You can enable and disable clipboard operations based on the type of widget that currently has the input focus (FOCUS:TYPE attribute). For example, you might disable the pasting (inserting) of values into a selection list, but enable the copying of selected items from the list. You typically configure your clipboard operations in the trigger block of the MENU-DROP event for your Edit menu. This ensures that you enable or disable menu options based on the latest selection action that the user has committed in the current input widget (for example, selected a radio set or a range of text in an editor widget).

The following code example suggests a possible scenario for enabling and disabling cut, copy, and paste operations. It defines an Edit menu (EditMenu) with Cut, Copy, and Paste options assigned to the corresponding menu items EM_Cut, EM_Copy, and EM_Paste. When the user opens the Edit menu (ON MENU-DROP OF MENU EditMenu), the code determines the available options from the state of the field-level widget that has the current input focus.

For example, if an editor widget has the input focus (FOCUS:TYPE = "EDITOR"), then the Cut and Copy options are available only if the user has text selected within the widget (LENGTH(FOCUS:SELECTION-TEXT) > 0). If a radio set, selection list, slider, or toggle box has the input focus, then only the Copy option is enabled. You could make the Cut and Paste options meaningful for radio sets and selection lists, for example, by recreating dynamic radio sets or removing and inserting items in selection lists.

Although these topics provide useful examples, your code to determine the available clipboard operations can vary widely depending on your application. For example:

DEFINE MENU EditMenu
  MENU-ITEM EM_Cut   LABEL "&Cut "
  MENU-ITEM EM_Copy  LABEL "C&opy "
  MENU-ITEM EM_Paste LABEL "&Paste ".

ON MENU-DROP OF MENU EditMenu DO:
  IF FOCUS:TYPE = "EDITOR" THEN DO:
    MENU-ITEM EM_Cut:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu =
      IF  LENGTH(FOCUS:SELECTION-TEXT) > 0 THEN TRUE ELSE FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM Em_Copy:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu =
      IF  LENGTH(FOCUS:SELECTION-TEXT) > 0 THEN TRUE ELSE FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM EM_Paste:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu =
      IF CLIPBOARD:NUM-FORMATS > 0 THEN TRUE ELSE FALSE.
  END.
  ELSE IF FOCUS:TYPE = "RADIO-SET" OR 
          FOCUS:TYPE = "SELECTION-LIST" OR
          FOCUS:TYPE = "SLIDER" OR
          FOCUS:TYPE = "TOGGLE-BOX" THEN DO:
    MENU-ITEM EM_Cut:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu   = FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM Em_Copy:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu  = TRUE.
    MENU-ITEM Em_Paste:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu = FALSE.
  END.
  ELSE IF FOCUS:TYPE = "FILL-IN" THEN DO:
    MENU-ITEM EM_Cut:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu =
      IF LENGTH(FOCUS:SCREEN-VALUE) > 0 THEN TRUE ELSE FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM Em_Copy:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu =
      IF LENGTH(FOCUS:SCREEN-VALUE) > 0 THEN TRUE ELSE FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM EM_Paste:SENSITIVE IN MENU EDitMenu =
      IF CLIPBOARD:NUM-FORMATS > 0 THEN TRUE ELSE FALSE.
  END.
  ELSE DO:    MENU-ITEM EM_Cut:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu   = FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM EM_Copy:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu  = FALSE.
    MENU-ITEM EM_Paste:SENSITIVE IN MENU EditMenu = FALSE.
  END.
END. /* ON MENU-DROP IN EditMenu */