Copy-pasting variables (values) to edior in 2021b

Copy-pasting column vector values from workspace to editor used to automatically include ; and give me everything in a nicely formated single row. After updating to 2021b it results in a long list of values (each one in a separate row).

For example:

Create a column vector:

> A = [1; 2; 3; 4; 5];

Open it in the workspace, select entire column and copy (ctrl-c)

Paste in the editor results with:

1

2

3

4

5

while it used to result with:

1;2;3;4;5

Is there a way to switch back to the old behavior of copy-pasting variables?

I use it a lot, for example when saving the results in my scripts as starting values for the future and the new format makes the scripts much longer and messier.

Thank you very much in advance for any suggestions.

[Seok Yoon Jeong]

I meet same issue in R2021b.

The previous version did wonderful job. why they eliminiate it?

Have you fix this problem?

Answer 1

[DGM]

Just don't rely on some sort of automagic formatting of pasted content. If you want to save an array variable as a literal constant, just convert it according to your needs using mat2str() or something.

A = rand(5,1) % a test array

A = 5×1

0.8996 0.1371 0.2541 0.4809 0.3265

mat2str(A,5) % or however many digits you want

ans = '[0.89963;0.13708;0.25414;0.48086;0.32655]'

A = randi(9,5,1) % same thing, but integers

A = 5×1

2 5 9 5 9

mat2str(A) % again

ans = '[2;5;9;5;9]'

mat2str() will give you an expression which can simply be copied and pasted.

Otherwise, you can always just save the variables to a mat file or something and load them as needed.

[Mikolaj Czajkowski]

Thanks. Yes, this work-around works, but it is more effort than using the previous copy-pasting behavior.

[Pascal Letourneau]

This work around is absolutely terrible.

What were they thinking?

[DGM]

Workarounds are generally terrible by definition when compared to a scenario which obviates the necessity for workarounds.

If you know of a better workaround to which the one I offered is by far worse, feel free to post it. That's not sarcarsm. I have no stake in this.

For what it's worth, I don't use R2021x, and I doubt I ever will. The creeping integration of these new UI components is gradually breaking everything for me. I don't need MATLAB to be slower and flakier than it already is.

[Ornit]

I experiance the same problem with R2022a. Thanks Mikolaj Czajkowski for posting the question.

Thanks, DGM for the solution. mat2str() worked for me AND I learned another function that I have never encountered before.

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

Put a [ in your code and then paste and then put a ]

The line breaks inside [] are treated as semi-colon

[Mikolaj Czajkowski]

Hi Walter - thanks.

I know it works like this. But the thing I often used this for was copy-pasting arrays with starting values to my data analysis/optimization scripts. If I keep it like this in my scripts it generates tons of lines making the script diffuicult to follow.

In the mean time, I found that it must be the 'paste' to editor behavior that has changed, because 'copy' in the new and old version works the same (extracts the same data in the same format).

Is there a specific function in Matlab that deals with pasting values from clipboard to editor (particularly, using ctrl-v)? I could then modify it and that would solve it.

[Walter Roberson]

I do not know. I would tend to think that level would be built in functions, not matlab code.