There are some really fabulous techniques that will simplify selecting text, files, and documents in a flash.

Ctrl+A

In a document, it will select everything on every page. If you are in a directory, it will select all files and all directories within that directory. If you are on a webpage, it will select everything on that webpage. This is pretty cool.

Single Click

In a paragraph. Single click the left button of your mouse anywhere within a document or webpage and that is where your cursor will be placed.

Left of a paragraph. Single click the left button of your mouse to the left side of a paragraph and you will have highlighted and selected that entire line. You will know you are to the left of the paragraph when you pointer icon turns from a the “I” symbol to an arrow. If you are working in a table, single click the left button of your mouse at the top of a column (make sure your pointer icon looks like an arrow above that column) and it will select the entire column. It works the same way with the rows.

In a directory. Single click the left button of your mouse will select the directory or file you click on.

Ctrl-Click

In a paragraph. Holding down the Ctrl button and single clicking the left mouse button will select an entire sentence, including the period.

Left of a paragraph. Holding down the Ctrl button and single clicking the left mouse button is the same as Ctrl-A. It will select the entire document.

In a directory. Select your first directory or file. While holding down the Ctrl, select another directory and file that is not next to the first directory or file you have already selected (so you can see the affect). This technique allows you to select multiple files and directory that are random throughout the directory. By Ctrl-Clicking on an already selected file or directory will unselect it.

Shift-Click

In a paragraph. This one is a little bit interesting. Click your cursor to where you want it in the document, then Shift-Click somewhere else in the document and you will have only selected from the first location, where you placed the cursor, to the second location, the location you clicked on with the Shift-Click.

Left of a paragraph. Place the cursor once again where you want it. I would suggest somewhere in the middle of a line so you can see the affect. Shift-Click to the left a paragraph in another section of that paragraph or document. What you should see is either, 1. If you Shift-Clicked the side of the paragraph above where you placed the cursor, you will have selected all the lines up to the location where your cursor was located; or 2. If you Shift-Clicked the side of the paragraph below where you placed the cursor, you will have selected from the starting point of your cursor to the end of the line you Shift-Clicked on.

In a directory. Holding down the shift key, click on any file or directory. While still holding down the shift key select another directory or file that is not next to the first directory you selected. You will have selected multiple files in that sequence.

Double-Click

In a paragraph. Double-Click within a paragraph will select the word.

Left of a paragraph. Double-Click to the left of the paragraph will select the entire paragraph.

Triple-Click

In a paragraph. Triple-Click within a paragraph will select the entire paragraph.

Left of a paragraph. Triple-Click to the left of the paragraph will select the entire document. Same as Ctrl-A.

Wrapping It Up

Let’s take this a step further and give you choices with the selections you have made.

In a document. Right mouse click will open a panel of choices. Your selection within that panel will only be applied to the selected and highlighted text. The hot-keys that I referred to in previous posts will work here too.

In a directory.  Right click within a directory, a panel will appear with its own choices. The copy, cut, paste hot-keys will work here too. Only what you selected will be copied, cut, pasted, or deleted. Here is the cool thing in the directory, if you select “Open,” all the documents you selected will start opening simultaneously. Now you don’t have to go back each time to open each document separately when you need to work on multiple files.

Once again, I may have chosen a topic where I bit off more than I can chew. I’m hoping that I presented it in a way that is easy to understand and formatted it so that it is easy to quickly view the function of that technique.

This post I want to say “Thank You” to my daughter, Mo, who inspired me.

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