[solved] Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

[doctordruidphd]

Used to be that I could select text, and then paste it with the middle mouse button. That feature seems to have disappeared from all of my kde systems. I can't find anything in systemsettings > input_actions or keyboard_&_mouse that addresses this. Any way to get this back? It was more convenient than the select-and-drag method.

[Snowhog]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

Kubuntu 9.10 here.

It works for me, even in this reply. I highlighted text and positioned the mouse cursor and pressed my middle button and the contents of what I had highlighted were pasted.

[oznoob]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

Kubuntu 10.04 here
No problems highlighting text and pasting it with middle button.
Regards

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

Well, it doesn't work here, and I notice that it's not just kde, but gnome also. So it may be an xorg issue, and not specifically kde.
If you wouldn't mind, would someone who has this working post the "Input Device" section for xorg.conf that deals with the mouse. Mine is as follows:

Section "InputDevice"
  # generated from default
  Identifier   "Mouse0"
  Driver     "mouse"
  Option     "Protocol" "auto"
  Option     "Device" "/dev/psaux"
  Option     "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
  Option     "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

[skunk]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

On my machine I have all the InputDevice sections commented out. On my machine, hal just works.

[dibl]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

Working fine here (posting this from sidux/KDE 4.4, running kernel 2.6.34-0 ...) -- a plain vanilla Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical USB mouse. Here is the piece of xorg.conf, which was written by nvidia-xconfig:

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"

The mouse part is identical to yours -- apparently the problem you are seeing is not caused by xorg.conf. Hmmmm -- if it's not KDE settings and not xorg.conf, then I'm not sure where else to look.


EDIT: Confirmed it works the same in Kubuntu 10.04, and xorg.conf is the same.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

I'm beginning to think it's a hardware failure in the mouse itself. The joystick app in input devices shows all the other buttons on the mouse when they are presses. but not the middle on. Guess M$ is punishing me for not using windows.

[paulsen]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

Twice now I have had a similar experience -- pasting with the mouse just stops working. A system reboot fixes the problem.

I am using Kubuntu 9.10. I have a Logitech Wireless USB mouse.

I should have tried unplugging the usb "dongle" but didn't think to do that. Next time.

[doctordruidphd]

Re: Middle mouse button doesn't paste - fixable?

Sorry I didn't follow up on this.
Confirmed hardware failure. Replacing the mouse fixed it.
Also, pressing left & right mouse buttons emulates the middle button.