Click-Select in time ruler (rant)

[Colin Nicholls]

I really REALLY wish the only way to select anything by clicking in the time line ruler is by click+drag. I seem to be forever accidently clicking and selecting a vast chunk of project. Once it is selected, you can't unselect it with a mouse action without moving the Now time.

I'm forever searching for Ctrl-Shift-A on the keyboard to un-select.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Colin Nicholls

[scook]

2 minutes ago, Colin Nicholls said:

Once it is selected, you can't unselect it with a mouse action without moving the Now time

Try CTRL+click in an empty part of a track or take lane

[Colin Nicholls]

2 minutes ago, scook said:

Try CTRL+click in an empty part of a track or take lane

Interesting. Doesn't work in the PRV; or in "blank/unused space" in the track view, but does indeed work on existing tracks/lanes. Good to know. I don't feel that it resolves my irritation at the behavior, though. Thanks.

[Bill Phillips]

3 hours ago, Colin Nicholls said:

Once it is selected, you can't unselect it with a mouse action without moving the Now time.

I'm forever searching for Ctrl-Shift-A on the keyboard to un-select.

I'm not fond of that auto selection feature either. And, like you, my favorite timeline selection method is to drag in the timeline using aim assist.

I'm learning to ignore the, to me, useless big green selection range and work underneath it. 

[chris.r]

just lasso-select (right mouse button) a small portion of any empty area, I do it since ages

OTOH i wish lasso-selecting in cakewalk could work with the left mouse button like in any other windows application, I do it so often that I'm still doing it in other apps after leaving work in cakewalk ?

[chuckebaby]

Having a hard time warming up to the selection process as well. I wish there was a way to turn it off.

I'm also using CTRL+SHIFT+A to (select none) like its going out of style.

I do use CTRL +Click on clips though to deselect. that has been my new go to method as of late.

[Josh Powell]

On 6/30/2020 at 3:53 PM, Colin Nicholls said:

I really REALLY wish the only way to select anything by clicking in the time line ruler is by click+drag. I seem to be forever accidently clicking and selecting a vast chunk of project. Once it is selected, you can't unselect it with a mouse action without moving the Now time.

I'm forever searching for Ctrl-Shift-A on the keyboard to un-select.

Wow, thanks. Googled how to unselect and found your post. Thanks.  "Google is my brain".   

[chris.r]

On 6/30/2020 at 8:53 PM, Colin Nicholls said:

I'm forever searching for Ctrl-Shift-A on the keyboard to un-select.

Yup. I thought hitting Esc key should just 'deselect-all' right there, but Noel disagreed.

[Colin Nicholls]

30 minutes ago, chris.r said:

Yup. I thought hitting Esc key should just 'deselect-all' right there, but Noel disagreed.

I've since mapped it to the "~" key - which is just under ESC.

[jackson white]

Agreed on all points above and piling on with the unwanted "ability" to "micro-select" a range in the timeline when merely intending to set the Now time. Just a casual observation, have not spent any time on detailed analysis, but does not appear that "range selection" is context aware of the timeline scale, It's less of an issue once the coffee starts to wear off. 

[Billy86]

12 hours ago, Colin Nicholls said:

I've since mapped it to the "~" key - which is just under ESC.

So you mapped CTRL-SHIFT A to the ‘~’ key, correct? Have been fighting this issue as well. 

[Colin Nicholls]

4 hours ago, Billy86 said:

So you mapped CTRL-SHIFT A to the ‘~’ key, correct? Have been fighting this issue as well. 

I just checked, and, to be completely accurate, in Preferences < Keyboard Shortcuts, I mapped the `-key (accent) to Edit | Select | None in Global Bindings.

I mean, it is the ~ tilda key also, but in key bindings it shows up as `.

[Billy86]

Ah, thanks. 

[Xoo]

On 7/1/2020 at 2:12 AM, chris.r said:

just lasso-select (right mouse button) a small portion of any empty area, I do it since ages

OTOH i wish lasso-selecting in cakewalk could work with the left mouse button like in any other windows application, I do it so often that I'm still doing it in other apps after leaving work in cakewalk ?

Agreed - right click drag should be the time selection, but the default left click drag should be clips (or user selectable of course!).

[Bill Phillips]

19 hours ago, Colin Nicholls said:

I just checked, and, to be completely accurate, in Preferences < Keyboard Shortcuts, I mapped the `-key (accent) to Edit | Select | None in Global Bindings.

I mean, it is the ~ tilda key also, but in key bindings it shows up as `.

Works for me. Thanks.

[Jeremy Murray-Wakefield]

Another option is to deselect "Left Click Sets Now" and get into the habit of only clicking on the ruler when you want to set the NOW time:

[noynekker]

On 10/17/2021 at 3:14 PM, Colin Nicholls said:

I just checked, and, to be completely accurate, in Preferences < Keyboard Shortcuts, I mapped the `-key (accent) to Edit | Select | None in Global Bindings.

I mean, it is the ~ tilda key also, but in key bindings it shows up as `.

@Colin Nicholls    Colin . . . YES, this is a source of irritation for me as well . . . selecting by timeline is the most intuitive thing to do, but you have to be extremely accurate with where that mouse gets placed . . . which never works in quick style editing. I've also mapped your suggested keyboard shortcut, thanks for that ! . . . but found it's still annoying to have to do that all day long in my project editing sessions . . . Cakewalk, is there no way to turn this off ? ?

Edited January 17, 2022 by noynekker
Colin

[jackson white]

The latest round of automation editing for a vocal comp really highlighted what a productivity speed bump this "feature" is. 

I'm at a loss to come up with a common use case for all tracks auto selected when swiping a region in the timeline. 

[Bill Phillips]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:07 AM, Jeremy Murray-Wakefield said:

Another option is to deselect "Left Click Sets Now" and get into the habit of only clicking on the ruler when you want to set the NOW time:

I deselected "Left Click Sets Now" and selected "Right Click Sets Now." It's awkward and I'm still getting used to it but so far it seems to be helping me make selections without changing the Now time.

[Starship Krupa]

On 6/30/2020 at 12:53 PM, Colin Nicholls said:

I'm forever searching for Ctrl-Shift-A on the keyboard

Good heavens, searching? My muscle memory for Ctrl-Shift-A is locked in. Up there with Ctrl-Z when it comes to wearing shiny spots on the keys. Followed by Ctrl-Alt-F.

I use it as a preventative before various actions, especially inserting Time/Measures. It's like looking both ways before crossing a street.  Binding it to a single key is a good idea at this point. "~" is not otherwise taken in the Cakeverse.

On 6/30/2020 at 6:12 PM, chris.r said:

OTOH i wish lasso-selecting in cakewalk could work with the left mouse button like in any other windows application, I do it so often that I'm still doing it in other apps after leaving work in cakewalk ?

You are not alone in this. I've called up many a context menu in other programs by right-click dragging. It's so essential in Cakewalk to get friendly with that right mouse button select. I didn't twig this at first and spent way too much time switching to the Select Tool to avoid trouble.

Now that I have the hang of it, I don't crave left button lassoing.

I do wish that tools other than Smart and Move would let you set the Now Time by clicking in the "whitespace" at the bottom of the Clips Pane.