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Selecting Objects

To be able to work with an object in the Visual Designer, you need to select it. After an object is selected, you are able to:

Selecting a Single Object

When an object is selected, its physical appearance will alter to show "grab handles" around it. These grab handles can be used to resize and move the object (see Dragging, Dropping and Resizing Objects).

When a single object is selected, the status bar is updated to show the object's size and location.

Selecting Grid Columns

Grid column objects based on the cCJGridColumn class are selected by clicking on the column header. The Visual Designer does not draw grab handles around the selected column; instead, it is the parent grid object that retains the grab handles. The selected grid column object, however, is selected in the Code Explorer and is displayed in the Properties Panel.

Selecting Multiple Objects

Objects can also be multi-selected. When you do this, the grab handles change color to indicate that you have more than one object selected.

If you have multiple selected objects, dragging one object will drag all objects at the same time. Multiple selected objects can be resized and located using the keyboard.

Note: Menu, toolbar, status bar, and grid column objects cannot be multi-selected.

How to Select Objects

There are three ways to select objects:

Selecting by Mouse-Click

Single Select

To select an object with the mouse, position the mouse cursor over the required object in the Visual Designer and click the left mouse button. Any other objects you had selected will automatically be deselected.

Multi Select

You can use the Ctrl key when selecting with the mouse click to add more objects to those already selected. Only objects at the same nesting level (i.e., all children of the same parent) can be multi-selected.

Lasso-Selecting

You can use the lasso technique to select either a single object or a group of objects. You lasso objects by holding the Shift key, then clicking the left mouse button on the visual design canvas while you move the mouse cursor. As you do this, a lasso band will be drawn across the underlying objects. Any object that falls within the lasso will be selected when you release the left mouse button.

Only objects at the same nesting level (i.e., all children of the same parent) can be multi-selected.

Note: Some of the alignment tools use the first selected object as an anchor for alignment. If you use the lasso, the first control will be arbitrary, so if you intend to use those tools, you should use the mouse to individually select the objects in the order you need them.

Code Explorer

The Code Explorer can also be used to select any object in a Component.

See Also