Selecting features
Release 9.1 Last modified January 25, 2006	Print all topics in : "Getting started with editing in ArcMap"

About selecting features

Selecting features identifies the features on which you want to perform certain operations. For example, before you move, delete, or copy a feature, you must select it. You must also select features before you can view their attributes. For geodatabase annotation features, you must select features to change their symbology.

You can select features either by clicking on them with the Edit tool, by drawing a box around multiple features with the Edit tool, or by creating a line or a polygon that intersects the features you want to select. You can select geodatabase annotation features using the Edit Annotation tool. Only annotation features are selectable with this tool.
As you are selecting, the number of features selected is shown immediately in the lower-left corner of the ArcMap window after you make the selection. The small "x" located in the center of the selected features is the selection anchor. The selection anchor is used when rotating features, moving features using snapping, and scaling features.

You can set which layers are can be selected with the Edit tool and Edit Annotation tool by clicking Set Selectable Layers from the Selection menu. For example, you might want to use the Edit tool to select a large number of buildings by drawing a box around them, but don't want to select their surrounding parcels. To avoid this, before drawing the selection box, uncheck the parcels layer in the Set Selectable Layers dialog box so parcel features cannot be selected. You can also set the selectable layers from the Selection tab of the table of contents.
Why does the Edit tool let you select features in layers that you are not currently editing? The answer is that there are various editing operations that can utilize any selected features in your map as inputs for the creation of new data in the layers you are editing–for example, copying and pasting features, tracing features, using the Copy Features tool on the Advanced Editing toolbar, and so on.

How to select features

Making a layer selectable

1. Click the Selection menu and click Set Selectable Layers.
2. Check the check boxes next to the layer names you want to be able to select. Uncheck the boxes next to the names you don't want to be able to select.

Layers whose names are unchecked are still visible in your map but can't be selected.

Tips

To remove features from the selection set, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. To move the selection anchor, move the pointer over it, press the Ctrl key, and drag the selection anchor to the desired location. The Selection menu gives you more tools with which to make a selection. You can add to the current selection, select all features on screen, or create an SQL statement. During editing, you can pan and zoom while selecting features without having to change tools. Hold down the Ctrl key and press Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, or C to pan.

Selecting features using the Edit tool

1. Click the Edit tool .
2. Move the pointer over a feature and click the mouse.

The selected feature is highlighted.

Tips

The Edit tool works on all selectable layers. If you have other layers that overlap with or are nearby the features you want to select for editing, you might want to uncheck those layers in the Selectable Layers list to avoid inadvertently selecting from the wrong layer. If you are trying to select one feature from a series of overlapping features, you can use the N key to cycle through the selection to select the next coincident feature. You can press the N key as many times as you need to select the feature you want. To select more than one feature, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. You can also use the Edit tool to drag a box around a group of features. To select more than one feature in an area, click once with the Edit tool. Then, hold down the mouse button and draw a box around the features. Release the mouse button to select the features. To remove features from the selection set, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. To move the selection anchor, move the pointer over it, press the Ctrl key, and drag the selection anchor to the desired location. To clear the selection or to perform basic editing operations on the selected feature or features, right-click when the Edit tool is active and choose a command from the edit tool context menu. The Selection menu gives you more tools with which to make a selection. You can add to the current selection, select all features on screen, or create a structured query language (SQL) statement. During editing, you can pan and zoom while selecting features without having to change tools. Press Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, or C to pan.

Selecting features using a line

1. Click the Current Task dropdown arrow and click Select Features Using a Line.
2. Click the tool palette dropdown arrow and click the Sketch tool or any of the other construction tools in the tool palette.
3. Construct a line that intersects the features you want to select.

The features that the line intersects are selected.

Tips

To remove features from the selection set, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. To move the selection anchor, move the pointer over it, press the Ctrl key, and drag the selection anchor to the desired location. The Selection menu gives you more tools with which to make a selection: you can add to the current selection, select all features on screen, or create an SQL statement. During editing, you can pan and zoom while selecting features without having to change tools. Press Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, or C to pan.

Selecting features using a polygon

1. Click the Current Task dropdown arrow and click Select Features Using an Area.
2. Click the tool palette dropdown arrow and click the Sketch tool or any of the other construction tools in the tool palette.
3. Construct a polygon that intersects the features you want to select.

The features that intersect with the polygon you created are selected.

Tips

To remove features from the selection set, hold down the Shift key while you click the features. To move the selection anchor, move the pointer over it, press the Ctrl key, and drag the selection anchor to the desired location. The Selection menu gives you more tools with which to make a selection: you can add to the current selection, select all features on screen, or create an SQL statement. During editing, you can pan and zoom while selecting features without having to change tools. Hold down the Ctrl key and press Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, or C to pan.

Selecting annotation features using the Edit Annotation tool

1. Click the Edit Annotation tool on the Annotation toolbar.


2. Move the pointer over an annotation and click the mouse.

The selected annotation is highlighted.

Tips

To select more than one annotation feature, hold down the Shift key while you click the annotation features. You can also use the Edit Annotation tool to drag a box around a group of annotation features. To select more than one annotation feature in an area, click once with the Edit Annotation tool. Then, hold down the mouse button and draw a box around the features. Release the mouse button to select the features. To remove annotation from the selection set, hold down the Shift key while you click the annotation. To move the selection anchor, move the pointer over it, press the Ctrl key, and drag the selection anchor to the desired location. During editing, you can pan and zoom while selecting annotation without having to change tools. Press Z to zoom in, X to zoom out, or C to pan. To select map document annotation, use the Select Elements tool . To learn more about working with map document annotation, see Organizing annotation into groups.

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