GNU bug report logs - #74833
31.0.50; Copy to OS clipboard doesn't work in macOS Terminal.app with xterm-mouse-mode enabled

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From: Filipp Gunbin <fgunbin <at> fastmail.fm>
To: Gerd Möllmann <gerd.moellmann <at> gmail.com>
Cc: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>, Jared Finder <jared <at> finder.org>, 74833 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, shipmints <at> gmail.com
Subject: bug#74833: 31.0.50; Copy to OS clipboard doesn't work in macOS Terminal.app with xterm-mouse-mode enabled
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:09:44 +0300

On 16/12/2024 18:30 +0100, Gerd Möllmann wrote:

> Filipp Gunbin <fgunbin <at> fastmail.fm> writes:
>
>>> Terminal.app's Command-C can only copy a selection that the app knows
>>> about.
>>
>> Not really - with xterm-mouse-mode disabled (and with "Allow mouse
>> reporting" ticked in Terminal.app menu), mouse selection in Terminal.app
>> is not related to Emacs selection, and copy / paste works.
>
> What I meant with my sentence is that the selection Emacs shows and the
> selection Terminal.app shows and uses are not related to each other.
> Maybe that's a cause of confusion, I don't know.
>
>>
>>> If the mouse is used by an app like Emacs (Terminal.app's
>>> Settings/Report ....)) the user tells Terminal to let the app use the mouse.
>>> I find it little surprising that when Terminal.app does that, it doesn't
>>> use the mouse itself to make a selection it could then copy.
>>
>> It does, although that's Terminal.app's "own" selection, not Emacs's.
>>
>>> Do Command-A Command-C and see what happens.
>>>
>>> Or use Command-R to toggle the mouse reporting setting on the fly.
>>>
>>> Or use xclip in Emacs.
>>>
>>> Please don't disable xterm-mouse for this.
>>
>> Again, it turns out that the new default leads to copy not working at
>> all, while with previous default you could make selection in
>> Terminal.app (it's not reflected in Emacs) and then copy.  Paste works
>> in both cases.  It still looks to me that the old default is better.  If
>> you enable xterm-mouse-mode, then perhaps you should also use xclip, not
>> just the mode itself.
>
> Mouse support by default is an important feature, IMO. It makes the menu
> bar usable, or in a future Emacs containing tty child frames tooltips
> can be shown. Not to mention setting point and what else.
>
> What's the positive effect of turning mouse support off by default?
> Command-C works for users who haven't set up terminal Emacs well enough
> that they could use M-w, plus in addition don't know Terminal.app well
> enough to know about Command-R or Fn + mouse.

My point is exactly that Command-C _doesn't work_ for them, with current
defaults (xterm-mouse-mode on in Emacs; "Allow mouse reporting" ticked -
which is the default for a new Terminal.app tab, at least here).

> I think it's best if we simply agree to disagree.

I don't think we disagree much, I see the value of xterm-mouse-mode
(although I like "just text" on tty, no menus etc.), the only thing
which concerns me (and is the reason for this bug) are "half-broken"
defaults.  We're discussing whether to disable xterm-mouse-mode only in
Terminal.app, not everywhere.

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