How to make CTRL-V paste on windows (cmd.exe, powershell)

[marcbowes]

When using rustyline on Linux or OSX, system copy-paste works just fine. However, on Windows that's not the case.

Here's a scenario that doesn't work as expected:

1. Open notepad and type some text. Select it, use CTRL-C to put it on the clipboard.
2. Open cmd.exe and press CTRL-V. The text should paste.
3. Open a rustyline application (e.g. the default example will do). Press CTRL-V. The next will not paste.
4. Use rightclick. The text will paste.

The same thing is true when using Powershell. When using Windows Terminal, CTRL-V works as expected.

I looked through the available keybinds/commands and I don't see a "paste from system clipboard" anywhere. Should this work by default, or is there something I need to enable?

[gwenn]

I only have access to a Windows machine at work.
To check:

• how does linefeed / termwiz / replxx behave ?
• For rustyline, by default, CTRL-V does nothing on Windows and there is no command to "paste from system clipboard" so you cannot use bind_sequence.
• Maybe you should try to tweak Command / Powershell settings.

[marcbowes]

how does linefeed / termwiz / replxx behave ?

I only have access to a Windows machine after work, so I'll try the others out later.

For rustyline, by default, CTRL-V does nothing on Windows and there is no command to "paste from system clipboard" so you cannot use bind_sequence.

Is that because rustyline is intercepting the keybinds in some bad way, or is it because the expectation in powershell/cmd.exe is that applications process CTRL-V directly?

Similarly, do you know if it's possible to add "copy/paste clipboard" commands?

Maybe you should try to tweak Command / Powershell settings.

I'd like to make this work by default. My customers (people using the software I'm writing using rustyline) should not have to do this setup (and they won't).

[gwenn]

Is that because rustyline is intercepting the keybinds in some bad way, or is it because the expectation in powershell/cmd.exe is that applications process CTRL-V directly?

rustyline should intercept to key sequence correctly. And rustyline doesn't know / see the difference when text is pasted or typed (see here).

Similarly, do you know if it's possible to add "copy/paste clipboard" commands?

We will need to implement this method and bind it to Ctrl-V on Windows here.

[marcbowes]

Well, that's pretty clear! Thanks.

I know literally nothing about the windows API. If you can point me at some method names, I can try implement it.

[marcbowes]

https://github.com/marcbowes/rustyline/commit/b0e2669acacf9c259f0f73bc1d9d8f271f8a07c2

I'll test that out later on my Windows machine. If it works, I'll wire up a paste command.

[marcbowes]

See the above PR for a fix. Not sure if I did it right. Also had to revert the fd-lock change to get things compiling.

[gwenn]

Version 8.1.0 released

[marcbowes]

Thank you!