Can the copy popup dialog/menu be customized?

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1

I know this can’t be removed and it’s literally the hardest part of Plasma to get used to but can it be at least customized so that “Copy Here” is on the top? It’s been four days and I keep accidentally moving files instead of copying them.

And no, I don’t want to press and hold a key to do something as basic as copying a file or folder.

Thank you.

Screenshot_20241216_145528
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2

This is Drag and Drop - the best way to handle this is to remember to hold Ctrl for copy and Shift for paste.

However, if you’re doing dual pane (F3) then you can make selections and then do:

  • ShiftF5 to copy, or
  • ShiftF6to move.

Drag and Drop discussion

4

I forgot most of it - but I remember something weird, like - if you drag and drop to a folder that happens to be on the same partition, Windows will move files; but if you drag and drop to a different partition it’ll copy them.

Then with Windows, you can temporarily change and control the default behaviour (and it’s Windows where I learned this):

  • Ctrl always copy files or folders.
  • Shift while dragging to always move files or folders.
  • Ctrl and Shift keys while dragging to always create a shortcut.

For many years these have been the default behaviours.

7

Ok, I think there’s a great point here:

  1. An option for the user (when meeting the pop-up) to set copy or move as the default option (user beware… as ‘move’ is a potentially problematic default).
  2. An option for the default (SAME PARTITION) of move, and Pop-up menu for other partition/device.
  3. Simply set Copy as the default, with Shift for MOVE and Alt for SHORTCUT/LINK.

This isn’t quite as simple as it first appears… I admit to some confusion…

Having read some of the arguments, I feel initial resistance to mimicking Windows as the default… instead learning to think for ourselves and (as with the double-click to open debacle).

However, education often leads to less certainty; so a decision should be made to remove the compulsory pop-up.

Then, whatever the clever people decide, they must offer options for less intelligent individuals (i.e. anyone who doesn’t agree with me :rofl:)…

Linux is far more likely to operate across partitions - in my case for many things including Home folders…

So really, there should be options (perhaps in KCM) to adjust the default behaviour for DnD.

There are other complications, however - if you drag a ‘TAR’ file, there’s an additional option (Extract Here) to this list of options… I’m not aware if there is more to it than that - but for the default actions (Copy-Move-Shortcut):

Ctrl DnD > Copy

Shift DnD > Move

AltDnD > Link/shortcut

  • Add ‘Options’ or ‘Configure’ to the pop-up menu.

Configure Drag 'n Drop

  1. Same partition
    Move as default Copy as default Ask me every time.

  2. Other partition
    Copy as default Move as default Ask me every time.

  • I’m not sure about ‘other cases’ like Archives (which would lose the ability to add ‘Extract Here’ in a popup).

So, overall - add a ‘Configure’ link to the default (current) behaviour:

DnD
DnD1107×362 37.5 KB

However, there’s also the danger that every option makes the application more complex, potentially more confusing for the user and harder to maintain, and I think that the user group that would benefit from such an option is fairly small.

9

:rofl: ..no judging, just sayin’…