Selecting objects

Before you can move or modify vector objects, you must first select them.

Selecting objects

Auto-select

By default, the Auto-select option is checked on the context toolbar. As expected, it automatically selects the object and its layer when you click to select it on the page. The option can be disabled if preferred.

You can select single or multiple objects using a variety of methods. If you already have an object selected, you can quickly select the next or previous object in the z-order (stack).

When shapes are created, a base box will be established on creation to accommodate the range of different potential shape sizes when creating variants of that shape. For tighter snapping, you can manually swap to a tight bounding box using the Cycle Selection Box option on the Select Menu.

Edit All Layers and Select All

The behaviour of the Select All command depends on the Edit All Layers setting on the Layers panel:

Selection box types

For some shapes (e.g. star shapes), a Base box type will be established on shape creation to accommodate the range of different potential shape sizes when creating variants of that shape. However, you can temporarily swap to a 'tighter' bounding box called Regular bounds if needed. The latter is useful for accurately resizing a shape by its corner/edge handles to another object or page element.

Base box and regular bounds
Selection box types: Base box (A) and Regular bounds (B)

For rotated multiple selections of objects or pixel layers, you can temporarily reorient the selection's selection box to vertical using the same Regular bounds type. Otherwise, the selection box will stay transformed with the transformed items (using the Base Box type).

Rotated multiple selection with reoriented selection box
Rotated multiple selection before (A) and after (B) reorienting the selection box to Regular bounds

It's possible to permanently set the object's selection box to orient to the page's horizontal and vertical edges. The object is unaffected. When reselecting the items again, the selection box will remain unrotated.

If you're using axonometric grids, the additional selection box type Planar bounds, which matches the current grid, can also be swapped to and be made permanent if needed.

Edit All Layers To toggle Edit All Layers:
Move Tool To select an object:

Do one of the following:

Move Tool To select multiple objects:

Do one of the following:

To select all objects in a layer:
To select all objects on the active page/spread:
To select other objects in a selected object's z-order:

Do one of the following:

To control automatic selection behaviour:
To cycle between selection box types:
To set the selection box permanently:
  1. Cycle to the selection box you want using Cycle Selection Box on the Select Menu.
  2. On the same menu, choose Set Selection Box.
To find an object in the Layers panel manually:

Do one of the following:.

SEE ALSO: