Bug 384616

Summary: buffer used by "Copy Link URL" entry in a link context menu
Product: [Applications] konqueror Reporter: Maurizio Paolini <maurizio.paolini>
Component: webenginepartAssignee: Konqueror Bugs <konqueror-bugs-null>
Status: CONFIRMED ---    
Severity: normal CC: kde, rdieter
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: 5.0.97   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Fedora RPMs   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Maurizio Paolini 2017-09-12 10:31:53 UTC 
When using webengine on a web page the context menu for a link shows a
"Copy Link URL" entry, the corresponding action does not copy the link's URL to the primary selection buffer - the one with the middle click paste. It does copy it to the clipboard buffer which can be retrieved using Ctrl+V.
This is different to the previous behaviour with kwebkit engine and is very confusing for a user accostomed to use the middle mouse button.

A similar problem was described here (https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=220184)
for kmail
Comment 1 Allan Sandfeld 2017-09-12 21:36:32 UTC 
That is intensional, if you want it in the selection buffer you need to select it. Copying is a clipboard action. Though I guess we could select it when you right click on it, though that might be confusing if you have another selection active.
Comment 2 Allan Sandfeld 2017-09-12 21:41:16 UTC 
Note Klipper has a setting that lets you synchronize selection buffer and clipboard across all applications, if that is what you want.
Comment 3 Maurizio Paolini 2017-09-13 08:57:51 UTC 
(In reply to Allan Sandfeld from comment #1)
> That is intensional, if you want it in the selection buffer you need to
> select it. Copying is a clipboard action. Though I guess we could select it
> when you right click on it, though that might be confusing if you have
> another selection active.

It's not a bug, it's a feature!  Consider, however that:
- the two engines (khtml and WebEngine) behave differently in this regard, so there is a confusing inconsistency between the two.
- firefox behaves like khtml
- a user (like myself) that upgrades konqueror from a previous version (kwebkit instead of WebEngine) finds himself with the new behaviour with no warning.
Comment 4 Rex Dieter 2017-09-17 14:01:01 UTC 
I'll have to test how other browsers treat this.  My suspicions are that most will behave like khtml.  If so, then I'd have to strongly recommend that webengine part ought to follow suit.
Comment 5 Maurizio Paolini 2017-09-18 11:09:06 UTC 
After a brief look at the sources, it seems that this behaviour is entirely under
QT responsibility:
in konqueror-17.04.1/webenginepart/src/webenginepart_ext.cpp I find:

[...]
        view()->triggerPageAction(QWebEnginePage::CopyLinkToClipboard);
[...]

where QWebEnginePage::CopyLinkToClipboard is an "action" that is executed in 
qtwebengine-opensource-src-5.9.1/src/webengine/api/qquickwebengineview.cpp, with a call to QClipboard::setMimeData:

[...]
            qApp->clipboard()->setMimeData(data);
[...]

Here there is a second (optional) argument of the following type:
enum 	Mode { Clipboard, Selection, FindBuffer }
the default being "Clipboard".
Now, I think that most existing applications that copy in Clipboard, also pragmatically copy the same content in "Selection", for the benefit of "old" X11 users...
Comment 6 Maurizio Paolini 2017-12-26 10:44:43 UTC 
Sadly, I am now no longer using konqueror... too many problems makes it a pain to use it.