Before attempting to select an existing component in your UI, be sure the selection arrow in the Component Palette is depressed. Otherwise, you may accidentally place a component on your UI.
To select a single component, do one of the following:
Click the component in the Java Visual Editor.
With focus on the Java Visual Editor, tab to the component (Tab = forward; Shift+Tab = backward).
Select the component in the Structure window
To select multiple components, hold down the Ctrl key and do one of the following:
Click the components in the Java Visual Editor one at a time.
Click and drag around the outside of the components you want to select.
Note: We recommend using the Ctrl key to perform multiple selections because the Shift key changes which of the selected objects is the 'anchor' of the selection. The selection anchor is the object whose property values will be displayed in the Property Inspector; it is also the object to which context menu actions apply (i.e. alignment).
As you drag, you surround the components with a rectangle, or "lasso." When this rectangle encloses all the components you want to select, release the mouse button. If necessary, you can then use Ctrl+click to individually add or remove components from the selected group.
Hold down the Ctrl key and select the components in the Structure window.
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