<sect1 id="sect-data-selections">
  <title>Selecting Cells and Cell Ranges</title>
  
  <para>
    By selecting multiple cells at once, common operations can be
    performed on all the cells which have been selected. These
    operations include data entry, copying the cells, and multiple
    other operations .
  </para>

  <warning>
    <para>
      Some operations cannot be done on selections of arbitrary
      shape. For instance, <application>Gnumeric</application> could
      not correctly reshape a worksheet following the deletion of a
      discontinuous group of cells therefore such an operation is not
      allowed. If users attempt an operation which cannot be performed,
      a warning dialog will appear.
    </para>
  </warning>
 

  <sect2 id="simple-selections">
    <title>Simple Selections</title>

    <para>
      The simplest selection involves a single cell. Simply clicking
      with the left hand mouse button while the mouse cursor is over a
      cell will cause that cell to become selected.
    </para>

    <para>
      The selected cell is indicated by a dark double line with a small
      square in the bottom right corner. The selected cell is the the
      one that is currently in focus and will take any input for the
      keyboard.
    </para>

    <figure id="fig-selected-cell">
      <title>A selected cell.</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-2.png" format="PNG"/>
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of a single selected cell.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>

    <para>
      To make a cell become the selected cell, simply move the
      white-cross cursor over the cell and press the left mouse
      button.
    </para>
    
    <figure id="fig-selecting-cell-by-cursor">
      <title>Selecting a cell with the mouse cursor.</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-1.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of the cursor selecting a cell.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>

  </sect2>


  <sect2 id="selecting-multiple-cells">
    <title>Selecting Multiple Cells</title>

    <para>
      Several cells can be selected at once. When multiple cells are
      selected, the selected cells are indicated with a light, "baby"
      blue colour. When a single block of cells is selected, a double
      black line will surround the selection, and all cells except the
      first one to be selected will be shown in light blue.
    </para>

    <figure id="multicellselect">
      <title>A multi-cell selection</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-3.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of a contiguous selection of cells.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>
    
  
  <sect3 id="continuous-selections">
    <title>Continuous selections</title>
    
    <para>
      To make a continuous selection of cells, move the white cross
      mouse cursor pointer to the cell at one corner of the block of
      continuous cells, click and hold the primary mouse pointer on
      that cell, drag the pointer to the opposite corner of the block
      of cells and then release the mouse button. The block of cells
      will now be selected.
    </para>

    <para>
      The arrow keys can also be used to select a continuous block of
      cells. To add cells in this manner, first select the cell in one
      corner of the cell block with the primary mouse button, then
      hold the <keycap>Shift</keycap> key and use the arrow keys to expand
      the selection block.
    </para>
    
    <figure id="multicellsect2">
      <title>Multiple cells being selected with the cursor.</title> 
      <screenshot>
        <mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-4.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of a block selection and the mouse cursor.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>

      </screenshot>
    </figure>
  </sect3>

  
  <sect3 id="discontinuous-selections">
    <title>Discontinuous selections</title>
    
    <para>
      A discontinuous group of cells can also be selected, by selecting
      cells or block of cells while holding down the
      <keycap>Ctrl</keycap> key. To select a discontinuous group of
      cells, first select a cell or a continuous group of cells as
      explained above, then click and hold down the
      <keycap>Ctrl</keycap> while selecting more cells. All of the
      cells which are selected while the <keycap>Ctrl</keycap> key is
      held down will be added to the selection. All selected cells
      will be displayed with a light blue colour. Cells can be added
      individually or as continuous blocks. This selection process is
      additive with each selected cell added only once so selecting
      cells twice or more simply adds those cells once to the selection.
    </para>
    
    <figure id="dicontselect">
      <title>A discontinuous selection of cells.</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-5.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of a multiple selection.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>
    </sect3>
  </sect2>
  
  
 <sect2 id="data-selections-advanced">
    <title>Advanced methods of Selection</title>
    
    <para>
      There are several ways to make selections using the keyboard
      keys directly. These may be quicker than using the mouse
      pointer. As explained above, the simplest of these uses the
      <keycap>Shift</keycap> and <keycap>arrow</keycap> keys to make a
      new selection.
    </para>
    
    <para>
      To select an entire row of cells, press the combination of
      <keycombo><keycap>Shift</keycap><keycap>space</keycap></keycombo>
      keys. This is equivalent to pressing the row label button on the
      left side of the sheet.
    </para>
    
    <figure id="selectrow">
      <title>An entire row being selected.</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-8.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of a selected row.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>
    
    
    <para>
      To select an entire column of cells, press the combination of
      <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>Space</keycap></keycombo>
      keys. This is equivalent to pressing the column label button on
      the top of the sheet.
    </para>

    <figure id="selectcol">
      <title>An entire column being selected.</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-9.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of a selected column.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>
    
    <para>
      To select the entire sheet, press the combination of 
      <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>A</keycap></keycombo> keys. This
      is equivalent to pressing the button in the top left corner of
      the sheet.
    </para>
    
    <figure id="selectall">
      <title>The entire worksheet being selected.</title>
      <screenshot>
	<mediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/selection-10.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of an entire worksheet selected.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </mediaobject>
      </screenshot>
    </figure>
    
    <para>
      The following list summaries keyboard shortcuts which can be
      used to select large cell blocks.
    </para>
    
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  <keycombo><keycap>Shift</keycap><keycap>Arrow</keycap></keycombo>
	  : Define selection with cursor keys.
       </para>
     </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>
	  <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>Arrow</keycap></keycombo>
	  : Jump to the end of the current region.
        </para>
      </listitem>
      
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  <keycombo><keycap>Alt</keycap><keycap>Space</keycap></keycombo>
	  : Select current row. 
       </para> 
     </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>
	  <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>Space</keycap></keycombo>
	  : Select current column.
        </para>
      </listitem>
      
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>A</keycap></keycombo>
	  : Select the entire sheet.
        </para>
      </listitem>
      
      <listitem>
	<para>
	  <keycombo><keycap>Ctrl</keycap><keycap>/</keycap></keycombo>
	  : Select the array formula around the current edit position.
        </para>
      </listitem>

    </itemizedlist>
  </sect2>
  

  
</sect1>

