--- a/libgui/qterminal/libqterminal/unix/TerminalView.cpp
+++ b/libgui/qterminal/libqterminal/unix/TerminalView.cpp
@@ -2260,7 +2260,7 @@
 
 void TerminalView::copyClipboard()
 {
-  if ( !_screenWindow )
+  if ( !_screenWindow || !hasFocus())
     return;
 
   QString text = _screenWindow->selectedText(_preserveLineBreaks);
@@ -2278,7 +2278,10 @@
 
 void TerminalView::pasteClipboard()
 {
-  emitSelection(false,false);
+  if(hasFocus ())
+    {
+      emitSelection(false,false);
+    }
 }
 
 void TerminalView::pasteSelection()

--- a/libgui/qterminal/libqterminal/win32/QWinTerminalImpl.cpp
+++ b/libgui/qterminal/libqterminal/win32/QWinTerminalImpl.cpp
@@ -1436,6 +1436,8 @@
 
 void QWinTerminalImpl::copyClipboard (void)
 {
+  if(!hasFocus()) return;
+
   QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
 
   QString selection = d->getSelection ();
@@ -1456,6 +1458,8 @@
 
 void QWinTerminalImpl::pasteClipboard (void)
 {
+  if(!hasFocus()) return;
+
   QString text = QApplication::clipboard()->text (QClipboard::Clipboard);
 
   if (! text.isEmpty ())

--- a/libgui/src/documentation-dock-widget.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/documentation-dock-widget.cc
@@ -37,3 +37,14 @@
   _webinfo = new webinfo (this);
   setWidget (_webinfo);
 }
+
+void
+documentation_dock_widget::copyClipboard ()
+{
+  _webinfo->copyClipboard ();
+}
+void
+documentation_dock_widget::pasteClipboard ()
+{
+  _webinfo->pasteClipboard ();
+}

--- a/libgui/src/documentation-dock-widget.h
+++ b/libgui/src/documentation-dock-widget.h
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 
   documentation_dock_widget (QWidget *parent = 0);
 
+protected slots:
+  void copyClipboard ();
+  void pasteClipboard ();
+
 private:
 
   webinfo *_webinfo;

--- a/libgui/src/files-dock-widget.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/files-dock-widget.cc
@@ -708,3 +708,35 @@
   emit find_files_signal(dir);
 }
 
+void
+files_dock_widget::copyClipboard ()
+{
+  if (_file_tree_view->hasFocus ())
+    contextmenu_copy_selection (true);
+  if (_current_directory->hasFocus ())
+    {
+      QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+
+      QLineEdit * edit = _current_directory->lineEdit ();
+      if (edit && edit->hasSelectedText ())
+        {
+          clipboard->setText (edit->selectedText ());
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+void
+files_dock_widget::pasteClipboard ()
+{
+  if (_current_directory->hasFocus ())
+    {
+      QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+      QString str =  clipboard->text ();
+      QLineEdit * edit = _current_directory->lineEdit ();
+      if (edit && str.length () > 0) 
+        edit->insert (str);
+    }
+}
+
+
+

--- a/libgui/src/files-dock-widget.h
+++ b/libgui/src/files-dock-widget.h
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@
   void popdownmenu_findfiles (bool);
   void popdownmenu_home (bool);
 
+  /* from octave_doc_widget */
+  void copyClipboard ();
+  void pasteClipboard ();
+
 signals:
 
   /** Emitted, whenever the user requested to open a file. */

--- a/libgui/src/history-dock-widget.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/history-dock-widget.cc
@@ -169,3 +169,28 @@
 {
   _history_model->setStringList (QStringList ());
 }
+
+void
+history_dock_widget::copyClipboard ()
+{
+  if(_history_list_view->hasFocus())
+    handle_contextmenu_copy(true);
+  if(_filter_line_edit->hasFocus () && _filter_line_edit->hasSelectedText ())
+    {
+      QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+      clipboard->setText ( _filter_line_edit->selectedText ());
+    }
+}
+
+void
+history_dock_widget::pasteClipboard ()
+{
+  if(_filter_line_edit->hasFocus ())
+  {
+     QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+     QString str =  clipboard->text ();
+     if (str.length() > 0)
+       _filter_line_edit->insert (str);
+  } 
+}
+

--- a/libgui/src/history-dock-widget.h
+++ b/libgui/src/history-dock-widget.h
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@
   void handle_contextmenu_create_script(bool flag);
   void ctxMenu(const QPoint &pos);
 
+  void copyClipboard ();
+  void pasteClipboard ();
+
 private:
 
   void construct ();

--- a/libgui/src/m-editor/file-editor.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/m-editor/file-editor.cc
@@ -1171,4 +1171,25 @@
   _tab_widget->setCurrentWidget (f);
 }
 
+void
+file_editor::copyClipboard ()
+{
+  QWidget * foc_w = focusWidget ();
+
+  if(foc_w && foc_w->inherits ("octave_qscintilla"))
+  {
+    request_copy ();
+  }
+}
+void
+file_editor::pasteClipboard ()
+{
+  QWidget * foc_w = focusWidget ();
+
+  if(foc_w && foc_w->inherits ("octave_qscintilla"))
+  {
+    request_paste ();
+  }
+}
+
 #endif

