Column selection - cannot paste with virtual whitespace

[ArashPartow]

I have the following bit of data

col1   col2
aaa    bbbbbbbbb
cccccc ddddd
ee     fffffffffffff
aaa    bbbbbbbbb
cccccc ddddd
ee     ffffffffffffffffff

I would like to be able to select the 2nd column (aka col2) and paste it next to the original col2.

This operation is quite trivial in editors such as Visual Studio, UltraEdit, NotePad++, QtCreator, emacs etc.. The following shows UltraEdit, NotePad++, Visual Studio, QtCreator and Kate column select modes:

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However when I try to do it using vscode, I encounter a very non-intuitive outcome:

Is there a plugin or correct way to select a column of text and paste it as-is into a text? (or the same one)

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@alexandrudima the Problems and Issues observed:

1. Holes appear in the selected rectangular area
2. Rows are selected at different lengths instead of max number of columns
3. When pasting what has been selected, the result is non-intuitive
4. Behaviour differs when using keyboard only versus keyboard-mouse combination

[phiresky]

Note that you can kind of do this by using column selection (shift+alt drag)

then pasting in multi cursor mode

(if I'm understanding this issue correctly)

[ArashPartow]

@phiresky please review the following section in the issue post: "the Problems and Issues observed:"

Found at the bottom of the issue report - specifically Point 3. What is the norm, or expected
or common sense behaviour would be something like this:

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Note there are numerous problems, such as the editor allowing the user to get into non-intuitive/ridiculous selection modes, not being able to properly align the pasted text, overlapping selects results in the previously selected text to become unselected (holes et al) and many other issues.

[phiresky]

1. no holes appear for me for your sample as shown in the above screenshots
2. rows are selected as a block / as expected for me, except when the line length is shorter than the selected block, then it is selected to the end of the line
3. I don't understand your last screenshot or what you mean by non-intuitive.
4. not sure what combination you mean since you don't specify what commands you are using

"non-intuitive/ridiculous selection modes" is obviously subjective and thus not a helpful assertion.
"many other issues" isn't helpful either.

pasting N lines in vscode causes them to be spread across the active cursors if the number of cursors is also N.

[ArashPartow]

@phiresky thank-you for your comments, lets allow the Microsoft guys to resolve this issue.

[gazzar]

This is basically a dupe of #5940

[ArashPartow]

@gazzar: Just to let you know @alexandrudima was assigned this task - but he seems to have dropped it.

[gazzar]

@ArashPartow Yes, it's mysterious and frustrating. And he was assigned to #73837 a few days ago, so at least one other person in Microsoft is now aware that this fundamental editor feature is still missing from VSCode.

[sandipchitale]

This extension may help:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sandipchitale.exchange-selection-start-end

[NurjanovUlugbek]

Please make this feature copy past normally column mode like notepad++ ultraedit

[hediet]

/duplicate #5940