Operation Manual

Cutting, copying, and pasting text
Cutting and copying text in Writer is similar to cutting and copying text in other applications. You
can use the mouse or the keyboard for these operations. You can copy or move text within a
document, or between documents, by dragging or by using menu selections, icons, or keyboard
shortcuts. You can also copy text from other sources such as Web pages and paste it into a Writer
document.
To move (drag and drop) selected text using the mouse, drag it to the new location and release it.
To copy selected text, hold down the Ctrl key while dragging. The text retains the formatting it had
before dragging.
To move (cut and paste) selected text, use Ctrl+X to cut the text, insert the cursor at the paste-in
point and use Ctrl+V to paste. Alternatively, use the icons on the Standard toolbar.
When you paste text, the result depends on the source of the text and how you paste it. If you click
on the Paste icon, any formatting the text has (such as bold or italics) is retained. Text pasted from
Web sites and other sources may also be placed into frames or tables. If you do not like the
results, click the Undo icon or press Ctrl+Z.
To make the pasted text take on the formatting of the surrounding text where it is being pasted:
• Choose Edit > Paste Special, or
• Click the triangle to the right of the Paste icon, or
• Click the Paste icon without releasing the left mouse button.
Then select Unformatted text from the resulting menu.
The range of choices on the Paste Special menu varies depending on the origin and formatting of
the text (or other object) to be pasted. See Figure 69 for an example with text on the clipboard.
Figure 69: Paste Special menu
Finding and replacing text and formatting
Writer has two ways to find text within a document: the Find toolbar for fast searching and the Find
& Replace dialog. In the dialog, you can:
• Find and replace words and phrases
• Use wildcards and regular expressions to fine-tune a search
• Find and replace specific formatting
• Find and replace paragraph styles
Chapter 4 Getting Started with Writer | 89