Selection techniques

Learn efficient methods for selecting components on the canvas to edit properties, move groups, or delete multiple items.

Single component selection

Select one component at a time:

1. Click directly on a component.
2. The component highlights (typically with blue outline).
3. The edit panel opens showing component properties.
4. Click a different component to switch selection.
5. Click the canvas background to deselect.

What you can do with selected component:

• Edit properties in the edit panel
• Drag to move the component
• Press Delete to remove it
• Copy/paste the component
• Set as default for scope

Multi-select with Ctrl/Cmd+Click

Add components to selection one at a time:

1. Click the first component to select it.
2. Hold Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or Cmd (Mac).
3. Click additional components while holding the modifier key.
4. Each clicked component adds to the selection.
5. Click a selected component again to deselect it.
6. Release the modifier key when done.

All selected components highlight simultaneously. This allows batch operations on multiple components.

Multi-select with Shift+Click

Alternative multi-select method:

1. Click the first component.
2. Hold Shift key.
3. Click additional components.
4. All clicked components add to selection.
5. Release Shift when done.

Shift+Click and Ctrl/Cmd+Click function identically - use whichever is more convenient.

Drag-select (rectangle selection)

Select multiple components by dragging a selection rectangle:

1. Click and hold on empty canvas space.
2. Drag to create a selection rectangle (shown as dashed outline).
3. All components within or touching the rectangle highlight.
4. Release to complete selection.

Selection behavior:

• Components fully inside the rectangle are selected
• Components partially overlapping the rectangle are also selected
• Drag from any corner - the rectangle expands in all directions

This is the fastest way to select large groups of components in a region.

Select all

Select every component on the canvas:

Method 1: Keyboard

• Press Ctrl+A (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+A (Mac)
• All components select immediately

Method 2: Menu

• Use Edit > Select All if menu available

Useful when you want to:

• Delete all components and start over
• Move the entire diagram
• Apply operation to every component

Select all by type

Select every component of a specific type using the right-click context menu:

1. Right-click any component on the canvas.
2. Select Select All [Type] (for example, Select All Buses).
3. Every component of that type on the canvas selects.

This is useful when you need to move, delete, or review all components of one type without manually selecting each one.

Deselect all

Remove all selections:

Method 1: Escape key

• Press Escape
• All selections clear

Method 2: Click background

• Click any empty canvas space
• Selections clear

Method 3: Click component

• Click a different component
• Previous selection clears, new component selects

Selection highlighting

Selected components show visual feedback:

Single selection:

• Blue outline around component
• Slightly brighter appearance
• Edit panel shows component properties

Multiple selection:

• Each component in selection has blue outline
• Edit panel shows "Multiple components selected" or is disabled
• All selected components move together if dragged

Selection indication:

• Clear visual feedback shows what's selected
• Selected connections also highlight
• Unselected components appear in normal gray

Selecting connections

Connections (lines between components) can also be selected:

1. Click directly on a connection line.
2. The line highlights (typically thicker and blue).
3. Press Delete to remove the connection.

Connection selection vs component selection:

• Connections and components are separate selection types
• Selecting a component does not select its connections
• You can select only connections, only components, or both

Adding/removing from selection

Fine-tune your selection set:

Add to selection:

• Ctrl/Cmd+Click on unselected component
• Component adds to existing selection

Remove from selection:

• Ctrl/Cmd+Click on already-selected component
• Component deselects while others remain selected

Replace selection:

• Click component without modifier key
• Previous selection clears, new component selects

Moving selected components

Selected components can be moved as a group:

1. Select multiple components (drag-select or multi-click).
2. Click and drag any selected component.
3. All selected components move together.
4. Maintain their relative positions.
5. Connections update to follow components.

This allows you to reorganize sections of your diagram efficiently.

Batch delete

Remove multiple components at once:

1. Select the components to delete (drag-select or multi-click).
2. Press Delete or Backspace.
3. All selected components and their connections delete immediately.
4. Undo (Ctrl/Cmd+Z) if you deleted by mistake.

Warning: Deleting components also deletes all their connections. This action cannot be undone after you save the project (undo only works within the current session).

Selection for batch operations

Some operations work on multiple selected components:

Supported batch operations:

• Move group
• Delete group
• Copy/paste group
• Paste Data to all selected compatible components (see Context menu)

Not supported for batch:

• Edit properties (must edit components individually)
• Set as default (uses only one component)

Selection persistence

Selection state clears when you:

• Navigate away from the canvas
• Refresh the browser
• Close the project

Selection does not persist across sessions. When you return to a project, nothing is selected by default.

Visual selection feedback

Different selection states have different visual appearances:

Best practices

For editing specific components:

• Use single-click selection
• Edit panel opens automatically
• Change properties as needed

For moving diagram sections:

• Use drag-select to grab related components
• Move as group to maintain layout
• Release and deselect when positioned

For cleanup operations:

• Select all unwanted components with drag-select
• Delete in batch
• Undo if you deleted too much

For dense diagrams:

• Zoom in before selecting small components
• Click precisely on component center to avoid misclicks
• Use drag-select for groups rather than individual clicking

Troubleshooting selection

Can't select a component:

• Component may be locked (if locking is implemented)
• Click more precisely on the component shape
• Zoom in for better targeting

Selected wrong component:

• Press Escape to deselect
• Click the correct component
• Or Ctrl/Cmd+Click to remove wrong one from multi-selection

Selection rectangle not working:

• Make sure you start drag on empty canvas space
• Don't start on a component (that triggers component drag)
• Ensure you drag far enough to create visible rectangle

Related topics

• Keyboard shortcuts - Selection keyboard shortcuts
• Navigation and zoom - Zoom for precise selection
• Components - Understanding component types