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Lordrhavin
Inspiring
November 28, 2023
Question

How do I select anchor points from the active object ONLY?

  • November 28, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 437 views

When I draw a selection box to select anchors from an selected path object, all other lines crossing that selection from other objects get selected, too. How can I turn this annoying behaviour off to just select anchors from the active/seleted object?

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2 replies

Community Expert
November 28, 2023

Using the direct selection tool you can drag small boxes along the path segments you want to edit. Just press the shift button to add more of the path to the selection. Another alternative is opening the Layers palette, expanding the active layer and locking the objects on that layer you don't want affected. They'll still remain visible, but you'll have a behavior that is a little like Isolation Mode.

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 28, 2023

You could isolate the object first, by double clicking on it.

Lordrhavin
Inspiring
November 28, 2023

Yes, I know, but that hides to much. For example: lines above the selected object. A behaviour like Inkscape does would be better: I *can* preselect the relevant pathes/objects before switching to anchor mode, so there is no need for illustrator to try to outsmart me.

Larry G. Schneider
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 28, 2023

Have you tried using Select Object by Path Only in Preferences >Selection?