2.2.1. The selection modes
XMLmind XML Editor has two different kinds of selection, the text selection and the node selection. Moreover, the node selection may be explicit or implicit.
The text selection
The text selection works like in any word processor or text editor. However only the Copy, Cut, Paste, Delete, Convert and Wrap commands apply on the text selection. For example, you can convert the text selection to an emph element.
The node selection
The node selection looks different than the text selection: a thin red frame is drawn around the selected nodes.
soCalled phrase level element is explicitly selected)
The simplest way to select a node is to click on its name in the node path bar (for example, "soCalled" in the above figure).
It's of course possible to select text, comment and processing instruction nodes and not only elements. The “name” of a text, comment, processing instruction node is respectively "#text", "#comment", " #processing instruction(TARGET)".
The node selection may comprise several sibling nodes, for example, two contiguous paragraphs. The easiest way to extend the node selection is to “shift-click” before or after the thin red frame.
The implicit element selection
The element directly containing the caret is always implicitly selected: no thin red frame around it.
For example if you want to insert a table before a paragraph, first click inside this paragraph (but not inside any of its child elements, as this would implicitly select the child element) and then use "
Insert Before".
However, if you want to insert a list after a table, you cannot do that using the implicit element selection because a table cannot directly contain some text. You'll have to first explicitly select this table (e.g. by clicking "table" in the node path bar) and then use "
Insert After".
Going further
- Online tutorial including a screencast: "101 ways to select nodes".