When typing, the facility to toggle the 'copy' function could be useful.
For example, to enter an e-mail address and a URI into a form, one option would be to type "angelhalfbaker@thisisdefinitelynotmyhippopotamus.com" into the first field then "http://thisisdefinitelynotmyhippopotamus.com" into the second; the opportunities for typing errors are huge. The alternative is to type the e-mail address, select the required part it, copy it, then paste it into the second field, where there are also opportunities for error.
I would like to be able to type "angelhalfbaker@", switch on the 'copying' function, type "thisisdefinitelynotmyhippopotamus.com", and switch off 'copying'. In the next field, I then type "http://" and paste the copied text.
To quote the Phillips TV commercials, "Just a little better. But better."
-- angel, Oct 27 2004

(?) The Humane Interface http://humane.sourceforge.net/home/
by Jef Raskin [krelnik, Oct 28 2004]

Kind of like pressing ctrl+b in Microsoft Word, where everything you type from that point would be emboldened until you pressed ctrl+b to turn it off again +
-- spiritualized, Oct 27 2004


TiVo for typing; TyPo!
-- bristolz, Oct 27 2004


yeah, I'd like one of these, here's a bun
here's a bun

-- neilp, Oct 27 2004


Almost like a Caps Lock button. Press on, light comes on, begin copying; press off, light comes off, end copying. [+]
-- ghillie, Oct 28 2004


Nice! If it records all keystrokes, it can be used to copy multiple disconnected fields.

bun1
<down arrow>
<down arrow>
bun3
-- Shz, Oct 28 2004


In PC-Write 3.0, circa 1988, pressing Control-2 would turn on the "record" feature. Pressing it again would finish recording. Pressing the "*" key on the numeric pad after that would repeat the previously-repeated sequence of keystrokes. Very powerful and handy feature.

FYI, I probably use PC-Write 3.0 (as a text editor) more than I use any other application. It ran great on a 4.77MHz XT; it's really zippy on a modern machine.
-- supercat, Oct 28 2004


I propose the scroll lock be used for this. I'd never use it myself, but I know keyboard-centric computer users who would.
-- Worldgineer, Oct 28 2004


Jef Raskin, one of the co-inventors of the Macintosh, is working on something called "The Humane Interface". See link. In his system, selecting text works kind of like you describe. There's a downloadable prototype for the MacOS. Jef was also recently (somewhat famously) quoted as saying the Macintosh has become "a mess" in recent years.
-- krelnik, Oct 28 2004


try Emacs
-- loonquawl, Apr 20 2009



random, halfbakery