File Selection in Thumbnail View

[redpark]

when selecting multiple files in thumbnails (shift-click), i (almost?) always want all files between the one i click on and the one i shift-click on. instead, irfan selects a block of images where the clicks define upper left and lower right corners of the block.

this image may clarify what i mean:



does anyone else feel the same?

thanks, ed

[jazzman]

Yes, I agree.

[ChuckE]

The way you'd like it to work IS THE WAY that it works for me. Sorry.

[Leif]

The way you'd like it to work IS THE WAY that it works for me. Sorry.

Same for me. Works OK.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Confirmed.

Already works as requested in both ver 4.23 and 4.25 so moved to Support forum.

If anyone wants to select a block of images, this can be done with marquee select using the mouse.

[ChuckE]

I never heard of "marquee select" but I know that Bhikkhu has been around a lot, so he must be talking about something that does exist, but I was unfamiliar with his use of the term.

So I searched. I never could find anything with the word "marquee" currently existing in Microsoft Windows Help.

I also Google searched for "marquee select" and while there were multiple hits for tools and hacks that can be added to Windows or applications that run on Windows, I still could not find anything referring to what already exists within Windows.

But I still knew something had to be there. I finally figured out what Bhikkhu meant...
In IV thumbnail view: if you click and hold between thumbnail images and see the "lasso" dotted line stretch out as you drag the mouse, that dotted line can be used to lasso multiple images. Thus, the images that are encompassed within that lasso are block-selected.

And that, I believe, is what redpark must be doing.
redpark do NOT hold down the Select (left) mouse button to extend your selections. Just do a left-select of your first thumbnail, then (without holding any buttons anywhere) move your mouse to your last desired thumbnail, then hold down the SHIFT key and left-select on the last thumbnail.
The result will be all the thumbnails from the first to the last of your selections. As you wanted.

[ChuckE]

Oh, by the way, I think I know where that term "marquee select" came from, (don't shoot me if I am wrong!), in the Mac-world I think they call it that. I think they may also use the term "crawling ants" since the dotted line has a movement to it which looks like that.

In the Windows-world I have only heard reference to either "lasso" (to gather a group of items via a click-drag) or "rubber-band."

In looking through the Vista Windows Help I did find the area where the action is described for selecting multiple items, with the click-drag, but there was no cute term associated with it.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

In the Windows-world I have only heard reference to either "lasso" (to gather a group of items via a click-drag) or "rubber-band."

This is the first Google search result for Marquee Select

[ChuckE]

And, as I said: "Don't shoot me if I am wrong!" (Which means that if I am in error, or simple mistaken, then this was purely innocent, and I am beforehand asking for your indulgence.)

But I also said that I was looking for a Windows (or even an IrfanView for that matter) connection to the term "marquee select." Since you did not say anything other than tell people they can block select using that method.

The link you just supplied was to a Photoshop tool.
Also, the Marquee mentioned, on that link, is in regards to a Photoshop screen selection button. I do not have Photoshop, nor do I want, nor is this a Photoshop forum.

[redpark]

And that, I believe, is what redpark must be doing.
redpark do NOT hold down the Select (left) mouse button to extend your selections. Just do a left-select of your first thumbnail, then (without holding any buttons anywhere) move your mouse to your last desired thumbnail, then hold down the SHIFT key and left-select on the last thumbnail.
The result will be all the thumbnails from the first to the last of your selections. As you wanted.

i appreciate the replies and suggestions. but no ... the bolded steps above are exactly what i have been doing all along. i just tested being *very* careful to follow the steps slowly, deliberately, consciously. the left click on the first image highlights it (actually, sort of greys it out). moving the mouse to another image (after releasing the left button) does not have any immediate visual effect other than showing the tooltip info for that image (i.e., no dashed rectangles or other visible changes appear). when i shift left click on the second image, a *block* of images is highlighted (or greyed out) as described in my original post.

i did try the click-between-images, hold, drag, marquee-select procedure, and that does show a dashed rectangular "lasso" that lets me select a block of images, as advertised.

i'm impressed that most replies say that click shift-click selection works for them in exactly the way i want it to work. the only exception may be jazzman, whose reply implies but does not explicitly state that it currently works for him the same as it works for me (i.e., implies that he gets a block of images too). jazzman, if you are still reading this, is that true?

so it seems that my problem must be something other than operater error. what could be different about my (and possibly jazzman's) computer? i searched my registry for "marquee" and and found some clsid keys with data containing that word. don't know what to make of that, probably nothing. maybe my mouse configuration is weird, but it does work as expected in other contexts, including in a couple of other graphics programs with thumbnail views. and i do have tweakui x-mouse enabled, but that causes no problems elsewhere.

this is probably too esoteric and idiosyncratic for this forum, but any thoughts would be appreciated. also, if anyone else experiences the unexpected and unwanted block selection behaviour. i'd appreciate hearing from them.

thanks much, ed

[ChuckE]

Pretty weird, I must admit.

The only thing I can think of right now, that might be causing the block select of the thumbnails would be some other software that is doing it. You may need to start removing some software, to find the cause... if you want to find it.

Here's a test... What happens when you are using the standard Windows Explorer? (Sometimes called the "Computer" or "My Computer" window, but whatever you call it.)
When you are looking at a lot of images in a folder, and you have the icon (or thumbnail) view, select a picture, then use SHIFT to then select a 2nd icon in another row.

It is a block select? or
a "all of the icons between those selections" type of select?

[redpark]

... What happens when you are using the standard Windows Explorer?

good suggestion, thanks. that gives me a block select, so it's clearly something other than an irfan problem. not sure i'll be able to track it down, but if i do, i'll post back here.

thanks for the help, ed

[redpark]

i get block select on three windows 2000 computers, and the expected normal select on one windows xp machine (both irfan and explorer). so i'm wondering if it might be a windows 2000 behavior?

if anyone reading this is still running windows 2000, i'd appreciate it if they could test and report if they get block select or normal select, when "click shift-clicking" in either irfan thumbnails or windows explorer icon/thumbnail view.

thanks, ed