How to Add Copy, Paste, and Cut Functionality to a Qt Widget Application in C++


C++


In this article, we show how to add copy, paste, and cut functionality to a Qt widget application in C++.

This are common features seen in word processing software programs such as NotePad, WordPad, and Microsoft Word.

Main window with copy, paste, and cut menu items in a Qt widget in C++

Copy allows us to copy text.

Paste allows us to place text that has been copied into the editor.

Cut allows us to remove the selected text and have it copied to place elsewhere.

We can add these functionalities into a main window program. The text within this main window can then be copied, pasted, and cut using these functionalities added.

So how do we add copy, paste, and cut functionality into a main window program?

So the first thing is you have to create a program of the QMainWindow class.

You then have to create menu items: Copy, Paste, and Cut.

When you have these menu items, you can create an optional icon to go with them. For functionality, an icon isn't need, though.

So now for each menu item, click 'Go to Slot' and selected the QAction of 'triggered()'

This will create a function that will run when the menu item is selected.

The following code should be placed into the "mainwindow.cpp" file.



So the code is very basic.

Qt keeps the code very simple.

When the copy menu item is selected, the text from the user interface of the textEdit is copied using the copy() function.

When the paste menu item is selected, the text from the user interface of the textEdit is pasted using the paste() function.

When the cut menu item is selected, the text from the user interface of the textEdit is cut using the cut() function.

Now when you run this program, you'll see that any text you type into the text editor will be copied, pasted, and cut according to these menu items selected.

And this is how to add copy, paste, and cut functionality in a Qt widget in C++.


Related Resources

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