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Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #248058]

Wed, 06 February 2008 09:34

Eclipse User

In Joe (wordstar-like key bindings), there is a key binding to start the
selection of text and one to end the selection of text. So you can type
CTRL-K-B, move the cursor wherever you want, then CTRL-K-K and the text
between the two key sequences will become selected. What key bindings in
Eclipse will do the same?

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #248100 is a reply to message #248058]

Wed, 06 February 2008 11:12

Eclipse User

Dave Greco wrote:
> In Joe (wordstar-like key bindings), there is a key binding to start the
> selection of text and one to end the selection of text. So you can type
> CTRL-K-B, move the cursor wherever you want, then CTRL-K-K and the text
> between the two key sequences will become selected. What key bindings in
> Eclipse will do the same?
>
>
>
Hi Dave. You can see all of the key bindings by press Ctrl+Shift+L from
any editor. If you press a second time, you go to the Preferences page
where you can customize these. If you check the box "Include unbound
commands", you can see all of the possible commands you can create
keyboard shortcuts for.

I'm not aware of keys that do what you want. There are a number of
select commands, including Select Text Start / End, and Select Window
Start / End, but these appear to select from the current point to the
beginning or end of the document (as opposed to working together to
create a beginning and end for the selection).

But you can take a look and see if any of these is close to what you
want. For Java development, the Select Enclosing Element is very handy.

HTH. Mark

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #248239 is a reply to message #248058]

Thu, 07 February 2008 10:03

Eclipse User

Originally posted by: eclipse-news.rizzoweb.com

Dave Greco wrote:
> In Joe (wordstar-like key bindings), there is a key binding to start the
> selection of text and one to end the selection of text. So you can type
> CTRL-K-B, move the cursor wherever you want, then CTRL-K-K and the text
> between the two key sequences will become selected. What key bindings in
> Eclipse will do the same?

Eclipse's text editors don't have the notion of "marking" for selection
like you describe. You can get similar behavior by holding the Shift key
while moving the cursor.

Hope this helps,
Eric

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #248364 is a reply to message #248239]

Fri, 08 February 2008 06:01

Eclipse User

Eric Rizzo wrote:

> Dave Greco wrote:
>
>> In Joe (wordstar-like key bindings), there is a key binding to start
>> the selection of text and one to end the selection of text. So you
>> can type CTRL-K-B, move the cursor wherever you want, then CTRL-K-K
>> and the text between the two key sequences will become selected. What
>> key bindings in Eclipse will do the same?
>
>
> Eclipse's text editors don't have the notion of "marking" for
> selection like you describe. You can get similar behavior by holding
> the Shift key while moving the cursor.

It won't help you for selecting stuff but what you can do is set a mark
(Set Mark command). You can then cut or copy the text between the caret
and the mark. You can also swap the caret with the mark. To enable this
you need to assign key bindings on the 'Keys' preference page.

Dani

>
> Hope this helps,
> Eric

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1836606 is a reply to message #248239]

Fri, 08 January 2021 16:39

Eclipse User

The issue here (and what led me to look up this thread) is that doing a select such as holding the mouse key and going to the end to select a block runs into the fact that Eclipse is very slow to do this. In a file of several thousand lines, it can come to a crawl.

All the editors before Eclipse I used had keys to start and stop selects, which means you can start a select, go to the end of the file (or whereever) and hit end select.

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1839756 is a reply to message #1836606]

Sat, 27 March 2021 07:30

Eclipse User

This thread seems already years old. Although having lastest eclipse version, I also stumbled over this basic editor functionality missing. Probably more users do who dont complain therefore. This way, it would be nice if anybody contributes to have editor commands what allows text selection without using the mouse. As CPM had no clipboard, cntl-KB / cntl-KK / cntl-KH was the choice of key sequences for Wordstar. Is there any sense to file a bug report about this missing feature ?

As there seems more Wordstar veterans lurking around here, my Wordstar setup can be downloaded on Gitlab, then search jan_vi/wordstar4eclipse (the forum does not allow me to post direct link and up on now its no plugin for the marketplace)

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1839847 is a reply to message #1839756]

Tue, 30 March 2021 02:36

Eclipse User

I'm not sure anyone would implement the feature just because you asked for it. Mostly someone motivated to have such a feature for themselves is likely to implement it. But it would seem hard to implement because the cursor and the selection are not independent, so I don't see how that would work. I just use Shift to extend the selection when making a long selection, but I use vi plugin too so I mostly never need to do that in the first place.

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1839875 is a reply to message #1839847]

Tue, 30 March 2021 14:13

Eclipse User

Ed Merks wrote on Tue, 30 March 2021 06:36

..... but I use vi plugin too so I mostly never need to do that in the first place.

... probably because you are much faster than using the mouse once you learned the vi states and shortcuts. Same is true for Emacs, Wordstar and many others. Imagine a symphony orchestra where musicians have to swap string with wind instruments. Music will be awful but neither from poor skilled musicians nor from poor instruments quality. For lesser used commands mouse is acceptable but text selection is a basic operation of any of the old editors and nothing I invented only for my personal use. This way, its no wonder that bug reports therefore are years old:

Bug 401021 Copy and cut text via "Set Mark" like in Emacs

The block selection mode belongs to the same group of commands with many old and new and duplicate bug reports:

Bug 323843 Toggling on block selection mode
Bug 279532 Toggle Block Selection Mode does not honor font settings
Bug 323843 Toggling on block selection mode causes font height to change
...

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1839906 is a reply to message #1836606]

Wed, 31 March 2021 12:53

Eclipse User

If it's unbearably slow that way, you can alternately put the text cursor at one end of the intended selection, and after scrolling with the mouse to reveal the end of the intended selection, hold down SHIFT only while clicking there.

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1840004 is a reply to message #1839906]

Sun, 04 April 2021 02:21

Eclipse User

Its not the question of being slow using a mouse. There are many benefits of mice and probably most of todays users prefere it. Even the discussion of any benefits in using keyboard against mouse is absolutely pointless similar to the discussion of driving japanese or german cars. If german brands have a new gimmick, the japanese manufacturers will copy this - or opposite. It is only to have diffrent possibilities what may meet skills and habits of users. Again the comparison with orchestra skills: Any musician can play an A flat. The clarinet will prevail over the piano for being able to modulate a vibrato and the violine finds it too complicated to shift occasionally from 440 Hz to 442 Hz with pianos. For other aspects only the piano player has 9 fingers free to use them for other keys simultaneously.

> it would seem hard to implement because the cursor and the selection are not independent

There is already a „set mark" used in the Emacs keymap to indicate the block begin. It works for Emacs but unfortunately it is doing something else than using the mouse for marking a block. Selection by mouse is visible, selection by „set mark" is not. Up on now, there seems no opponent to „set mark" what is probably anything than „set mark end". Except existing problems with block selection mode everything else can be done with cut & paste or any sequence combinations of them (Emacs kill & yank). Possibly there is already any macro recorder what can do this.

@Ed Merks What is the vi plugin you use? (vim?) I am going to try this too and maybe the sources are not too complicated to see how its realized.

Re: Begin Select and End Select key bindings [message #1840005 is a reply to message #1840004]

Sun, 04 April 2021 03:30

Eclipse User

You are right. There is no point in a discussion that mostly boils down personal preference. Even if vi is not better than anything else, after 40 years of using it, it's better for me than anything else.

I use this:

https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/viplugin

It comes from here:

http://www.viplugin.com/viplugin.htm

It's not free, but you can try it for free.

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