Select objects

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Before you can change an object, you must select it. You can select visible objects, objects that are hidden from view by other objects, and a single object in a group or a nested group. In addition, you can select objects in the order in which they were created, select all objects at once, and deselect objects.

A bounding box appears around a selected object, and an "X" appears at its center.

You can select a single object from a group.

You can marquee select objects by enclosing them with a selection area of rectangular or irregular shape.

Marquee selecting objects using a rectangular selection area (top) and a selection area of irregular shape (bottom)

You can create selection groups that let you select specific objects simultaneously without grouping them. Selection groups are associated with numbers from 0 to 9 and are saved with the document. When you press the number associated with a selection group, all objects in this group are selected. You can also select and zoom into all objects in a selection group at the same time. You can add objects to a selection group.

Usually, you select objects by using the Pick tool. By default, all objects are treated as filled so that you can select any unfilled object by clicking on its outline or the area surrounded by the outline. However, you can change this default behavior so that you can select unfilled objects only by clicking on their outlines. Changing the default behavior is useful when you work with line drawings and often need to select objects that appear beneath other objects.

To select objects

 

To	Do the following
Select an object	Click the Pick tool , and then click an object.
Select multiple objects	Click the Pick tool , hold down Shift, and click each object that you want to select.
Marquee select objects by using a rectangular selection area	Click the Pick tool , and drag around the objects that you want to select. To constrain the selection area to a square, hold down Ctrl while dragging.
Marquee select objects by using a selection area of irregular shape	Click the Freehand pick tool , and drag around the objects that you want to select. Objects that are only partially enclosed by the selection area are not selected. To select objects that are only partially enclosed by the selection area, hold down Alt while dragging. To constrain the selection area to a rectangular shape, hold down Ctrl while dragging.
Select an object while reviewing objects in the order of their creation, starting with the first object created	Click the Pick tool , and then press Shift + Tab one or more times, until a selection box appears around the object that you want to select.
Select an object while reviewing objects in the order of their creation, starting with the last object created	Click the Pick tool , and then press Tab one or more times, until a selection box appears around the object that you want to select.
Select all objects	Click Edit Select All Objects.
Select an object in a group	Hold down Ctrl, click the Pick tool , and then click an object in a group.
Select an object in a nested group	Hold down Ctrl, click the Pick tool , and then click an object one or more times, until a selection box appears around it.
Select an object hidden from view by other objects	Hold down Alt, click the Pick tool or the Freehand pick tool , and then click the topmost object one or more times, until a selection box appears around the hidden object.
Select multiple hidden objects	Hold down Shift + Alt, click the Pick tool  or the Freehand pick tool , and then click the topmost object one or more times, until a selection box appears around the hidden objects.
Select a hidden object in a group	Hold down Ctrl + Alt, click the Pick tool , and then click the topmost object one or more times, until a selection box appears around the hidden object.

The status bar displays a description of each hidden object as you select it.

To create a selection group

 

You can also
Select all objects in a selection group	Press the number associated with the selection group.
Select and zoom in on all objects in a selection group	Press twice the number associated with the selection group.
Add an object to a selection group	Select the object, and press Alt + the number associated with the selection group.

To deselect objects

 

To	Do the following
Deselect all objects	Click the Pick tool , and click a blank space in the drawing window.
Deselect a single object among multiple selected objects	Hold down Shift, click the Pick tool , and then click the object.

To change how unfilled objects are selected

Using the Pick tool, you can also click the Treat all objects as filled button on the property bar when no objects are selected.

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