Fix copy/paste in notebooks (#11024)

dhruvisompura · nstrayer · web-flow · commit 689c28ea5d09 · 2025-12-12T15:48:00.000-08:00
Addresses #10240 This PR addresses the issue where copying a cell (`C`) and pasting it inside another cell's editor (`Cmd+V`) would paste the cell metadata instead of the cell contents. Additionally, this PR addres support for cross-notebook copy/paste. Cells can now be copy/pasted between different notebooks which was not previously supported. -- Positron notebooks has specific code to handle copy/pasting cell objects into notebooks. The system clipboard is used to handle pasting into editors (including cell editors). When users copied a cell (`C` key or "Copy cell" button), we were writing the cell json to the notebook clipboard and the system clipboard. This is why when a users copied a cell (`C` key or "Copy cell" button) and then pasted inside a cell editor (edit mode), they would get json instead of the text in the cell. A code cell with the contents: `print("Hello World")` would return the following: ``` { "cells": [ { "cell_type": "code", "source": [ "print(\"Hello World\")" ], "metadata": {}, "outputs": [], "execution_count": null } ], "metadata": { "kernelspec": {}, "language_info": {} }, "nbformat": 4, "nbformat_minor": 2 } ``` This happened because we were writing cell metadata to the system clipboard instead of the cell contents. We should have only been writing the cell contents to the system clipboard. ### Screenshots **copy/paste single cell into cell editor** https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d9b869c1-e8d1-4a9d-a052-b257a5fb6ba2 **copy/paste multiple cells into cell editor** https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e262a21b-206f-4c02-a179-56fc23b8d7f7 **copy/paste multiple cells into non-notebook editor** https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/70f9c22c-ca65-4c4c-898d-1afcefda66f3 **copy/paste cells into a different notebook** https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/64047f2e-1740-4282-a2a5-e4941dd155fd ### Release Notes  #### New Features - N/A #### Bug Fixes - N/A ### QA Notes @:positron-notebooks - Copy cell and paste anywhere in a notebook -> pastes new cell with metadata - Copy cell and paste within a cell -> paste just the source text - Copy cell and paste into a non .ipynb file -> paste just the source text --------- Signed-off-by: Dhruvi Sompura <dhruvi.sompura@posit.co> Co-authored-by: Nick Strayer <nick.strayer@posit.co>
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronNotebook/browser/PositronNotebookInstance.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronNotebook/browser/PositronNotebookInstance.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ import { IPositronWebviewPreloadService } from '../../../services/positronWebvie
 import { autorunDelta, observableFromEvent, observableValue, runOnChange } from '../../../../base/common/observable.js';
 import { ResourceMap } from '../../../../base/common/map.js';
 import { ICodeEditor } from '../../../../editor/browser/editorBrowser.js';
-import { cellToCellDto2, serializeCellsToClipboard } from './cellClipboardUtils.js';
+import { cellToCellDto2 } from './cellClipboardUtils.js';
 import { IClipboardService } from '../../../../platform/clipboard/common/clipboardService.js';
 import { IPositronConsoleService } from '../../../services/positronConsole/browser/interfaces/positronConsoleService.js';
 import { isNotebookLanguageRuntimeSession } from '../../../services/runtimeSession/common/runtimeSession.js';
@@ -1440,11 +1440,6 @@ export class PositronNotebookInstance extends Disposable implements IPositronNot
 	// =============================================================================================
 	// #region Clipboard Methods
 
-	/**
-	 * Internal clipboard for storing cells with full fidelity
-	 */
-	private _clipboardCells: ICellDto2[] = [];
-
 	/**
 	 * Copies the specified cells to the clipboard.
 	 * @param cells The cells to copy. If not provided, copies the currently selected cells
@@ -1456,11 +1451,19 @@ export class PositronNotebookInstance extends Disposable implements IPositronNot
 			return;
 		}
 
