be displayed on the screen. You have the option of either
typing in the path (which may be very long), or capturing the existing
text with the mouse, and moving the text to the command line.
The text-capture routine is a four step process:
1. Move mouse pointer to beginning of text to copy.2. Press left button down and hold it while moving mouse to the right.
3. When entire string that you wish to copy is highlighted, release
left mouse button. On the SUN's the text will remain highlighted,
on the RT's the highlight will disappear.
4. On the SUN's, press middle mouse button to copy highlighted text to
text cursor position; on RT's, press left and right buttons
simultaneously.
Note that the text-capture feature works between windows, and for more than just path-copying. It is a very useful feature for block copying within documents in the text editor VI.