Selecting Overlapping Objects

Sometimes objects overlap or may even be geometrically coincident on the screen. If you want to select one of a set of coincident objects, here are some useful tips.

· Keep your eye on the status line at the bottom of the Sketchpad window. It will tell you which object you are about to select. If the object described isn’t the one you want to select, try moving the Arrow around until the status line describes the desired object.

· If possible, point at a portion of your object that doesn’t overlap other objects. In the following figure, for example, segment CD has been constructed collinear to line AB. You can select segment CD by clicking on the segment itself between points C and D; but to select line AB, it’s easiest to click on the portion of the line outside C and D.

When you click overlapping objects, Sketchpad always selects points in preference to any other objects and always selects path objects in preference to interiors.

· If clicking selects the wrong object, click again in the same spot. A second click on similar overlapping objects will deselect the first object and select the next one. Keep clicking until you get the object you want.

· If clicking selects an object which isn’t of interest to you and isn’t important to the appearance of the sketch, choose Hide from the Display menu, then click again in the same spot.

· If all else fails, select a related object, use the Properties command to view Object Properties, and select the desired object using the Parents or Children pop-up menu.

To select more than one object of several located near each other on the screen:

· Use a selection rectangle to select all the overlapping objects.

· Select the first object, then hold down the Shift key while clicking additional objects.