Copy Node by drag-and-drop right mouse button on the node

Core Development Feature Requests
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Not sure where to put suggestions to Node-red GUI...

May I suggest something. Currently if you hold down right mouse button on the node and move it - nothing happens. I would suggest a new feature here - if you do that, NR should create a copy of the node, which then can be moved to a new place until you release right mouse button. This is very convenient feature from Matlab/Simulink.

2

I would suggest that that is not the norm in pretty much every application I use.

Drag + drop via right mouse normally presents the user with a context menu of choices.

e.g...
image

Most applications I use, you hold a modifier key (e.g. CTRL) while dragging with left mouse button to copy (and the mouse icon normally changes to indicate a copy will be made)

e.g - in chrome dragging text wit CTRL held....

image

EDIT: this should be in the feature requests category.

3

Agree that ctrl-drag would be a superb enhancement. Also agree that right-drag would also be a really useful enhancement but that it should present a menu - I think this would probably help tablet/phone users a lot as well.

Possibly some useful fodder for Nick's weekly live edit session too.

1 Like
4

Oooh yes, i'd be interested in seeing that.

I've been through the NR core code but always managed to avoid the d3 stuff - would be good to see how CTRL+drag would be implemented.

:+1:

5

....but what about touch screen users.... ?

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I also wonder about it from a accessibility point of view. How would you convey this aspect to users best?

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Touch screen users already get a pop-up menu by long pressing on the node. From that they can copy the node and then long-press somewhere on the workspace and select paste to place it.

The ability to copy a node just be dragging whilst a key is pressed has come up before. It's never really bubbled up the backlog far enough to tackle. From a personal point of view, I usually have one hand on the keyboard so ctrl-c/ctrl-v is just as easy and far less likely to be triggered by accident. But I realise that isn't for everyone.

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8

CTRL + ... doesn't work either.
The ability to use right mouse button is good because you don't have to look at keyboard to copy node. Especially if you have dozens to do.

PS feel free to move to Feature Requests category.

9

But it's (right click drag to copy) pretty non standard & who cannot find the CTRL key with their eyes closed in a dark room :slight_smile:

I'm same as Nick - one hand on mouse, other on left CTRL ready for a cut/copy/paste/undo so holding ctrl while moving mouse is very swift.

If it were my choice, right click drag would show a context menu of copy/move/cancel (but I'd rarely use it - only if my left hand was on vacation and couldn't reach the CTRL key :wink:)

1 Like
10

As said, this is needed anyway if it is to make sense in a touch mode. It is also, as you say, pretty standard.

Agree that ctrl-drag and right-drag would be useful but as Nick says, likely to be lots of other things higher up the list. However Nick, if you were stuck for content on a Monday evening, that might be something to consider as hopefully it wouldn't be that hard to do and would certainly be a demonstration of making changes to the main Editor display.

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