There are three main ways to mark a block of text:
- Hold down the Shift key while moving the cursor to mark a stream block. You can use the cursor keys and almost any cursor movement function. For example, ShiftCtrl-End marks from the current position to the end of the file. This method only works well with small blocks.
- Select the BLOCK menu items to mark the desired type of block. Stream and columnar blocks can also be set from the toolbar. This method works best with large blocks.
- Use the mouse to “drag” over the desired stream block.
To highlight a large block, first highlight a small section at the beginning of the block; then go to the end of the block; finally, hold down the Shift key and finish highlighting the entire block. Holding down the Shift key lets you expand the size of a highlighted blocks.
To highlight a small columnar block, you can drag over the desired block with the mouse while holding down the Alt key.
Use the BLOCK hot-keys, e.g. F9 and Alt-I to highlight large multi-page (or even multi-megabyte) blocks.
Small block are easily marked with the Shift key or mouse. It sets both the beginning and ending block markers; all block operations are then available. The BLOCK menu items or equivalent hot-keys give you more flexibility and make it easier to mark a very large block.
Mark a Large Block of Text
- Position the cursor on the first character to be included in the block. (Or you can mark the end of the block first.)
- Set the first block marker with BLOCK > Set stream marker ( F9 or toolbar or double-tapping Shift ). Note the message “1-END” on the status line.
- Alternatively, select a columnar block with BLOCK > Set column marker ( Alt-I or toolbar).
- Move the cursor to the end of the block; any desired method can be used. For example, you can search for text at the end of the block.
- For stream blocks, the cursor should be positioned just past the last character of the block. To include the “newline” at the end of a line, position the cursor at the beginning of the next line.
- Set the second marker by again selecting BLOCK > Set stream marker or BLOCK > Set column marker. Note the message “BLOCK” on the
status line.
After marking a block, you can change its size and/or the type of block. Move the cursor to the desired end of the block and then select “Set stream marker”, “Set column marker” or “Set line marker” from the BLOCK menu.
(Details) The “Normal” keyboard layout F9 is the “hot-key” for BLOCK > Set stream marker. Alternatively, you can press BLOCK > Copy to cursor ( Ctrl-F9 ) to mark a block. Until both block markers are set, “Copy to cursor” only sets the block markers; when both block markers are set, it copies the block to the current cursor position.