Finder: Selecting Multiple files

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Using the shift button to select multiple files in finder window (having the files in list view) works perfectly fine but when I switch to thumbnail view in finder it has the same function as the command button, selecting individual files at a time. Is this normal? If it is is there a way I can enable multiple file selection in thumbnail viewing mode?

Thanks =)
 
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click and drag
 
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That does work but most of the time I'm selecting one file from the middle of one row to the middle of another row so I then have to select the missed files individually again. If that makes sense :\ (Heres a picture of what I'm talking about)

picture1ds1.jpg


Any other solution. This kind of irks me because I prefer to use the thumbnail view but like being able to mass select. Thanks again!
 
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Hold Command while you are selecting more that what you got in the first drag.
 
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That does work but most of the time I'm selecting one file from the middle of one row to the middle of another row so I then have to select the missed files individually again.

=\

So yeah any other options?
 

eric


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can't you click and drag, then hold command and click and drag again? considering what you're doing, i'm not sure how shift would have helped you, the image above doesn't seem like you're selecting consecutive files anyway...
 
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I agree with eric. The best thing would be to command-drag several times to 'build up' a selection. Shift-click is only useful if you're selecting a continuous range of files which doesn't really exist in thumbnail (icon) view - you can put icons anywhere without any particular ordering. TBH, I never even noticed that shift-selecting a range didn't work in icon view - if I'm doing that sort of thing I switch to column view so I can see things as a list rather than a mass of icons.
 
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I know how to consecutively drag and select Im trying to find away to do it all at once so I dont have to drag and select more than once. (i.e. in Windows XP you click the start file and hold shift and click the end file and it will select all the files inbetween)--and yes I know OS X isn't windows ;)

Explaining the picture: I was trying to illustrate that I was wanting to select to the first file selected to the last and doing the select drag I could only select the files in th 2nd and 3rd row missing the last file in the 1st row and the 1st and 2nd(even though I manually selected it) in the last row.

Sorry if what I'm saying is confusing
 

eric


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so, use the view buttons at the top, go to list view, select and do what you need to do with your files, and then click icon view again.

again, not sure how shift is going to help you if the image is an indication of the sort of file selection you're going to do.

maybe i'm just confused...
 
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AnthonyJK
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Holding shift in list view lets you do what Im talking about. I'm trying to get it to work in Thumbnail view.

In list view you cant see a preview of the images your selecting. for example if you want to select a certain group of images but all the names are similiar DCS1231 etc. if your in list view you can't tell which files you are selecting unless you click on the file then preview. I want to find out how to use this same feature except in thumbnail view mode.

Sorry I know this is really confusing
 

eric


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right. still not sure what the problem is...
find your beginning and end in icon, toggle to list, make your selection, toggle back once you're done.

what i'm refering to when i say it doesn't look like shift will help you if the screenshot is any indication, is that the icons you have selected are not sequential, and thus would be impossible even in list view with shift in OS X or windows.
 
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AnthonyJK
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Let me try to make this simpler. Again I'm sorry for the confusion


picture2fz3.jpg


To select those folders I selected "ComPlus Applications", held shift, then click on "Online Services" then it selected everything inbetween. Whereas if I had done it in Finder I would have had to select all the folders inbetween "ComPlus Applications" and "Online Services" by dragging and selecting, then I would have to continue to select "ComPlus Applications" and "Online Services" Individually.

I want to be able to do what I explained, in bold, in finder.
 

eric


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well, you can't.

unless you do one of the many things above. but it seems like it's just not going to work the same way.

it is a different OS. i'd like finder to mass rename files for me like explorer. but it won't. so you and i both simply learn a new way.
 
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AnthonyJK
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Yeah i figured thatd be the answer :\
 
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I just click Command+A to sellect all objects then Command+click'n'drag to deselect any I don't want .... it's not the most frustrating move in the scheme of things but I can see where both eric & AnthonyJK are coming from and there is no real solution other than being flexible to these sort of things....
 

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