Request: Text-tools: extend markings

[Jan Larsen]

when having "marked a piece of text / sentence" I sometimes need to mark some extra or less text - and I then cannot "extend" move the endings of the marked text.
I then need to select a new text-piece or erase the marking.

Would be great with an "interactive marking possibility" - with extend - could just be by line. The idea is to make it (the marking) work as when selecting a text in a word-processor.

Kind Regards, and thumbs-up for the best pdfViewer-program around !

[Paul - Tracker Supp]

HI Jan,

thanks for the suggestion. If I understand you properly I think you want to be able to take an existing highlight, select it and change the selection of text that it covers. Is that right?

The idea is to make it (the marking) work as when selecting a text in a word-processor.

So what you'd be suggesting here is the ability to use the arrow keys with the select tool to select text by character or by row?

I seem to be of 2 minds whether you are asking to change the way we select text or the ability to change that selection after placing a highlight. Maybe it's both?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I suggest that the best way for this to work would be to combine any highlighting that overlaps.

[David.P]

This is the way it is with Acr*bat v7 (a great feature that has been removed in subsequent versions):



When selecting text, you get two small triangles as handles. By dragging the handles, the selection can be extended or shortened.

Probably this principle could be applied to the highlight itself as well.

However, what I still do miss somewhat more (than the above) with PDF-XChange Viewer, is that there is no auto-snapping to word boundaries when making a text selection, or when highlighting text.

Try the respective tools for a while in Acr*bat or Reader: their auto-snapping (which even is sort of elastic/reversible when you continue to slowly drag the mouse over the end of the selection you are making) is one feature that works exceptionally good over there.

Regards David.P
--
PS: For easier reference, I have made a screencast video that shows, inter alia, how the text selection (and highlighting) with "auto-snap to words" works with Acr*bat:

Link creation (and text highlighting) in Acrobat v.7

[Paul - Tracker Supp]

I see more clearly now what you want David, thanks for the detail.

I've added this to the wish list. As usual this is not a promise to deliver but a commitment to seriously looking into it. Personally I don't like the "auto-snapping to word boundaries" - I like to select myself what I want without interference. Perhaps if such a feature were added it might be possible to make it toggle on/off.

Regardless - this is long term, so next year at the earliest to look into this I suspect.

hth

[David.P]

Thank you Paul.

Actually, "auto-snapping to word boundaries" CAN be irritating, that's true. I don't use the respective setting in Word, for example.

However, there is a compromise that is also very common everywhere where you can select text (web pages, editors etc.): double-clicking and dragging (almost everywhere) makes the selection auto-snap to words.

This would be very convenient for PDF-XChange Viewer as well -- plus, you still wouldn't loose manual selection with letter-for-letter accuracy (by simply single-clicking and dragging).

Thank you for your consideration,
keep up the fantastic work
Regards David

[Paul - Tracker Supp]

Understood and agreed. Lets see what comes of this after the release of V3.

rehards