Matlab help window doesn't allow copy

Hi,

I have a problem with the Matlab help that pops up when I press F1. I used to copy-paste different examples from there directly in the command window, but for some time now it doesn't work anymore. If I highlight something in the help window, the copy option is not available anymore. Is this the typical behavior of the help form Matlab 2013b or is something wrong with my computer?

Thanks,

Razvan

[Dun Kirk]

Not only ctrl+c doesn't work, but also mouse right click. Nothing happens after right click...

[Ignacio Pisso]

With Matlab 2016a (on OS X Yosemite) the bug persists... Try

cmd-c ctrl-v to copy

cmd-v to paste

Answer 1

[Image Analyst]

You need to use control-insert to copy from the help documentation. Hopefully they'll get the bug fixed by the next version.

[Razvan]

Great, thanks! It works!

[Dun Kirk]

This is so stupid. Why can't we use ctrl+c!?

[Image Analyst]

Because it's a bug or incompatibility.

[irad]

Image Analyst, you're a genius!! (:

[Mace]

It's 20 months later and this still does not work!

[Image Analyst]

It's fixed in the new version of MATLAB. Obviously it will never be fixed in the old version. Upgrade and you'll be fine.

[Kelly Kearney]

Only sort of fixed on my computer... Mac OS X 10.10.5 with R2015b. I can get it to copy most of the time using the combo of ctrl-c cmd-c in succession. In older versions, cmd-c in isolation worked fine, and I would assume this would be the proper, bug-free way to do clipboard operations on any Mac app.

[Walter Roberson]

With R2014a on OS-X, you literally cannot highlight anything in the doc viewer. No way to copy it.

[Kelly Kearney]

To clarify, by older versions, I meant back when the help was actually helpful, circa 2012 or so... (Can we please go back to the version with the index? Pretty please?)

Then it proceeded to the no-highlight-at-all phase somewhere arounf 2013b/2014a, then a highlight-but-no-copy phase, and only in 2015b did I discover (by accident) that the ctrl-c cmd-c combo works.

[Toby Fernsler]

there is no insert key on a mac keypad

Answer 2

[Azzi Abdelmalek]

http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/104025-why-is-the-formatting-of-my-matlab-documentation-broken

[Razvan]

In my case, the help pages are displayed correctly. It is just that I can't copy anything from there. I can select the text but if I right click I don't have a copy option...

[Azzi Abdelmalek]

Have you tried ctrl+c (without a mouse)

[Razvan]

Yes. It doesn't work.

Answer 3

[Staz]

Very frustrating.

However you can get the exact same help on-line at http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/

You will then be able to copy it from your browser.

Answer 4

[Thomas Richner]

I have to use cmd-c to copy and ctrl-v to paste since I swapped ctrl and cmd in osx. It appears that Matlab does not honor swapping cmd and ctrl.

[Irl Smith]

I'm running R2019b on a Mac (10.13.6) and command-C ((⌘C) does nothing if I highlight text in the Help window. However, right-click brings up a context-menu which has "Copy ⌘C" at the bottom. Selecting that does Copy the text. I haven't done anythng weird with key assignments.

Answer 5

[Matthias Brandt]

I am facing a little bit of a similar bug, I am unable to select text in the help browser if no mouse is connected to the physical machine. I am running Matlab on a remote machine (win 10) that I connect via VNC. The machine is in a server room, and intended to not be accessed other then for maintenance. I do want to use Matlab on it, and not on my local machine, to interface with other software running on it easily. Any ideas anyone?

Answer 6

[Toby Fernsler]

I find I can copy text from the matlab help browser, paste it to notepad, then copy it from notepad into matlab editor. but I can't copy reliably from help to editor directly.