Bug 123490

Summary:	Keyboard-alternative to selecting various dispersed cells in Calc
Product:	LibreOffice	Reporter:	oss
Component:	Calc	Assignee:	Not Assigned <libreoffice-bugs>
Status:	NEW ---
Severity:	enhancement	CC:	heiko.tietze, ilmari.lauhakangas, mentoring
Priority:	medium
Version:	4.2.8.2 release
Hardware:	All
OS:	All
Whiteboard:
Crash report or crash signature:		Regression By:
Bug Depends on:
Bug Blocks:	109139
Attachments:	Imperfect macro solution Perfect macro solution

Description oss 2019-02-15 16:00:35 UTC

Description:
There seems to be no way of selecting (or deselecting) cells with keyboard, only alternatives seem to be Ctrl+click and clicking while in Add Selection Mode. ( https://help.libreoffice.org/Calc/Selecting_Multiple_Cells#Select_various_dispersed_cells )

It would be nice to be able to do this on the keyboard as well (similarily to many file browsers having the option of ctrl, arrow keys and space toggling the selection). Maybe Space could do this while in the add selection mode?

(It might also solve this question: https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/99120/calc-selecting-multiple-dispersed-cells-using-the-keyboard-only/ )


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:

Comment 1 Buovjaga 2019-02-16 09:53:20 UTC

Created attachment 149326 [details]
Imperfect macro solution

This macro would be perfect, if there was a way to focus into a specific cell without losing the selection. I have created a request for this functionality: bug 123496

The macro is intended to be used in Adding selection mode, bound to a keyboard shortcut.

Comment 2 Buovjaga 2019-02-17 08:01:02 UTC

Created attachment 149337 [details]
Perfect macro solution

Hooray, I came up with a perfect macro solution! It was produced by macro recording and there was no need for editing.

I remembered our IRC discussion, where you mentioned Shift-down-arrow-and-back-up being a fairly good workaround. Now I recorded the action and it works fine with the Adding selection mode!

Comment 3 Heiko Tietze 2019-02-18 11:02:55 UTC

The idea is basically to have a "sticky" mode where focusing another cell (go up/down, click anywhere) doesn't change the previously selected cells. It could end by pressing escape or by toggling the function off (e.g. "Edit > [ ] Cell Selection Mode"). Sounds like a good idea to me.

Comment 4 Buovjaga 2019-02-18 11:10:16 UTC

(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #3)
> The idea is basically to have a "sticky" mode where focusing another cell
> (go up/down, click anywhere) doesn't change the previously selected cells.
> It could end by pressing escape or by toggling the function off (e.g. "Edit
> > [ ] Cell Selection Mode"). Sounds like a good idea to me.

To be clear, with Adding selection mode, we already have "where focusing another cell (go up/down, click anywhere) doesn't change the previously selected cells". With a mouse click it selects/unselects a cell.

The desire is only to "simulate mouse clicks" with keyboard in Adding mode.

Comment 5 Heiko Tietze 2019-02-18 11:19:38 UTC

(In reply to Buovjaga from comment #4)
> ...we already have "where focusing another cell...
Right, it is at the status bar two panels right of the language. "Adding selection" makes any click count whether ctrl is pressed or not.

https://help.libreoffice.org/6.2/en-US/text/scalc/guide/mark_cells.html?DbPAR=CALC#bm_id3153361

> The desire is only to "simulate mouse clicks" with keyboard in Adding mode.

Wouldn't call it simulate but yes, that's what we need. Perhaps assigned to ctrl+<plus>. 

Now it smells like an easyhack.