--- a/libgui/src/m-editor/file-editor.h
+++ b/libgui/src/m-editor/file-editor.h
@@ -152,6 +152,10 @@
   // Tells the editor to react on changed settings.
   void notice_settings (const QSettings *settings);
 
+protected slots:
+  void copyClipboard ();
+  void pasteClipboard ();
+
 private slots:
 
   void request_open_file (const QString& fileName, int line = -1,

--- a/libgui/src/main-window.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/main-window.cc
@@ -613,13 +613,34 @@
 void
 main_window::copyClipboard (void)
 {
-  emit copyClipboard_signal ();
+  if (_current_directory_combo_box->hasFocus ())
+    {
+      QLineEdit * edit = _current_directory_combo_box->lineEdit ();
+      if (edit && edit->hasSelectedText ())
+        {
+          QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+          clipboard->setText (edit->selectedText ()); 
+        }
+    } 
+  else
+    emit copyClipboard_signal ();
 }
 
 void
 main_window::pasteClipboard (void)
 {
-  emit pasteClipboard_signal ();
+  if (_current_directory_combo_box->hasFocus ())
+    {
+      QLineEdit * edit = _current_directory_combo_box->lineEdit ();
+      QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+      QString str =  clipboard->text ();
+      if (edit && str.length () > 0)
+        {
+          edit->insert (str); 
+        }
+    } 
+  else
+    emit pasteClipboard_signal ();
 }
 
 // Connect the signals emitted when the Octave thread wants to create

--- a/libgui/src/octave-dock-widget.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/octave-dock-widget.cc
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 */
 
-
+#include <QApplication>
 #include <QToolBar>
 #include <QToolButton>
 #include <QAction>
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@
   title_widget->setLayout (h_layout);
   setTitleBarWidget (title_widget);
 
+  // copy & paste handling
+  connect (p, SIGNAL (copyClipboard_signal ()), this, SLOT (copyClipboard ()));
+  connect (p, SIGNAL (pasteClipboard_signal()), this, SLOT (pasteClipboard ()));
 }
 
 octave_dock_widget::~octave_dock_widget ()
@@ -193,3 +196,11 @@
   emit active_changed (false);
 }
 
+// get focus widget
+QWidget *
+octave_dock_widget::focusWidget ()
+{
+    QWidget * w = QApplication::focusWidget ();
+    if(w && w->focusProxy ()) w = w->focusProxy ();
+    return w;
+}

--- a/libgui/src/octave-dock-widget.h
+++ b/libgui/src/octave-dock-widget.h
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
     QDockWidget::closeEvent (e);
   }
 
+  QWidget * focusWidget();
 
 public slots:
 
@@ -91,6 +92,13 @@
     if (visible)
       emit active_changed (true);
   }
+  /** slots to handle copy & paste */
+  virtual void copyClipboard ()
+  {
+  }
+  virtual void pasteClipboard ()
+  {
+  }
 
 private slots:
 

--- a/libgui/src/qtinfo/webinfo.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/qtinfo/webinfo.cc
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@
 #include "webinfo.h"
 #include <QVBoxLayout>
 #include <QHBoxLayout>
+#include <QApplication>
+#include <QClipboard>
 
 #include "file-ops.h"
 #include "help.h"
@@ -218,3 +220,30 @@
   _text_browser->setFont (_font_web);
 }
 
+void
+webinfo::copyClipboard ()
+{
+  if (_search_line_edit->hasFocus () && _search_line_edit->hasSelectedText ())
+    {
+      QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+
+      clipboard->setText (_search_line_edit->selectedText ());
+    }
+  if (_text_browser->hasFocus ())
+    {
+      _text_browser->copy ();
+    }
+}
+
+void
+webinfo::pasteClipboard ()
+{
+  if (_search_line_edit->hasFocus ())
+    {
+      QClipboard *clipboard = QApplication::clipboard ();
+      QString str =  clipboard->text ();
+      if (str.length () > 0) 
+        _search_line_edit->insert (str);
+    }
+}
+

--- a/libgui/src/qtinfo/webinfo.h
+++ b/libgui/src/qtinfo/webinfo.h
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@
   void zoom_in ();
   void zoom_out ();
 
+  void copyClipboard ();
+  void pasteClipboard ();
+
 private:
   QTextBrowser        *_text_browser;
   QTabBar             *_tab_bar;

--- a/libgui/src/workspace-view.cc
+++ b/libgui/src/workspace-view.cc
@@ -266,3 +266,11 @@
     }
   setToolTip (tool_tip);
 }
+
+void
+workspace_view::copyClipboard ()
+{
+  if (view->hasFocus ())
+    handle_contextmenu_copy ();
+}
+

--- a/libgui/src/workspace-view.h
+++ b/libgui/src/workspace-view.h
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@
 
   void handle_model_changed (void);
 
+  void copyClipboard();
+
 private:
 
   void relay_contextmenu_command (const QString& cmdname);