There
are two edit controls in the apps you mention which do AWS, and the calling
application is responsible for turning this behaviour on/off (I am assuming it
can be turned on/off programmatically). They are mshtml.dll (OE, IE, and HTML
messages in Outlook) and riched20.dll (plain text and RTF messages in Outlook,
and WordPad). For
WordPad, the switch to control riched20.dll is in
View/Options/Options/Automatic Word selection. In
mshtml at least, in your example, you can start selecting
from the middle of “Only”, select across “the”, then
back up to include just the “t”. So the selection *can* be made with a
mouse, but I agree it is a pain. Word
has a similar but more refined correction algorithm when AWS is on (actually
mshtml.dll behaviour is cloning older Word behaviour). To select parts of
words, just backup slightly, and the AWS is turned off for the right side or
left side, depending on which way you backed up. So if you really need to
select the second half of a word AB and the first half of a word CD, you click between
A and B, drag-select to the right until AB is completely selected by AWS, back
up slightly to undo the AWS for AB then forward select to C. Sounds
complicated, but the real-world common case is that people want to casually
select word-blocks of text, and only occasionally want to use the mouse to do
intra-word surgery. (this is backed up by user data).
The goal for this feature then is to make it relatively easy to cancel out of
AWS when necessary without having to disable it permanently. In past versions
of the AWS feature, there were certain selections that could not be made with a
mouse at all, and that was bad J Everyone
has their preference though, which is why you can turn this off (at least in Word).
Personally I find in your example below it is more efficient to use AWS to
delete both words (so I can be sloppy with the mouse) and then when my hands
are back on the keyboard, type “The”. For me, typing the extra “he” is faster
than carefully positioning the selection in the middle of “the”, even with AWS off.
Word handles the spacing between words so I just type. Sorry
I can’t help you with the other products Mark. Maybe someone else knows… Chris
Pratley Group
Program Manager Microsoft
Word -----Original
Message----- [Off topic -- just looking for information from a broad
audience.] Anyone know how to turn off the extremely annoying
automatic word select (AWS) in Microsoft products? This is the
"feature" that causes dragging outside of a word to behave like
double-click. I often want to select part of a word, such when editing
at the start of a sentence. For example, in the sentence Only the finest products... to remove the word "Only" I would click after
the first "t", then drag back to include "Only t",
then type a T. I have been doing this for years; to select words you
just double-click. In Word and PowerPoint, I can turn off AWS with Tools >
Options > Edit > "When selecting, automatically select entire
word". Excel, FrontPage, Access, Notepad, the desktop (e.g. in
filenames), and the vast majority of non-Microsoft products do the
right thing WITHOUT setting an option. What I can't do is figure out how to turn off AWS in
Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Outlook, or WordPad. These products are
also -- of course -- very inconsistent. When selecting characters in the main
window, IE does do AWS. But not in the Address bar, dialog boxes, file
selection, etc. Anyone have an idea? |
- RE: [OT] Word select in Microsoft produ Chris Pratley
- RE: [OT] Word select in Microsoft produ Chris Pratley