-		// Store internally for full-fidelity paste
-		this._clipboardCells = cellsToCopy.map(cell => cellToCellDto2(cell));
+		const clipboardCells: ICellDto2[] = [];
+		let clipboardText = '';
+		cellsToCopy.forEach(cell => {
+			clipboardCells.push(cellToCellDto2(cell));
+			clipboardText += cell.getContent() + '\n\n';
+		});
+
+		// Store in shared notebook service clipboard for within-window paste (same or different notebook)
+		this._positronNotebookService.setClipboardCells(clipboardCells);
 
-		// Also write to system clipboard as text
-		const clipboardText = serializeCellsToClipboard(cellsToCopy);
+		// Remove trailing newlines from clipboard text
+		clipboardText = clipboardText.trimEnd();
+		// Write cell contents to system clipboard for pasting into other editors (including cell editors)
 		this._clipboardService.writeText(clipboardText);
 
 		// Log for debugging
@@ -1500,10 +1503,13 @@ export class PositronNotebookInstance extends Disposable implements IPositronNot
 		try {
 			this._assertTextModel();
 
+			// Get cells from shared notebook service clipboard
+			const cellsToPaste = this._positronNotebookService.getClipboardCells();
+
 			const textModel = this.textModel;
 			const computeUndoRedo = !this.isReadOnly || textModel.viewType === 'interactive';
 			const pasteIndex = index ?? this.getInsertionIndex();
-			const cellCount = this._clipboardCells.length;
+			const cellCount = cellsToPaste.length;
 
 			// Use textModel.applyEdits to properly create and register cells
 			const synchronous = true;
@@ -1522,7 +1528,7 @@ export class PositronNotebookInstance extends Disposable implements IPositronNot
 					editType: CellEditType.Replace,
 					index: pasteIndex,
 					count: 0,
-					cells: this._clipboardCells
+					cells: cellsToPaste
 				}
 			],
 				synchronous,
@@ -1560,7 +1566,7 @@ export class PositronNotebookInstance extends Disposable implements IPositronNot
 	 * @returns True if cells can be pasted, false otherwise
 	 */
 	canPaste(): boolean {
-		return this._clipboardCells.length > 0;
+		return this._positronNotebookService.hasClipboardCells();
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronNotebook/browser/cellClipboardUtils.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronNotebook/browser/cellClipboardUtils.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
 import { ICellDto2 } from '../../notebook/common/notebookCommon.js';
-import { VSBuffer } from '../../../../base/common/buffer.js';
-import { CellKind, IPositronNotebookCell } from './PositronNotebookCells/IPositronNotebookCell.js';
+import { IPositronNotebookCell } from './PositronNotebookCells/IPositronNotebookCell.js';
 
 /**
  * Converts a Positron notebook cell to ICellDto2 format for clipboard storage.
@@ -32,149 +31,3 @@ export function cellToCellDto2(cell: IPositronNotebookCell): ICellDto2 {
 	};
 }
 
