How to enable cut or copy-paste in xterm

You can edit XTerm file, using vim or nano (I use vim):

vim /home/your_user_name/XTerm

Add this:

XTerm*Background: black
XTerm*Foreground: green
XTerm*SaveLines: 2000
XTerm*faceName: Ubuntu mono
XTerm*faceSize: 12
XTerm*rightScrollBar: true
XTerm*ScrollBar: true
XTerm*scrollTtyOutput: false
XTerm*VT100.Translations: #override \
      Shift Ctrl<Key>V: insert-selection(CLIPBOARD) \n\ 
      Shift Ctrl<Key>V: insert-selection(PRIMARY) \n\ 
      Shift<Btn1Down>: select-start() \n\ 
      Shift<Btn1Motion>: select-extend() \n\ 
      Shift<Btn1Up>: select-end(CLIPBOARD) \n\

Save and close with:

:wq

Open xterm:

xterm &

This configuration allows:

1. Select and copy text into xterm: Hold Shiht key, click left mouse, select your text and click right mouse, to add it to clipboard.
2. Paste text into xterm: Press Ctrl+Shift+V
3. Show ScrollBar.
4. Personalize font.

I hope this help you.

You shall not include that line in .Xdefaults. Thus shalt thou start the program.

xterm -ls -xrm 'XTerm*selectToClipboard:true' &

Or with .Xdefaults:

Add this line:

XTerm*selectToClipboard:true

and reload the configuration

xrdb ~/.Xdefaults