[Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

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Canary
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[Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by Canary »

I've always hated the preservation of formatting when copying text from a web page into a word processing document. At home, I use the Opera web browser, which thankfully does not support this "feature" and just gives me the plain text when I copy with Ctrl+C, but here at work I'm stuck using Firefox, which does.

Is there any way to tell OpenOffice to always paste "unformatted" plain text when using Ctrl+V? It's really a hassle to have to go select Edit > Paste Special... > Unformatted Text > Okay every time I want to paste something from a web page (or any other source, really). I never want formatting to be preserved, even copying and pasting within a single document.

Alternatively, if any of you are Firefox users, is there anything I can do on the Firefox side of things to get only the text copied to the clipboard?
Last edited by Canary on Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TheGurkha
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Re: How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by TheGurkha »

Hi and welcome to the forums.

You could record a macro and then assign it to a toolbar or menu or keystroke. Go to Tools > Macros > Record Macro, then press the sequence of keystrokes you want. At the end of your sequence click on Stop Recording. In the new window that pops up, give the file a name (PastePlain for example) and save it under soffice > Standard > Module1.

In Tools > Macros > Organize Macros > OpenOffice.org Basic expand the Macro From tree to show My Macros->Standard->Module and highlight PastePlain in the macro list. Click the Assign button and you can assign it to a menu or to a toolbar icon. Tools Customise > Keyboard tab should let you put it on a keystroke.

If this has answered your question please go to your first post and use the Edit button, and add [Solved] to the start of the title. You can use the green tick icon at the same time if you like.
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acknak
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Re: How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by acknak »

Also see this thread: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/ ... =6&t=11286.

The current target for changing the issue is OOo 3.2, but I can no longer tell what the plan is. The simple idea of providing a shortcut for "Paste as unformatted" seems to have morphed into something else, but I can't tell what.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
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franklekens
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Re: How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by franklekens »

For the time being, as alternatives for Menu Edit Paste Special, you can of course assign a shortcut key to "Paste special". I'm not sure if you can assign CTRL+V to it, it might be protected. But CTRL+SHIFT+V or (CTRL+)ALT+V might make life easier at least a little.

And the clipboard button on the toolbar has a dropdown menu as well.

As for Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... xt&cat=all
Esp. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/134
And maybe https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/134 while you're at it.
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acknak
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Re: How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by acknak »

Good links--thanks!
But CTRL+SHIFT+V or (CTRL+)ALT+V might make life easier at least a little.
Umm, Ctrl+Shift+V is the default shortcut for Edit > Paste Special.

Yes, you can assign Paste Special to Ctrl+V if you want, but it doesn't seem like a big win to have to navigate the "paste special" dialog for every paste.
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Canary
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Re: How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by Canary »

TheGurkha wrote:... You could record a macro and then assign it to a toolbar or menu or keystroke. ...
This seems to do the trick. Thanks!
davide1982
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by davide1982 »

I'd strongly recommend this solution to make your life easier. It creates macro and assigns shortcut to it, so you can copy paste unformatted by clicking Ctrl+Alt+V for example. Watch this video tutorial to complete the task:

http://www.myhowtoos.com/en/excel-howto ... in-ms-word
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by TheGurkha »

davide1982 wrote:I'd strongly recommend this solution to make your life easier. It creates macro and assigns shortcut to it, so you can copy paste unformatted by clicking Ctrl+Alt+V for example. Watch this video tutorial to complete the task:

http://www.myhowtoos.com/en/excel-howto ... in-ms-word
But all of that relates to Microsoft Word. This is the Openoffice.org forum.
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acknak
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by acknak »

Just a follow-up, since I mentioned above that OOo 3.2 would include some changes, and 3.2 betas are now coming out.

It looks like there will be a new shortcut key: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V (no, really, four keys at once) that will paste the clipboard as unformatted text. Here's what the online help says:
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V
Pastes unformatted text from the clipboard. The text is pasted using the format that exists at the insertion point.
Ctrl+Shift+V is still "Paste Special," as before.

