Improve column selection by setting origin to clicked position

[shreeve]

In conjunction with setting editor.multiCursorModifier to ctrlCmd, this yields a much more natural alt+click experience. The goofier shift+alt+click that is the default uses the prior cursor position as the start point of the column selection.

See #66444 - Resolve the column selection conversation

[rcdailey]

This won't fix the issue with blank lines though....

[gingerbeardman]

This won't fix the issue with blank lines though....

@rcdailey it's an improvement on than the current behaviour and for that I say: thanks! @shreeve

[hollowstrawberry]

You're a godsend. I hope they accept the PR, as it's been long enough (3 years) of unintuitive, non-standard, non-customizable controls for column selection.

[shreeve]

This won't fix the issue with blank lines though....

@rcdailey - What is the specific issue with the blank lines?

[gingerbeardman]

This won't fix the issue with blank lines though.... ...

@shreeve the rectangular selection doesn't select past the end of a line, it needs to support "virtual white space" it's not a separate issue but rather just mentioned in the big one about alt-select

[shreeve]

This is how it's handled in Sublime Text:

Here's how it's handled in VS Code:

[rcdailey]

The issue is if you copy and past the code, the blank lines are removed. They should not be.

…

On Wed, Jan 16, 2019, 4:01 AM Steve Shreeve ***@***.***> wrote: This is how it's handled in Sublime Text: [image: sublime-column-selection] <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/142875/51241100-55cff380-193a-11e9-9fea-e7100445ac35.gif> Here's how it's handled in VS Code: [image: vscode-column-selection] <https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/142875/51241327-cbd45a80-193a-11e9-8bc0-392cb3b63d27.gif> — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#66445 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABr6dl5_-PzJdbqtOgt63AYyWnM0MykIks5vDviBgaJpZM4Z9FZ1> .

[shreeve]

Ah! I see what you mean now. Ok, I can look into this as well. — On Wed, Jan 16, 2019 at 5:34 AM Robert Dailey <notifications@github.com> wrote:

…

The issue is if you copy and past the code, the blank lines are removed. They should not be. On Wed, Jan 16, 2019, 4:01 AM Steve Shreeve ***@***.***> wrote: > This is how it's handled in Sublime Text: > > [image: sublime-column-selection] > < https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/142875/51241100-55cff380-193a-11e9-9fea-e7100445ac35.gif > > > Here's how it's handled in VS Code: > > [image: vscode-column-selection] > < https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/142875/51241327-cbd45a80-193a-11e9-8bc0-392cb3b63d27.gif > > > — > You are receiving this because you were mentioned. > Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub > <#66445 (comment)>, > or mute the thread > < https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABr6dl5_-PzJdbqtOgt63AYyWnM0MykIks5vDviBgaJpZM4Z9FZ1 > > . > — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#66445 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAIuG7A9VBjt8UJFeYs4UeG8ouajQlGyks5vDxxLgaJpZM4Z9FZ1> .

[shreeve]

In the spirit of clean enhancements to the usability of VS Code, can @isidorn, @joaomoreno, and @bpasero take a look at this PR?

It resolves a long standing (more than three years old) request to fix the column selection: See #66444 - Resolve the column selection conversation

[shreeve]

Adding @alexandrudima, to see if he can help.

[isidorn]

@shreeve pinging vscode engineers on issues in hope that we will fix it does not really make sense so please stop doing that.
@alexandrudima probably has a good reason why he did not implement this feature thus far and he can comment on the PR when he finds time.

[shreeve]

No worries. Thanks.

[alexdima]

👍 This works great and is blatantly simple! Thank you!