paste is disabled in the app designer

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Scott
Scott on 23 Feb 2017
Commented: liang jiong on 30 Apr 2023
Does anybody else find that "Paste" (as in clipboard copy and paste) is disabled when editing code in the "App Designer". I have no issues at all with pasting with the regular Matlab editor; only when using the App Designer. If I use Ctrl-V, nothing happens and if I right click with the mouse, "Paste" is greyed out.
I did some searching and see where some have had this issue with the regular editor 3 or 4 years ago and their solution was to reboot. I've tried that with no luck. Windows 7, 64 Bit. Matlab 2016B Thanks in advance! S
  8 Comments
Jan Rédr
Jan Rédr on 14 Dec 2021
Hello,
I am using R2020a version and experienced the same behaviour - I could not copy and paste in code view of Appdesigner. For me worked restarting Matlab and it worked fine.
Frank
Frank on 1 Jan 2022
I have the same problem. Using R2021b in Windows 10. Somehow copy/paste becomes disabled in app designer code view editing and paste does not appear as an option in the dropdown. I tried copy/pasting into a word file, then back, using keyboard shortcuts, and a few other things that didd not work. Finally, I tried saving what I needed to, quitting matlab, then restarting it. That worked, so far. If it returns during this work session, I will update this comment.

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Answers (6)

Aravind C G
Aravind C G on 11 Mar 2019
Edited: Aravind C G on 24 Mar 2019
The fix that worked for me:
1) Return to design view. Copy paste a random element. Delete it.
2) Go back to code view. Try copy pasting. It should work.
EDIT: This bug happened to me once again, don't know the cause. But the above fix no longer worked. (March 23,2019)
Things that didn't work:
Just closing and reopening the same file in app designer
Restarting App Designer only (not restarting matlab) and then opening up the file again.
Possible Cause:
I think there is some issue with how App Designer switches between the two clipboards (that Melissa mentions below) when you change views. Will update this answer if I find the steps to reproduce the issue.

Melissa Williams
Melissa Williams on 25 Jan 2018
Hi Scott,
App Designer has two different clipboards, one for actions completed in the design area and one for text edits. If you are finding the paste buttons disabled when you want to paste in the text editor, try using the keyboard shortcut ctrl+v. However, this shouldn't be necessary because the paste buttons are for the editor in code view and the design area in design view. Please let me know if this issue persists and if so, what version of MATLAB you are using.
-Melissa
  11 Comments
Daniel Dieterle
Daniel Dieterle on 2 Sep 2020
Same Problem Win10, Matlabversion 2019b,
Charles Holman
Charles Holman on 2 Nov 2020
This issue still happens to me with 2020a as well. The fix I use:
Type something into the main Command Window, then drag it (not copy/paste) onto the App Designer.

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Melissa Williams
Melissa Williams on 10 Jan 2019
Hi everyone,
If you are experiencing issues pasting, could you contact MATLAB tech support and let us know what OS and version of MATLAB and also if this is in the regular editor, editing a Live Script or in App Designer. Also if it's all the time or only after certain actions. Those details will help us narrow down why this happens sometimes and help offer suggestions.
  10 Comments
Johnny B
Johnny B on 4 Jun 2021
It happens to me with Live Scripts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MATLAB Version: 9.9.0.1467703 (R2020b)
MATLAB License Number: 249102
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Version 10.0 (Build 18363)
Java Version: Java 1.8.0_202-b08 with Oracle Corporation Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM mixed mode
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've tried right-clicking to bring up the context menu, and "paste" is disabled (grayed out), so the Live Editor clearly doesn't think that there's anything in the clipboard. I can switch to a regular .m file in the editor and paste the text I copied from the Live Editor, so it appears that "copy" is working.
I haven't yet found the trigger nor a reliable fix. I've had the same problem on a different Windows system with R2019a, but not on yet another Windows PC with R2017b.
liang jiong
liang jiong on 30 Apr 2023
Same issue on Windows 10 in the Matlab R2019b

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ahmadreza keihani
ahmadreza keihani on 2 Jul 2021
I have faced the same problem in MATLAB 2020b.
I have tried to drag and drop the selected section of code I want to paste in Code View as below.
It was an alternative solution for me!

Sigurd Askeland
Sigurd Askeland on 20 Aug 2021
I have a work-around:
In my case (R2020b) copying works, but not paste. Also, moving by dragging works.
  • I copy from the code view.
  • I paste into the regular editor.
  • I drag from the regular editor into code view.

Ramiro Massol
Ramiro Massol on 20 Aug 2021
hi, copy & paste works in R2021a but the problem is that when your code is long it takes literally crazy long for paste (10 or 20 sec) to execute. To make matters worse, once you trigger "paste", you can still type code and then your paste will be done whereever you are currently editing.

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