Question from Chloe:
How do you select more than one thing at a time? Especially when they’re not on the same line?
Answer:You’re talking about non-contiguous selection.
• Make your first selection normally.
• Hold the Command Key and...
• Click and drag a selection anywhere else in the document
Both items are now selected (works with graphics too.) You can now format, cut or copy the selected items, and then paste them as one item if you like.
The problem with the standard clipboard is that it can only hold one chunk of information at a time. (Note: You can view the clipboard contents in the finder by going to EDIT>Show Clipboard).
You can get around this in Word by adding items to the Scrapbook. But sometimes, I’ll use an under-documented feature called the SPIKE as a backup clipboard, when I want to keep two distinct items in memory while working in Word.
• Make a selection.
• Hit CMD-X to cut it into the clipboard…
• Now make another selection.
• Hit CMD-F3 to cut it into the SPIKE.
• Click elsewhere.
• Hit CMD-V to paste the first item from the standard clipboard.
• Now hit SHIFT-COMMAND-F3 to paste the Spike contents.
It’s like having two clipboards. (If the Spike shortcuts didn’t work, try adding the FN key. Your f-keys may be mapped differently)
While CMD-V will continue to paste your first selection indefinitely, When you paste with SHIFT-CMD-F3, the spike is emptied. You can't paste it again. It's gone. To avoid emptying the Spike and to be able to reuse the contents...
• Make a selection
• Hit CMD-F3 again
• Click elsewhere in the document
• Type the word: spike
• An AutoComplete tip should appear.
• Hit return to place the text.
The spike remains loaded and ready to re-use. (If you didn’t see the Autocomplete tip, go to WORD > PREFERENCES > AutoCorrect > AutoText. Make sure SHOW AUTOCOMPLETE TIP… is checked.)
The spike is best known for it’s ability to stack new items into memory, one on top of another, and then paste them as one big block. Try it:
• Make a selection.
• Hit CMD-F3 to cut it into the spike.
• Before you paste: make a new selection, and cut it into the spike with CMD-F3
• repeat until bored (You even can add items spiked from other documents)
• When you’ve gathered enough…Hit SHIFT-COMMAND-F3
The Spike should paste everything you’ve cut into it.
P.S.
The feature's real-world namesake.
OFF-TOPIC P.S.
Quite a good album by Elvis Costello from 1989. (You should hear him do track #3 live)
