Bug 172031

Summary: Usability: Remove "Clear" context menu entry of KTextEdit
Product: [Frameworks and Libraries] kdelibs Reporter: Benno Dielmann <kde>
Component: kdeuiAssignee: kdelibs bugs <kdelibs-bugs>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: normal CC: kde, mcguire
Priority: NOR    
Version: 4.1   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Ubuntu   
OS: Unspecified   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Benno Dielmann 2008-10-02 13:41:57 UTC 
Version:            (using KDE 4.1.1)
Installed from:    Ubuntu Packages

This is a severe usability issue: In the right mouse button menu of the mail composer there is an entry "Clear" which removes all entered text from the composer window without any warning. What makes it even worse: It bypasses the undo system, so there is no way to get the deleted contents back. 

As much as I understand it, the "Clear" option is for (one-line) text fields, not for whole text editors. There is already a "Delete" option which requires selecting the text to be deleted and is integrated into the undo mechanism. 

So the proposed solution is to remove the "Clear" option from the RMB menu altogether. 

On my notebook, the "show rmb menu - key" is next to the shift  key. I just lost one hour worth of formulating a complicated email by accidentally hitting this key instead of shift and then, also accidentally (but very quickly while typing ;-)) hitting the L key which happens to be the accelerator for "Clear". I saw something flashing (the rmb menu) and gone was my work. No warning, no chance to revert. 

Please do something about it. You might possibly also talk to khtml developers as I just see the "Clear"-entry is in the rmb-menu of html textareas, too...
Comment 1 Thomas McGuire 2008-10-02 13:45:49 UTC 
> Please do something about it. You might possibly also talk to khtml developers > as I just see the "Clear"-entry is in the rmb-menu of html textareas, too...

That is because both KHTML and KMail use KTextEdit from kdelibs. Reassigning to kdelibs.
Comment 2 András Manţia 2008-10-02 13:52:42 UTC 
I think it shouldn't be removed, but it should put the text in the undo buffer. As in case of lineedits, it is useful if you want to paste some text from the selection buffer (middle mouse button) and to replace the text from the textedit completely.
Comment 3 Thomas McGuire 2008-10-02 16:22:05 UTC 
Fixed in r866967, see http://websvn.kde.org/?view=rev&revision=866967. The clear action is now undo-aware.
Comment 4 Benno Dielmann 2008-10-02 16:38:10 UTC 
(In reply to comment #3)
> Fixed in r866967, see http://websvn.kde.org/?view=rev&revision=866967. The
> clear action is now undo-aware.
> 

Great! Thanks for resolving this issue so quickly! Will the fix find it's way into the 4.1.x releases?
Comment 5 Thomas McGuire 2008-10-02 16:45:46 UTC 
The fix will be part of KDE 4.1.3 (too late for KDE 4.1.2 though).