Mathematica: text selection behavior

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the text selection behavior in Mathematica, specifically the frustration users experience when attempting to deselect characters using the Shift key. Users expect standard cursor behavior, but Mathematica's implementation leads to unexpected selections. The issue is rooted in the KeyEventTranslations.tr file, where the selection commands are defined. There is currently no straightforward method to customize this behavior, and users are seeking solutions or workarounds.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with Mathematica's interface and functionality
  • Understanding of keyboard shortcuts and their behavior in software applications
  • Basic knowledge of file structures within Mathematica, specifically the KeyEventTranslations.tr file
  • Experience with customizing software settings or configurations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research how to modify KeyEventTranslations.tr in Mathematica
  • Explore potential frontend tags that could be created for custom selection behavior
  • Investigate user forums for shared solutions or scripts addressing text selection issues
  • Learn about general text editing shortcuts across different software for comparative analysis
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for Mathematica users, software developers customizing user interfaces, and anyone interested in improving text selection functionality in applications.

FocusedWolf
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Ok i love Mathematica... but theirs 1 ONE thing i hate about it...

if i select text... and let's say i typed "1234" and i select "23", but i only wanted to select "2"... so i assume Mathematica's cursor works like every other program in the world and press [shift]+Left... my goal is to un-select that "3"...

then for some unknown reason i got "123" selected,,,

ya i know... this is a basic example... but when the example is massive... this little thing drives me nuts because i selected one to many and have to give up and reselect!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
same problem

YEAH! I know exacly what you mean... this is very annoying thing.

If anyone know how I can rid of this, please let me know... this forum or email would be great. (hydrant@mailbox.sk)

thx
 
After an extensive search it seems there is no easy way to customize this behaviour in Mathematica. It is defined by

Item[KeyEvent["Right", Modifiers -> {Shift}], "SelectNext"],
Item[KeyEvent["Left", Modifiers -> {Shift}], "SelectPrevious"]

in the "KeyEventTranslations.tr" file. I was not able to find any "frontend tags" like DeselectPrevious, but perhaps it is possible to create one.

Any further guidance would be greatly appreciated.
 

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