QCAD.org Forum

Could you add "plain text paste" as ctrl-shift-V

Why? Because sometimes the clipboard comes in with rich text formatting that's anti-helpful.
The workaround is to paste into a plain text editor, or the console, then recopy and repaste into qCad.
One could also argue that qCad should NEVER take rich text, and rather only accept the plain text.
Either way the ctrl-shift-V shortcut is useful for those trained on other software.

Agreed, having encountered it numerous times while documenting with text snippets from elsewhere.
Even copying Info measurements from the Command Line are Rich Text.

The best place to file a feature request is QCAD Bugtracker:
https://www.ribbonsoft.com/bugtracker/
You may need a different account there or make a new one.

May I remark that Ctrl-Shift-V is already in use for Paste along Entity (PE)
But not when the Text Editor Widget has the focus and dialog Widgets are always modal on a Win OS system.
Still, I'll vote for it in any way.

Regards,
CVH

Added as https://www.qcad.org/bugtracker/index.p ... sk_id=2544
Bug/Feature #2544

This issue exist since decades - not only with Qcad. That is the reason why a ton of offline Clipboard Manager have the option to copy/paste plain text or formatted text. They are literally built for that task! Many of then switch from plain to rich text just with a shift key combination. Many are also customizable. Ctrl Shift V shouldn't be a problem when you rename in Qcad the shortcut for "Paste along Entity".

IMHO - I see no need to reinvent the wheel again ...

Husky wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:31 am

IMHO - I see no need to reinvent the wheel again ...

Removed Ctrl-Shift-V as shortcut for PE.
One of the reasons is that I never used this key combination for this tool.
Another reason is that it is completely different compared with the standard Win Ctrl-Shift-V behavior.
Additionally, PE has some issues and limitations I dislike.
FS#1345 ; FS#1836 ; FS#2087 ... Mostly because it doesn't account for any length of the things to paste.

I still can't paste in plain text mode to the QCAD Text Editor widget.

One of the source I often use is copying text from the Command Line history, especially results from the info tools.
These are handle by EAction.handleUserInfo(...) and are in color #0066cc by default.
After selecting a portion of text one can not copy that with Ctrl-C but one can use the context menu: R-Click .. Copy.

Ctrl-V, Shift-Insert and context menu .. Paste are all in Rich text, Ctrl-Shift-V is not functional in the QCAD Text Editor.

It is thus not the question of 'reinvent the wheel again', it is a question of implementing an extra context menu method to strip formatting.
Or to support Ctrl-Shift-V in the QCAD Text Editor and deprecate this shortcut for PE.

The work around is to set your text to simple or edit the source of your text directly.
Still, pasting plain text for the latter it will be formatted in a last active format what is intended behavior.
Editing the source of formatted text can be tricky.

Bottom line:
The detour via a plain text editor is usually safer, faster and easier than having to adjust it every time in the QCAD text editor.


@ iOne iTwo: I have voted for your feature request FS#2544.
Other users that have an interest in this feature should vote it up.

Regards,
CVH

I've been using a browser URL bar to strip text of formatting.
Like CVH I found that using a Windows CMD line to strip formatting led to problems: the text came in with a color.

Please consider this feature of plain text paste.

The bug tracker is at:

https://www.qcad.org/bugtracker/index.p ... &closedto=

Hi,

As explained above:
Your best option is to take a detour through for example Windows Notepad.

In my case I use Notepad++ because that is almost always open for scripting.

A browser URL bar or even the Windows Command Line would be my last resort.
My browser should not search for the text and Windows should not try to execute the text as a command at all.

Regards,
CVH

As far as I know, Windows has a built-in feature to paste as plain text. It's part of the "clipboard history":

https://winaero.com/paste-as-plain-text ... d-history/

The plain text clip windows clipboard feature appears to have been removed.
Clipboard history has security issues as well: there are reasons to avoid it.

How hard is CTRL-SHIFT-V for qCad to implement : that's the defacto standard,
and a lot less keystrokes.

iOne iTwo wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:00 am

How hard is CTRL-SHIFT-V for qCad to implement : that's the defacto standard,
and a lot less keystrokes.

The first reason would be:

CVH wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:23 am

May I remark that Ctrl-Shift-V is already in use for Paste along Entity (PE)

Tend to use PE myself, disabled Ctrl-Shift-V as shortcut.
Not that this solves the issue as per:

Husky wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:31 am

Ctrl Shift V shouldn't be a problem when you rename in Qcad the shortcut for "Paste along Entity".
IMHO - I see no need to reinvent the wheel again ...

Regards,
CVH

Try to choose "simple text" option, paste and then, unchoose "simple text option. That's what I do...

@Jose Vieira

Jose Vieira wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 17, 2025 7:48 pm

Try to choose "simple text" option, paste and then, unchoose "simple text option. That's what I do...

Your method is indeed a work arround also mentioned a few posts up (p44022)

The catch is that inserting text into an inline formatted Rich text string will use the currently active formatting at that point.
Rich text formatting is typically a prefix but there is no suffix included to turn things back to normal.
Fiddling in the text source to get it right can be tricky.
As example: Setting only some words of a long text in another color.

Pasting plain text would also ensure that the main text settings and the default color are used.

Regards,
CVH

CVH wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:23 am

May I remark that Ctrl-Shift-V is already in use for Paste along Entity (PE)
Regards, CVH

Since Ctrl-Shift-V is such a common keyboard shortcut in other programs, for a different meaning, that creates a problem. Users may inadvertently trigger a form of paste they did not mean to. Removing that keyboard shortcut for a relatively rare and specialized option, is a step worth considering.

The bug tracker for this item, with three votes so far, is:
https://www.qcad.org/bugtracker/index.p ... sk_id=2544

Beside you and me there is but a single extra voter ... Curious ...
Note that this topic has currently 99926 and counting views since you posted it.

iOne iTwo wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:57 pm

Users may inadvertently trigger a form of paste they did not mean to. Removing that keyboard shortcut for a relatively rare and specialized option, is a step worth considering.

Most QCAD tools are fully configurable.
You can thus disable Ctrl-Shift-V as shortcut for 'Paste along Entity' (PE) yourself like Husky proposed.

Husky wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:31 am

Ctrl Shift V shouldn't be a problem when you rename in Qcad the shortcut for "Paste along Entity".

Not that this fixes the issue for pasting plain text in the Text Dialog.

I can't use Andrew's method either. I don't have that feature or it is disabled for some reason.

The detour route is what I use, even if the source is QCAD.

On the question "How hard can that be":
I can locate the code behind the Text Dialog in the open source.
And probably add a context menu entry intended to paste plain text.

The problems I face:
- Editing inline formatting does not always result in the expected.
For example highlighting parts in a different color, close, re-edit, close.
- Multi language support ... We need to strip formatting codes and not merely isolate text based on 'ABC123'.
- Source related inline formatting or Rich Text of any kind and I have no overview of all possible codes.
Jose Vieira solution was too simplistic but triggered another issue:
- Pasting stripped plain text is not always the solution, it might that we need to paste an inline formatted text ...
... Overriding current active formatting at the spot where we insert + Re-activating the former active formatting after the snippet.
- It is then or just paste as plain and keep current active formatting, or paste as plain and also enforce global formatting by dialog.

So yes, it can be not that easy.
Especially that last part because we need to evaluate whole the existent formatted text before the insertion point.

Regards,
CVH