I guess it's better than having to use a menu of some sort, but having to press four keys at once doesn't seem like much of a "shortcut".

But... also new in 3.2, you can now assign functions to Alt+key combinations, and it works just fine to assign "Edit/Paste Unformatted Text" to Alt+V. That's much better, but you have to do the customization step; it won't be available everywhere.
 Edit: PS: 
OOo 3.2 is due out 14-Dec-2009: http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/OOoRelease32
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by gabore »

I just installed the 3.2 beta. Could you tell me how to set the Paste unformatted to an Alt+key combination? I still see only Paste special in the Customize/Edit options...

MOD: sorry for not being specific. Calc does not have Paste unformatted, but Writer does... Seems I shall use Writer for spreadsheets for now :super:
Last edited by gabore on Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by franx »

Hi,
I've changed the shortcut to Ctrl+U - but there it is →

OOo-dev 3.2.0 (OOO320_m5) [ http://download.openoffice.org/next/index.html ]
unformatted.png
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by franx »

gabore wrote:[...]
MOD: sorry for not being specific. Calc does not have Paste unformatted, but Writer does... Seems I shall use Writer for spreadsheets for now :super:
(1) That's the Writer forum ;)

(2) For Calc:
See the post by TheGurka, this thread: 28 Mar 2009 22:02
TheGurkha wrote:[...] You could record a macro and then assign it to a toolbar or menu or keystroke. [...]
My recorded macro Paste unformatted text (works fine in Calc):

Code: Select all

sub unformatted
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem define variables
dim document   as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document   = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dim args1(0) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args1(0).Name = "SelectedFormat"
args1(0).Value = 1

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:ClipboardFormatItems", "", 0, args1())


end sub
Assigned to Ctrl+U (in Calc)
unformatted_calc.png
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gabore
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by gabore »

About the macro: It works as a charm, thanks.

About the forum: Well, this is what happens when you appear here in 'write only' mode I guess... :oops:
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by oggologgo »

3 years later, there's still no option to just have it paste unformatted by default.

I don't get this. Are there ever anyone who wants to use formatted paste? The only reason anyone ever uses it, is because it's default. Particularly in spreadsheets, it is only a nuisance, and not of any help. Even in Writer, all formatted pasting does, is screw up your document, unless it's something you pasted from open office of course. That's the only time that's you'd want to keep the formatting.

The path to unformatted pasting is simply too long.
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by Villeroy »

oggologgo wrote:3 years later, there's still no option to just have it paste unformatted by default.
Too much trouble.
oggologgo wrote:Are there ever anyone who wants to use formatted paste?
Me
oggologgo wrote:The path to unformatted pasting is simply too long.
Ctrl+Shift+V U Enter
Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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acknak
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by acknak »

There is a shortcut for it in the default configuration: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V

You can configure your own--simpler?--shortcut for it as well.
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RickyGold
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by RickyGold »

I'm always astonished about the behave of the Ctrl-V function and the styles formatting.
Maybe I've used the pasting of styles 1% of the times in Writer, but for sure 0% of the times in Calc.
So, the 99% of times when using Writer, and 100% of times when using Calc, EVERY SINGLE pasting sequence is:
- right click
- paste special
- unformatted text
- "OK"
I've tried the four-keys sequence, but for the sake of my hand tendons, I must say... this is NOT an option.
Fiddling with the Windows clipboard is another Pandora's vase that I would like to keep closed...
So now I'm going to try writing macros, assigning hotkeys and so on, but let me simply say that this is SO FRUSTRATING !!!
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Hagar Delest
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Re: [Solved] How to paste unformatted by default?

Post by Hagar Delest »

Why macros? There are shortcuts already for paste as unformatted text. Just change the default shortcut (that's what I've done on my system).
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