Selecting Graphics Objects

Selecting an Object

The following sequence shows how to select an object inside a graphic.

To begin editing within a graphic, single-click or double-click the background or an object in the graphic. The frame highlight will change to gray.

Click a disk to select it.

Drag the disk or its frame highlight to move it.

When over a handle, the arrow cursor ( ) changes to the double arrow cursor (, , , or ).

Drag a handle to reshape the selected disk.

To resize a disk without changing its shape, press Shift and drag a handle.

Selecting Multiple Objects

The following sequence shows how to select multiple objects inside a graphic.

Click a disk to select it.

Shift+click to select another disk. The two disks with crosshairs (+) at their centers are selected.

Drag a handle to stretch the selected disks.

Click outside the selected disks to deselect.

Click and drag across some disks to select them.

Shift+click to deselect a selected disk.

Shift+drag to deselect a group of disks.

Copy and Paste

The following sequence shows how to copy and paste an object from one graphic to another.

Click to copy a rectangle.

In another graphic, double-click the background and paste. The rectangle will be at its original coordinates.

Drag the pasted rectangle to move it out of the way.

Click a disk to select it.

Paste the copied rectangle again. The disk disappears and a new copy of the rectangle appears once again at its original coordinates. 
Whether the rectangle appears above or below a disk depends on the position of the replaced disk in the internal ordering of the graphics expression.

In contrast to double-clicking the background of the target graphic, a single click may select the target as a whole.

Pasting now replaces the whole graphic.

Inset Objects

The following sequence shows how to copy and paste a graphic inside another graphic.

Here is a graphic with three squares. Click the graphic and copy it.

Double-click a square to select it.

Paste the graphic copied before. The three squares will be pasted, replacing the selected square.

The pasted squares are in an (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]). Click the (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]) to select it.

To move the (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]), click anywhere inside it and drag.

Copy the selected (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]), click the background of the graphic to deselect the (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]), and paste. Move the pasted (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]) to the upper right.

Double-click an object in an (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]) to select it.

Click and drag an object in an (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]) to move it.

Objects in different (RefLink[Inset, paclet:ref/Inset]) groups cannot be selected simultaneously.