Use Select to begin or end select (or deselect) mode, depending upon whether whether select (or deselect) mode is currently active (See Selection.)
Select may also be entered as Sel[ect].
Select may also be invoked without operands by pressing F8.
Optional Operands
OPER specifies the operation to be performed in the event that select (or deselect) mode is NOT currently active. Specify "Sel[ect]" to begin select mode. Specify "Desel[ect]" to begin deselect mode. Specify "Tog[gle]" to begin select or deselect mode based upon whether the starting selection point is currently selected. "Tog[gle]" will begin the opposite state. For example, if the starting selection point IS selected, it will begin deselect mode.
Default: Toggle.
TYPE is the type of selection to be created. Specify one of the following:
LINE specifies that entire lines will be selected.
COLUMN specifies that entire columns will be selected, implying that only a portion of any particular line is selected.
GRID specifies that rectangular areas will be selected.
CHAR specifies that portions of lines or paragraphs will be selected, and that selection occurs in a "stream" format, i.e., forward selection proceeds from the last character in the current line to the first character in the following line.
Default: The current session selection mode, identified by the selection icons on the toolbar.
ROW is provided mostly for support of mouse operations. A mouse selection will result in Select being invoked with the ROW and/or COL operands specified.
Default: Cursor line number.
COL is provided mostly for support of mouse operations. A mouse selection will result in Select being invoked with the ROW and/or COL operands specified.
Default: Cursor column.
In Select mode, lines that the cursor passes over become selected. With a typical contiguous selection:
The cursor is positioned to the first line of the desired selection.
Select is issued to begin Select mode. That causes the line where the cursor is positioned to become selected.
the cursor is moved vertically forward (or backward) until it reaches the last line of the desired selection. As the cursor moves over lines, the lines become selected.
Optionally, Select is issued to end Select mode.
The command(s) that are to act upon the selection are issued.
If the above command(s) did not automatically inactivate the selection, the SelectReset command is entered to inactivate the selection.
With a typical non-contiguous select:
The cursor is positioned to the first line of the first part of the desired selection.
Select is issued to begin Select mode. That causes the line where the cursor is positioned to become selected.
the cursor is moved vertically forward (or backward) until it reaches the last line of the first part of the desired selection. As the cursor moves over lines, the lines become selected.
Select is issued to end Select mode.
the cursor is moved vertically to the first line of the second part of the desired selection.
Select is issued to begin Select mode. That causes the line where the cursor is positioned to become selected.
the cursor is moved vertically forward (or backward) until it reaches the last line of the second part of the desired selection. As the cursor moves over lines, the lines become selected.
Optionally, Select is issued to end Select mode.
The command(s) that are to act upon the selection are issued.
If the above command(s) did not automatically inactivate the selection, the SelectReset command is entered to inactivate the selection.
Deselect mode functions in a similar manner to Select mode. If Select is issued while the cursor is positioned on a line that is currently selected, the line becomes deselected and Deselect mode is entered. In Deselect mode, lines are deselected as the cursor passes over them.
Return Codes
OK Successful.
Examples
Start line select mode (session select type = line, cursor is positioned on a non-selected line, and select mode is not currently active):
=> sel
End select mode (select mode is currently active):
=> sel
Start char deselect mode (session select type = line, cursor is positioned on a selected character, and deselect mode is not currently active):
=> sel ,char
Start char deselect mode (session select type = char, cursor is positioned on a selected character, and deselect mode is not currently active):
=> sel
End deselect mode (deselect mode is currently active):
=> sel