[Techtalk] keyboard shortcut for "paste" in X-Windows

[hobbit at aloss.ukuu.org.uk]

On Wed, May 01, 2002 at 03:57:00PM -0500 or thereabouts, Glenda R. Snodgrass wrote:
> Does anyone know if there is/what is the keyboard shortcut for "paste" in
> X-Windows?  I often use my middle button to copy text from one window to
> another and I'd like to be able to use a keyboard shortcut to paste it
> into a terminal window when I'm typing, but I haven't a clue where to find
> such a thing.  I use WindowMaker, and I've gone through all my keyboard
> setup and preference options but didn't find it anywhere, so I'm thinking
> if it exists, then it's a general X-windows thing.  Anyone know? or point
> me to where I can find out?

You're right. There is a general X-wide (or XFree86-wide; dunno about
others) way to do mouse stuff with the keyboard. It's in "Xkb", 
apparently. This is so opaque to me that I have always gone with the 
README from -- of all things -- the same Window Maker program you're 
using :) It's about the only window manager I've found whose docs 
describe this stuff.

On RH, it lives in /usr/share/doc/WindowMaker-(versionnumber)/README

Quote:

  Keyboard Mouse Control
  ======================

  Many people ask about adding keyboard control of mouse, like in fvwm,
  but Window Maker will not have such feature. The XKB extension supports
  mouse simulation from the keyboard, in a much more powerfull fashion than
  any simulation done by a window manager. 

  To enable it, hit the Control+Shift+NumLock or Shift+NumLock key combination. 
  You should hear the speaker beeping. To disable it, do the same thing.

  To control the mouse the numeric keypad is used as follows:
  - 4 (left arrow), 7 (Home), 8 (up arrow), 9 (PgUp), 6 (right arrow), 
  3 (PgDn), 2 (down arrow) and 1 (End) move the mouse to the corresponding
  direction;
  - holding one of the above keys and then holding the 5 key will move the
  pointer faster;
  - / will select the first mouse button (left button);
  - * will select the second mouse button (middle button);
  - - will select the third mouse button (right button);
  - 5 will do a click with the currently selected mouse button;
  - + will do a double-click with the currently selected button;
  - 0 (Ins) will click and hold the currently selected button;
  - . (Del) will release the currently selected button that was previously
  clicked with the 0 (Ins) key.


  The above key values work in a XFree86 3.2 (X11R6.1) X server but your
  milleage may vary.

It works for me on XFree86 4.1 too. I don't always get the beep when
I enable it. 

And it has saved my bacon when I have drowned the mouse with coffee
and have needed to close applications before quitting to rescue
stuff. 

Telsa