Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Just let me select text

aartaka.me

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

521–530 of 621 posts

Re: Just let me select text

#521

Post by gradstudent »

catapart wrote: post #21

As a web dev, I fully agree with this, but with a huge exception: clickable text. Anything that is meant to be read as content should absolutely, without fail, be selectable and copyable (assuming appropriate permissions). But stuff like tab headers, buttons, or even text-sparse tiles - things meant for the user to click on - can, and usually should , prevent text selection. It is super annoying to be clicking back a…

Strong disagree. I often want to grab the contents of a page, tab headers and all, and paste that into a text editor for subsequent manipulation. Please don't design your pages in a way that makes unilateral decisions on behalf of the user.

Re: Just let me select text

#522

Post by tstrimple »

zelphirkalt wrote: post #260

I have a habit of selecting and highlighting text on computer screens, while reading. I have no issues tracking lines usually, but somehow I still select and highlight. Maybe it is just easier to track lines this way. When I see some web page, that prevents this, then that website gets a -50 reputation score out of 100 in my book. So if the site is perfect in every other way (almost no site is) then -50 still makes i…

For me I think it's an ADHD adaption. When I was in classrooms, I really struggled to listen to what was being said unless I was doing something else at the same time. I often doodled in my notebook. It looked like I wasn't paying attention, but that was the only way I could pay attention. Now when reading comments or articles I'm constantly highlighting and unhighlighting sections as I read. I think it's just another coping mechanism to have some more stimulus to help focus on things.

Re: Just let me select text

#523

Post by halJordan »

JayShower wrote: post #276
zelphirkalt wrote: post #260

I have a habit of selecting and highlighting text on computer screens, while reading. I have no issues tracking lines usually, but somehow I still select and highlight. Maybe it is just easier to track lines this way. When I see some web page, that prevents this, then that website gets a -50 reputation score out of 100 in my book. So if the site is perfect in every other way (almost no site is) then -50 still makes i…

I also have the habit and am not sure why. I just find myself double-clicking and highlighting whatever I'm reading. Someone noticed me doing it once and asked if I had a tic.

You're not sure why you do something that verifiable makes focusing easier?

Re: Just let me select text

#524

Post by hsuduebc2 »

On newer Android you can select any on-screen text with Google's Circle to Search. Long-press the navigation handle or Home button to open it, then circle, highlight, or tap the text. If it is not auto-selected, use Select text. You can copy, search, or translate directly without leaving the app. It also recognizes text inside images and screenshots, and Lens can even handle neat handwriting. I'm using it on my few years old phone and it absolutely changed the way how to handle things for the better.

Re: Just let me select text

#525

Post by rodface »

3036e4 wrote: post #52

Teams refused to let me copy text from the real-time captions, even showing a popup to say it wasn't allowed. But after the meeting in the posted transcript I could copy the same text anyway so not sure why it was so important to prevent me from copying immediately. Very annoying since I wanted that text right then and not later.

I discovered this prohibition last week. Absolutely maddening.

Re: Just let me select text

#526

Post by MaulingMonkey »

aartaka wrote: post #428
calmbonsai wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of us were even actively selecting and highlighting that text as we were reading it! ;)

Hell yeah, I did that!

Ya'll gaslighting me? I tried to do that, and found it didn't work, which was just wonderfully ironic. I ended up verifying there's a `user-select: none;` in the actual `select-text.html` styling that is indeed disabling text selection. Was it added later for shits and/or giggles?

Re: Just let me select text

#527

Post by DangitBobby »

nmeofthestate wrote: post #322
DangitBobby wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On my Pixel 5, if you swipe from the bottom bar up (as if you are gesturing to close the app), near the bottom some options will appear: Screenshot or Select. The Select mode is an OCR enabled text selection.

This just takes me to the horizontal scrolling list of apps displayed as screenshots of the app. I can swipe from the bottom corner to bring up "Gemini" but that doesn't have an option to OCR the screen. Android is so diverse - people always end up talking about their unique and differing experiences, unfortunately.

Yeah. I do have an unlocked Pixel with vanilla Android and the default app launcher.

Re: Just let me select text

#528

Post by efskap »

nmeofthestate wrote: post #322
DangitBobby wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On my Pixel 5, if you swipe from the bottom bar up (as if you are gesturing to close the app), near the bottom some options will appear: Screenshot or Select. The Select mode is an OCR enabled text selection.

This just takes me to the horizontal scrolling list of apps displayed as screenshots of the app. I can swipe from the bottom corner to bring up "Gemini" but that doesn't have an option to OCR the screen. Android is so diverse - people always end up talking about their unique and differing experiences, unfortunately.

> list of apps displayed as screenshots of the app

The text in those screenshots is selectable!

Re: Just let me select text

#529

Post by efskap »

cubefox wrote: post #250
gsa wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a very different flow with a much higher friction compared to simply long pressing the home button in any app.

Yeah. (What would be the equivalent to long pressing the home button when Android gestures are used, and there is no home button?)

Holding down the handle (white line) that you would otherwise pull up to enter the app switcher

Re: Just let me select text

#530

Post by kobebrookskC3 »

fkyoureadthedoc wrote: post #285
klausa wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We seem to have very different concepts of either what is "easy" or fine motor skills. I also find it rather difficult to point my phone at itself when trying to translate a word it's currently displaying; but maybe that's also a skill issue.

good thing it can take a screenshot then

not if the app blocks screenshots
Post reply on HN