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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004 Apps
This could be common knowledge, but I wasn't aware of it. I'm in law school, and there are times when I need to italicize multiple case names in a Microsoft Word 2004 document. By accident, I found out that you can select (highlight) multiple non-consecutive words using the Command key. Just select your first word as normal, then hold down the Command key and begin selecting other words as needed.
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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004 | 16 comments | Create New Account
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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: Swordfish on Nov 03, '05 06:34:36AM

wasn't this one of the advertised features of Office 2004?



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: CajunLuke on Nov 03, '05 06:43:54AM

Yeah. I found out about it by accident, too. I was using Windows Word, whatever version came out right before Office XP.

On Windows, you can also use the Alt key to highlight a perfect rectangle, not whole lines. Anybody know a way to do that is Word:Mac 2004?



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: Satinder S Sidhu on Nov 03, '05 07:12:38AM

Hold down OPTION and drag to select a rectangular area.

CLICK while holding down OPTION to select a rectangular area defined by the blinking cursor and the I-beam cursor.



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Replace... with Format option may be more appropriate.
Authored by: ppp on Nov 03, '05 08:02:57AM

Your goal of changing the formatting (italicize) on all the case names may be better served by using the Replace... function. Type the exact word or phrase you want to italicize in the Find field, then click in the replace field and select Font from the Format menu. Click Italic in the style list. Click OK. Click Replace All.



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Replace... with Format option may be more appropriate.
Authored by: ccase on Nov 03, '05 12:16:11PM

The original poster isn't necessarily italicizing one case name again and again. There are multiple case names, like

"In the case of Brown v. Board, the US Supreme court overturned the precident established in Plessy v. Ferguson which allowed "separate, but equal" public accomodations."

They want take that text and get <i>Brown v. Board</i> and <i>Plessy v. Ferguson</i>.



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: terryb on Nov 03, '05 08:28:06AM

And shift key under OS 9...



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: ocdinsomniac on Nov 03, '05 08:54:42AM

This works in many apps, and I think, in Tiger, all Cocoa apps. But definitely in Tiger's version of TextEdit, and in text fields (like the one I'm typing this in right now) in Safari. Kinda cool, but I've never had a need to use it.



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: rkleim on Nov 03, '05 09:59:52AM

What am I missing here? It has been a feature of Apple/Windows ever since their inception as a way to select non-contiguous areas - you use the command or control key. This isn't a hint - it's a real beginner point which I teach in my introductory Windows XP classes, as well as intro MAC OSX classes. If you don't know how to use shift to select contiguous areas or ctl/cmd to select non-contiguous areas, you need to go back and read the very basic intro to XP/OSX/Word texts.



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No so, Mr. smarty pants. ;-)
Authored by: Blah on Nov 03, '05 11:48:18AM

I don't have a Tiger box here in front of me to test, but I can tell you that in TextEdit v1.3 on 10.3.9 (and TextWrangler, since I have it open) the instant you press down on the mouse button, even with the command key pressed, the currently selected text is deselected. That has been the default text selection behavior for over 20 years. Has Tiger changed this basic behavior?

Word has had various niceties like this for years if you know the magic modifier keys. But how many Mac folks are regular users of Word?

This is a great tip, even though it's quite simple.



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Oh, yeah
Authored by: hamarkus on Nov 03, '05 01:39:35PM

Three basic steps in learning how to use computers:
1) How do I select?
click, hold and drag
2) Now, how do I select the next item without deselecting the first?
press shift while selecting additional items
3) But how do I select something that is not adjacent to my first selection?
Press crtl/cmd while selecting additional non-adjacent items

Unfortunately, this last method has, historically, long been considered as an advanced feature and has only slowly crept into OSs and programs, and was even touted as a great new feature in software revisions. Even nowadays it is not implemented everywhere (in order not to confuse people or because of lazyness?).

This hint could have been about announcing a new feature in Word 2004 (even though I thought this feature existed already prior to Office 2004).



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I think this was a GREAT hint.
Authored by: garneaum on Nov 04, '05 02:44:43PM

I get pretty tired of reading people making comments like you've made on this hint. This may not be a HINT to you, but it is certainly going to be a HINT to someone. Just because you teach it in your beginning class doesn't mean it's not worth sharing in this forum.

Do you criticize your students for asking questions that may be "simpler" than you would like to answer or discuss?

Let's let people post hints and spare the criticisms. Afterall, the poster did start out with "this may be common knowledge to most".

Just my 2cents.



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I think this was a GREAT hint.
Authored by: hamarkus on Nov 04, '05 03:34:19PM

Did you like the hint because it said:

1) "In a lot of programs, selecting non-contigeous items can be achieved by cmd-click, and by the way since Office 2004 this also works in Word" (the later part of this statement I would dispute since I think this has been a feature of Office for quite some time).

Or because it said:

2) "Selecting non-contigeous items via cmd-click now also works in Word (since Office 2004)" (which as I said would most likely be incorrect).

Meaning 1) would fall into the category "Useful feature, which not everybody might be aware of" akin to saying cmd-clicking a link in tab-savvy browser opens the link in a new tab in the background.

Meaning 2) would fall into the category "New feature in latest version of program X".

Maybe one could create a category "Modifier key hint of the day" or one called "New features in popular apps".

One can critisize this hint for stating the obvious or for claiming novelty where none exists.



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: mekkablue on Nov 03, '05 11:29:29AM

Works in <b>all Cocoa text apps</b> too. Try this in TextEdit, Pages, heck even in Safari text fields.



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: Blah on Nov 03, '05 11:50:56AM

Okay, this is very interesting. I'll have to get to a Tiger box later today, but do you have access to Panther or earlier to compare? Has the default text handling behavior been updated in Tiger? Would be cool....



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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: jiclark on Nov 03, '05 12:06:30PM

I just checked, and you're right. In Panther, TextEdit does not work the way others claim in the above comments. In the Tiger version, however, it does.

Hope that clears up some of the confusion!

John-o

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Select multiple non-consecutive words in Word 2004
Authored by: ework on Nov 03, '05 12:48:45PM

This also works in OpenOffice.org 2.0 RC3 for OS X.



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