Selecting objects

Click to select a layer, double-click to go one level deeper, and use Shift or a rubber band to select several objects at once.

A selected object with its handles and name.

Select with the Move tool

Make sure the Move tool is active (press Esc if you are using another tool). Then:

Action	Result
Click an object	Selects the top-level object (the layer) under the pointer.
Double-click	Selects the object one level deeper, inside the selected one. Repeat to go further in.
Ctrl + click	Selects the innermost object under the pointer.
Shift + click	Adds the object to the selection, or removes it if it is already selected.
Ctrl + Shift + click	Adds or removes the innermost object under the pointer.
Click empty canvas	Clears the selection.
Esc	Clears the selection.

Objects inside a frame are not reached by a plain click. Click the frame first, then double-click to select what is inside it, or hold Ctrl to jump straight to the innermost object.

When you hover over an object, Clate outlines the object a click would select.

tip

You can also select any object in the Layers panel. It is the most precise way to select a small or hidden-behind object. See Layers.

Select several objects

Rubber band

Drag from an empty part of the canvas to draw a selection rectangle. Dragging from an empty area always draws the rectangle, while a drag that starts on an object moves it.

• A plain rectangle selects every top-level object it touches. Clate skips objects that are completely hidden behind others.
• Hold Shift to add to the current selection.
• Hold Ctrl to select the topmost object that is completely enclosed, or the objects it touches that contain no other objects. Add Shift to add to the current selection.
• You can change the modifier keys while you drag. The rectangle updates as you do.
• Press Esc while dragging to cancel.

Several selected objects share one set of handles.

Select all

Press Ctrl + A, or choose Select All in the Edit submenu of the main menu, to select every object on the page, including objects inside frames.

What you see

A selected object has a thin outline, eight handles for resizing, and a badge below it with its size, for example 432 × 140. Frames do not show the size badge.

When several objects are selected, each object has an outline and one set of handles surrounds all of them. The badge shows the size of the whole selection. The property editor shows the settings that all selected objects share, under the title Item.

Selection and the property editor

The title of the property editor shows what you selected, for example Frame, Rectangle, Ellipse, Text, or Image. With nothing selected it shows Page.

Next steps

• Move and resize what you selected: Moving, resizing, and rotating.
• Align objects: Aligning and distributing.