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  • Published 1 Jul 2020

Shift & Ctrl click for selection in Outliner

Hi

Really simple one :

Could use shift and ctrl keys for selection the same way we use it on windows and any other software?

At least having it as an option to toggle it in the system pref, that's all we need

Selection in the outliner and file browser is really destabilizing and frustrating for a lot of peoples

Thanks

mouse-pointer_318-48356.jpg

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Development Status: Done

Upvote 51 Downvote 1
DB3D
1 Jul 2020

4 Comments

IIIFGIII

I also wanted to ask for this, but you've been ahead of me. Therefore, write here what I have to add to this request.

Why it's important.

Today lot of people talk about Blender & industry standards. In this case implementation of such change іs very important for bringing Blender closer to this goal. Outliner is a tool for organizing and managing scene so it play one of the main role in serious work. When people try work in Blender and can't find abilities they expect to find - they stop trying & come back to what they already use.

What we have in Blender

Shift + Click to select item ( toggle if already selected ). Border select to select multiple items. But!! It wouldn't select item object in scene. It select Outliner item first, than user can click for additional menu to choose " Select". This is very far from the standards that work in ~ 90% of the software. This is not something that potential user who is trying to work in Blender expect to find.

What is mean Ctrl/Shift standard ?

This GIF show how work for example 3ds Max Outliner.

Gif_1

  • Click - select item ( scene object )
  • Ctrl + Click - select ( toggle already selected ) single additional item
  • Shift + Click - select multiple items between last previously selected item and current clicked on
  • Ctrl + Shift + Click - add selection of multiple item between last selected & current

What need to be done.

  • Implement previously described system but not only.
  • It would be good to add to this standard Ctrl/Shift actions some Alt action for multiple deselect. Like Alt + Shift deselect from last clicked to current clicked. It can be handy.

Eg. user have already select by Shift 36 items. But he need to select from 1 to 16 & from 20 to 36. So user can do twice Shift select or do Shift from start to end + deselect by Ctrl on 11 and then Alt + Shift on 19. Especially this can be handy when it need to manage hundreds of object in scene.

  • Ctrl + Click already mapped in current Blender defaults as " Start Rename " combination. Double click rename of course work but this one also quite handy. So it would be good to save it. For now combination Alt + Click free. This Blender rename combination can be remapped to this shortcut.
  • Merge together Outliner " Object select " & " Item select ". For today I already have some experience working in scenes with 100 + objects ( or even hundreds ... ). Lot of managing and organizing. Still don't find any situation where this separation was necessary. But for newcomers this thing was extremely disturbing to handle such system. I remember my own learning experience. For ordinary Blender user mostly it's just extra clicking. Press B to start border select + click to call menu + select menu item " Select " . If this two way selections was merged it still does not cancel current menu with additional actions inside for thous who use it.
  • Replace border select with selection mechanic work same way as right now we can toggle visibility, selectability etc. icons. Click & Hold + Drag over items rows. Move over already selected - toggle selection. Next " Sliding " selection add items to already selected. To deselect all selected this way items - just Click once on any item. Gif_1

Eg. Shift multiple selection good for both small & large amount of items selection. But it still several step action - click on one item + go to second item + hold Shift, point & click on second item. This " Sliding " selection can be very handy in case of small items amount very quick selection. Just move mouse over items to select it and that's all. Gif_1 Border select was good to select some items like this showed in GIF. But in Outliner there is just no need to make " Border " select. Because there nothing to stroke by this border. There just horizontal item rows. Right now Click & Hold + Drag on object type icon cause moving this item to link it to other for parenting. But !! Click & drag on item name do nothing. So I think this " Slide " selection can work over names area.

Thank you for reading so much text. Maybe I missed something. I would be glad to see some feedback.

3
funksy

How is this still not implemented? Working in the Ouliner is such a PITA. Why are we still forced to use box select to select multiple objects in the Outliner? Ctrl+Click is the established way of selecting multiple objects in file explorers in so many applications, and yet Blender devs refuse to implement it. How come?

And this post is from two years ago! Incredible.

EDIT: Nevermind. It has been implemented! My keymap settings had to be restored.

pablovazquez

Could you be more specific? I'm not familiar with how it works on Windows.

DB3D Author

@Pablo Vazquez: here you go youtu.be/5Bikl1Nt8_M start at 7m16, really handy.. everyone on windows are doing this constantly

1