Save Selection

[markdd]

I wish having made a tricksy selection of multiple objects that I could save that selection somewhere so that I can recall it in a couple of clicks. Is there a way to do this without using the Custom Selection tool?

 

Thanks

[Guest Frank Brault]

Hi Mark,

How about the Edit->Previous Selection menu command?

http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2020/eng/index.htm#t=VW2020_Guide%2FBasic1%2FPrevious_selection.htm%23CSH_18

This only gives the very last selection set, though; until you select something else...

Which I realize, is not what you are asking. The Previous selection command really only works in the case where you inadvertently drop the selection by i.e. by clicking in white space, and gives you the selection set back if you haven't changed any geometry. Again, not what you were looking for. Sometimes I temporarily group the selection set if I know I am going to want it back and interim operations are independent from the group context.

I'm sure you know this but for the benefit of less experienced users who may be reading, there is this: If you're only going to to be panning around and other operations that don't change the geometry, you can save right after you make that tricky selection set, which saves the current selection set, and then when you want that selection set back, you can revert to saved, and the selection set plus the view you were in when you last saved returns. Again, that still doesn't address the (very common) workflow that you described.

Saved selection features appear in various other software; Once you start to think about implementing such a thing, it becomes obvious that it is quite a complex feature if you do it right!

[markdd]

Thanks Frank

 

I was hoping there might be another way!

 

Mark

[markdd]

I am sure quite an intricate tool could be implemented, but in the same way that a selection has been held after a save/re-open operation, perhaps an enhancement to Saved Views could be added - A simple check-box among all the other options to save.