Selecting
The simplest way to select an object in MathJet is to click the left mouse button on a graphical or annotative object. Holding Ctrl allows you to select additional objects one at a time. Click any blank space without holding Ctrl to clear the selection.
The sections below cover the more advanced selection modes — regional, axis, and several alternative methods — that let you select large or specific sets of data points based on shape, axis range, or value criteria.
Regional selection
Section titled “Regional selection”The regional selection mode lets you make selections by drawing shapes directly on the chart area. By default, both graphical and annotative objects are selected if they are inside the region, but you can choose to include either graphical or annotative objects only via Edit → Select Filter.
An object is considered within a selection if all its vertices fall inside the shape. For data points, they are selected if their corresponding screen reference points are inside the shape. Each data point has a unique reference point that corresponds to its representation in the visualization. For example, in a column graph, a data point represented by a rectangle is selected if the middle of the top edge of the rectangle is inside the selection shape.
Polygonal selection
Section titled “Polygonal selection”To make a polygonal regional selection:
- Click the polygon tool button to switch to select by polygon mode.
- Click to add vertices.
- Double-click to complete the polygon.
The polygon is formed by connecting these points, including a closing line from the last point to the first. The selection updates dynamically as the polygon shape changes. Backspace removes the last vertex.
Freeform (lasso) selection
Section titled “Freeform (lasso) selection”Freeform selection works similarly to polygonal, but instead of placing vertices with individual mouse clicks:
- Press and hold the left mouse button.
- Drag the mouse to draw the shape continuously.
For both polygonal and freeform modes, Escape cancels and clears the entire selection.
Axis selection
Section titled “Axis selection”For Cartesian coordinate systems, the axis selection feature lets you select data points based on their values in a particular dimension.
When you move the cursor near an axis line, an axis selection icon appears adjacent to the cursor, signaling that axis selection mode is active. Click and drag along the axis; all data points whose coordinate values in the corresponding axis fall within the range indicated by the semi-transparent rectangle are selected. The selection updates dynamically as the cursor position changes.
This is particularly useful for isolating data points within a specific range, and is commonly used in conjunction with graph data grouping or filtering. A context menu automatically appears after an axis selection operation. Once you create an axis data group, you can re-select the data points quickly by clicking the axis data group button.
Alternative selection methods
Section titled “Alternative selection methods”MathJet also provides several powerful alternatives to mouse-based selection in a chart.
Selecting via the graph companion table
Section titled “Selecting via the graph companion table”The direct correlation between a data point’s graphical representation in a chart and its corresponding cell in the graph companion table offers an indirect selection method. Choosing cells in the table effectively selects graph data points in the chart, and the selection is reciprocally highlighted in both views.
For 2D graphs, selecting cells in the x column (representing
x-coordinate values) is equivalent to performing an axis selection by
dragging the mouse along the x-axis.
Selecting via linked spreadsheet cells
Section titled “Selecting via linked spreadsheet cells”If graph data is linked to a variable or cell range in a worksheet, selecting these cells in the Environment pane or the worksheet will also highlight the corresponding data points in the chart. Selecting data points in the chart highlights linked cells in the worksheet or data tables.
Selecting via Quick Find
Section titled “Selecting via Quick Find”For more precise control over graph data point selection based on specific value criteria, use Edit → Find (or Ctrl + F) to activate the Quick Find widget.
With its default settings of Select Matched Items for the Filter Action and Automatic for the Filtering Condition, you can select data points by entering desired value ranges in the textbox. The selection updates dynamically as the input conditions change.
Selecting via the Plots Window overview
Section titled “Selecting via the Plots Window overview”Selections can be made directly on the overview images in the Plots Window, which is especially useful for quickly selecting large numbers of data points on both 2D and 3D graphs and cell ranges.