-/**
- * Serializes cells to a JSON string for system clipboard storage.
- * This enables pasting cells into other applications or notebooks.
- */
-export function serializeCellsToClipboard(cells: IPositronNotebookCell[]): string {
-	const cellsData = cells.map(cell => {
-		const cellModel = cell.model;
-
-		// Create a serializable representation of the cell
-		const cellData = {
-			cell_type: cellModel.cellKind === CellKind.Code ? 'code' : 'markdown',
-			source: splitIntoLines(cell.getContent()),
-			metadata: {},
-			// For code cells, include outputs
-			...(cellModel.cellKind === CellKind.Code ? {
-				outputs: cellModel.outputs.map(output => ({
-					output_type: 'display_data',
-					data: output.outputs.reduce((acc, item) => {
-						// Convert output items to a format compatible with Jupyter
-						acc[item.mime] = item.data.toString();
-						return acc;
-						// eslint-disable-next-line local/code-no-dangerous-type-assertions
-					}, {} as Record<string, string>),
-					metadata: {}
-				})),
-				execution_count: null
-			} : {})
-		};
-
-		return cellData;
-	});
-
-	// Wrap in a notebook-like structure for compatibility
-	const notebookData = {
-		cells: cellsData,
-		metadata: {
-			kernelspec: {},
-			language_info: {}
-		},
-		nbformat: 4,
-		nbformat_minor: 2
-	};
-
-	return JSON.stringify(notebookData, null, 2);
-}
-
-/**
- * Deserializes cells from a clipboard string to ICellDto2 format.
- * Handles both Positron and standard Jupyter notebook formats.
- */
-export function deserializeCellsFromClipboard(clipboardData: string): ICellDto2[] | null {
-	try {
-		const data = JSON.parse(clipboardData);
-
-		// Check if it's a notebook format (has cells array)
-		const cells = data.cells || (Array.isArray(data) ? data : null);
-
-		if (!cells) {
-			return null;
-		}
-
-		return cells.map((cellData: any) => {
-			// Determine cell kind
-			const cellKind = cellData.cell_type === 'code' ? CellKind.Code : CellKind.Markup;
-
-			// Handle source - could be array of strings or single string
-			const source = Array.isArray(cellData.source)
-				? cellData.source.join('')
-				: (cellData.source || '');
-
-			// Handle outputs for code cells
-			const outputs = [];
-			if (cellKind === CellKind.Code && cellData.outputs) {
-				for (const output of cellData.outputs) {
-					const outputItems = [];
-
-					// Handle different output formats
-					if (output.data) {
-						for (const [mime, content] of Object.entries(output.data)) {
-							outputItems.push({
-								mime,
-								data: VSBuffer.fromString(content as string)
-							});
-						}
-					} else if (output.text) {
-						// Handle stream outputs
-						outputItems.push({
-							mime: 'text/plain',
-							data: VSBuffer.fromString(Array.isArray(output.text) ? output.text.join('') : output.text)
-						});
-					}
-
-					if (outputItems.length > 0) {
-						outputs.push({
-							outputId: output.output_id || crypto.randomUUID(),
-							outputs: outputItems
-						});
-					}
-				}
-			}
-
-			// Return ICellDto2 format
-			return {
-				source,
-				language: cellData.language || (cellKind === CellKind.Code ? 'python' : 'markdown'),
-				mime: cellData.mime,
-				cellKind,
-				outputs,
-				metadata: cellData.metadata || {},
-				internalMetadata: {
-					executionOrder: cellData.execution_count || undefined,
-					lastRunSuccess: undefined,
-					runStartTime: undefined,
-					runEndTime: undefined
-				},
-				collapseState: undefined
-			};
-		});
-	} catch (error) {
-		// Failed to parse clipboard data
-		return null;
-	}
-}
-
-/**
- * Helper function to split content into lines for Jupyter format
- */
-function splitIntoLines(content: string): string[] {
-	if (!content) {
-		return [];
-	}
-
-	// Split by newlines but preserve the newline characters
-	const lines = content.split(/(\r?\n)/);
-	const result: string[] = [];
-
-	for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i += 2) {
-		if (i + 1 < lines.length) {
-			result.push(lines[i] + lines[i + 1]);
-		} else if (lines[i]) {
-			result.push(lines[i]);
-		}
-	}
-
-	return result;
-}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronNotebook/browser/positronNotebookService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronNotebook/browser/positronNotebookService.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { IPositronNotebookInstance } from './IPositronNotebookInstance.js';
 import { usingPositronNotebooks as utilUsingPositronNotebooks } from '../common/positronNotebookCommon.js';
 import { isEqual } from '../../../../base/common/resources.js';
 import { Emitter, Event } from '../../../../base/common/event.js';
+import { ICellDto2 } from '../../notebook/common/notebookCommon.js';
 
