Applied Parameters: Scope = TouchingRectangle
Summary
This command is used to select any design objects that are touched by a user-defined rectangle.
Access
This command can be accessed from the PCB Editor and the PCB Library Editor by:
- Locating and using the Touching Rectangle command on the Active Bar.
Click and hold on the active button to access a menu of all associated commands for that grouping. If the command has been recently used from the Active Bar, it will become the active/visible button. When other commands are available it is indicated by a triangle at the bottom-right corner of the button.
Use
After launching the command, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and you will be prompted to select the first corner of the selection rectangle. Position the cursor then click or press Enter to anchor this first corner. You will then be prompted to select the second corner. Move the cursor to size the rectangle then click or press Enter to anchor this second corner. All objects that fall completely inside this defined area or are touched by its boundary will become selected.
Smart Drag Selection
The PCB Editor and PCB Library Editor support drag-to-select functionality directly within the workspace. How the feature behaves and what gets selected depends on the direction in which you drag the selection rectangle:
- Drag the selection window from left-to-right - you will select all objects that fall completely within the bounds of the selection area. This behavior is the same as using the Edit » Select » Inside Area command.
- Drag the selection window from right-to-left - you will select all objects that fall completely inside the selection area or are touched by its boundary. This behavior is the same as using the Edit » Select » Touching Rectangle command.
Coloring is used to visually distinguish which mode of selection is being used. These are user-defineable but, by default, dragging left-to-right uses a blue rectangle while dragging right-to-left uses a green rectangle.
![Smart Drag Selection in action on a PCB. Smart Drag Selection in action on a PCB.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/296259/PCBSmartDragSelectionEx_static.webp)
Smart Drag Selection in action on a PCB.
Tips
- The color used for the selection area (and when using right-to-left smart drag selection) is defined using the Touch Rectangle Selection system color in the System Colors region on the Layers & Colors tab of the View Configuration panel.
- The selected objects will be highlighted in the selection color defined in the Selections field in the System Colors region on the Layers & Colors tab of the View Configuration panel.
- If you want subsequent selection of additional objects to be cumulative, ensure that the Click Clears Selection option is disabled on the PCB Editor - General page of the Preferences dialog. Alternatively, leave this option enabled and hold the Shift key while using the command again.
- Hold the Ctrl key while using the command to target the primitives of a component object.
- For available resources concerning deselection of selected design objects, see the DeSelect command.