"Pick from list" to select multiple items? No CTRL+Click in list?

[Nairn]

Hi everybody,

I have a question about the Pick From List selection method, hopefully I am just missing something here.

I am working in a drawing file, using Component Display to blank out a repeated feature, and reveal other information in the model (only on one particular drawing view). The feature is in a linear pattern, so components are all lined up behind one another on the 2D view, and sometimes there are up to 20 instances to hide. I use Pick From List to select each component individually, holding ctrl to select multiple instances at once; but this requires me to open the list, select one instance, and then 'OK' to close the list, before opening it right back up again, from the exact same spot in the model! This takes a ridiculous amount of clicks to complete, and is painfully slow.

Is there any way I could be selecting these items quicker? Since the components are all stacked behind each other in the drawing view, they all show up in the same list when using Pick From List, but there is seemingly no way to simply ctrl+click in the list, and pick everything I need in one swoop. there are also many other components in the way of the ones I am trying to select, so right-click spamming on the drawing view to select the next item behind is no good either, as I would have to cycle through countless other items before each selection.

Since I am only trying to hide these components out on a single section projection, I don't think I can use a simplified rep, as I use these for views often, and it always warns me that changing a simplified rep will change all associated drawings.

Hoping someone has an answer to this,

Thanks,

Nairn.

[tbraxton · Accepted solution]

The best option is probably to use the search tool when selecting multiple items that are not easily accessed in the graphics window.

 https://support.ptc.com/help/creo/creo_pma/usascii/index.html#page/fundamentals/fundamentals/fund_six_sub/About_the_Search_Tool_Dialog_Box.html

Box and polygon select may work if you select from a view orthogonal to the one you refer to so that you can see the pattern array instances and enclose them with the selection action.

https://support.ptc.com/help/creo/creo_pma/usascii/index.html#page/detail%2FSelecting_Objects_in_Drawings.html%23 

In some cases you can select from the model tree as well. 

[Nairn]

Thank you for suggesting the Search tool, this is something I have used before for bulk un-blanking components in legacy drawings. I hadn't looked at what else I could use it to select, but the fact that it applies to a specific drawing view is perfect for finding and selecting multiple components at once for blanking, which requires your selection to pick from a single view.

[kdirth]

The model tree may be the easiest method.  Select the view, RMB>Use Model in Tree, start component display and Ctrl/Shift select all of the parts to blank from the tree.

[Jani]

I'm working with same thing than you. That option is quickest what you told, pick from list - ok - ctrl + pick from list - ok - and so on. Also "search" or "select from model tree" are not the options for me, "select from model tree" is way slower cause big assemblies. If this is thing for many people, we could maybe do a new suggestion about this feature to pick multiple with ctrl from the list(?)

[Nairn]

The reply from @tbraxton was good enough for my needs; using the Search tool to select multiple components in one selection, and applying to a single view, so perfect for blanking. If you're also using the pick from list still, maybe give this a go? I see you said it does't work with larger assemblies but I have had no trouble with over 1500 parts, possibly just hardware limitations or something if the search tool is slow? I do agree that being able to ctrl+click in teh Pick From List window seems like a major oversight however. Where can we make official suggestions to PTC for feature requests?

[kdirth]

Improvements can be suggested here: Creo Parametric Ideas

[Jani]

I mean "select from model tree" is slow (what I have tried), I haven't used search tool much (still new with whole Creo) so I will give this a go and learn how to use it, maybe it is faster. Just wondering before learning more of this tool, if parts/subassemblies are named with letters and numbers and have no idea which ones are which, how to find those items? How do you find the right items? But that idea of ctrl-use in pick from list would be so awesome..