 export const IPositronNotebookService = createDecorator<IPositronNotebookService>('positronNotebookService');
 export interface IPositronNotebookService {
@@ -58,6 +59,29 @@ export interface IPositronNotebookService {
 	 * @returns true if Positron notebooks are the default editor, false otherwise
 	 */
 	usingPositronNotebooks(): boolean;
+
+	/**
+	 * Stores cells in the shared clipboard.
+	 * @param cells The cells to store in the clipboard
+	 */
+	setClipboardCells(cells: ICellDto2[]): void;
+
+	/**
+	 * Retrieves cells from the shared clipboard.
+	 * @returns The cells currently stored in the clipboard, or empty array if none
+	 */
+	getClipboardCells(): ICellDto2[];
+
+	/**
+	 * Checks if there are cells available in the shared clipboard.
+	 * @returns True if cells are available, false otherwise
+	 */
+	hasClipboardCells(): boolean;
+
+	/**
+	 * Clears the shared clipboard.
+	 */
+	clearClipboard(): void;
 }
 
 export class PositronNotebookService extends Disposable implements IPositronNotebookService {
@@ -75,6 +99,7 @@ export class PositronNotebookService extends Disposable implements IPositronNote
 	//#region Private Properties
 	private _instanceById = new Map<string, IPositronNotebookInstance>();
 	private _activeInstance: IPositronNotebookInstance | null = null;
+	private _clipboardCells: ICellDto2[] = [];
 	//#endregion Private Properties
 
 	//#region Constructor & Dispose
@@ -122,6 +147,22 @@ export class PositronNotebookService extends Disposable implements IPositronNote
 	public usingPositronNotebooks(): boolean {
 		return utilUsingPositronNotebooks(this._configurationService);
 	}
+
+	public setClipboardCells(cells: ICellDto2[]): void {
+		this._clipboardCells = cells;
+	}
+
+	public getClipboardCells(): ICellDto2[] {
+		return this._clipboardCells;
+	}
+
+	public hasClipboardCells(): boolean {
+		return this._clipboardCells.length > 0;
+	}
+
+	public clearClipboard(): void {
+		this._clipboardCells = [];
+	}
 	//#endregion Public Methods
 }
 
diff --git a/test/e2e/tests/notebooks-positron/notebook-cell-action-bar.test.ts b/test/e2e/tests/notebooks-positron/notebook-cell-action-bar.test.ts
@@ -140,16 +140,15 @@ test.describe('Positron Notebooks: Action Bar Behavior', {
 		await notebooksPositron.triggerCellAction(0, 'Paste cell below');
 		await notebooksPositron.expectCellContentsToBe(['# Cell 0', '# Cell 0', '# Cell 1']);
 
-		// ISSUE #10240: Pasting inside of cell includes metadata
 		// Copy cell using action bar and paste into existing cell using keyboard
-		// await notebooksPositron.selectCellAtIndex(0);
-		// await notebooksPositron.expectCellIndexToBeSelected(0, { inEditMode: true });
-		// await notebooksPositron.selectFromMoreActionsMenu(0, 'Copy cell');
-		// await notebooksPositron.selectCellAtIndex(2);
-		// await notebooksPositron.expectCellIndexToBeSelected(2, { inEditMode: true });
-		// await hotKeys.selectAll();
-		// await hotKeys.paste();
-		// await notebooksPositron.expectCellContentsToBe(['# Cell 0', '# Cell 0', '# Cell 0']);
+		await notebooksPositron.selectCellAtIndex(0);
+		await notebooksPositron.expectCellIndexToBeSelected(0, { inEditMode: true });
+		await notebooksPositron.triggerCellAction(0, 'Copy cell');
+		await notebooksPositron.selectCellAtIndex(2);
+		await notebooksPositron.expectCellIndexToBeSelected(2, { inEditMode: true });
+		await hotKeys.selectAll();
+		await hotKeys.paste();
+		await notebooksPositron.expectCellContentsToBe(['# Cell 0', '# Cell 0', '# Cell 0']);
 	});
 
 	test('Cell actions with multiple cells selected', async function ({ app }) {
