Variable: org-support-shift-select

org-support-shift-select is a customizable variable defined in org.el.gz.

Value

nil

Documentation

Non-nil means make shift-cursor commands select text when possible.

In Emacs 23, when shift-select-mode is on, shifted cursor keys start selecting a region, or enlarge regions started in this way. In Org mode, in special contexts, these same keys are used for other purposes, important enough to compete with shift selection. Org tries to balance these needs by supporting shift-select-mode outside these special contexts, under control of this variable.

The default of this variable is nil, to avoid confusing behavior. Shifted cursor keys will then execute Org commands in the following contexts:
- on a headline, changing TODO state (left/right) and priority (up/down)
- on a time stamp, changing the time
- in a plain list item, changing the bullet type
- in a property definition line, switching between allowed values
- in the BEGIN line of a clock table (changing the time block).
- in a table, moving the cell in the specified direction.
Outside these contexts, the commands will throw an error.

When this variable is t and the cursor is not in a special context, Org mode will support shift-selection for making and enlarging regions. To make this more effective, the bullet cycling will no longer happen anywhere in an item line, but only if the cursor is exactly on the bullet.

If you set this variable to the symbol always, then the keys will not be special in headlines, property lines, item lines, and table cells, to make shift selection work there as well. If this is what you want, you can use the following alternative commands: C-c C-t (org-todo) and C-c , (org-priority) to change TODO state and priority, C-u (universal-argument) C-u (universal-argument) C-c C-t (org-todo) can be used to switch TODO sets, C-c - (org-ctrl-c-minus) to cycle item bullet types, and properties can be edited by hand or in column view.

However, when the cursor is on a timestamp, shift-cursor commands will still edit the time stamp - this is just too good to give up.

Source Code

;; Defined in /usr/src/emacs/lisp/org/org.el.gz
(defcustom org-support-shift-select nil
  "Non-nil means make shift-cursor commands select text when possible.
\\<org-mode-map>
In Emacs 23, when `shift-select-mode' is on, shifted cursor keys
start selecting a region, or enlarge regions started in this way.
In Org mode, in special contexts, these same keys are used for
other purposes, important enough to compete with shift selection.
Org tries to balance these needs by supporting `shift-select-mode'
outside these special contexts, under control of this variable.

The default of this variable is nil, to avoid confusing behavior.  Shifted
cursor keys will then execute Org commands in the following contexts:
- on a headline, changing TODO state (left/right) and priority (up/down)
- on a time stamp, changing the time
- in a plain list item, changing the bullet type
- in a property definition line, switching between allowed values
- in the BEGIN line of a clock table (changing the time block).
- in a table, moving the cell in the specified direction.
Outside these contexts, the commands will throw an error.

When this variable is t and the cursor is not in a special
context, Org mode will support shift-selection for making and
enlarging regions.  To make this more effective, the bullet
cycling will no longer happen anywhere in an item line, but only
if the cursor is exactly on the bullet.

If you set this variable to the symbol `always', then the keys
will not be special in headlines, property lines, item lines, and
table cells, to make shift selection work there as well.  If this is
what you want, you can use the following alternative commands:
`\\[org-todo]' and `\\[org-priority]' \
to change TODO state and priority,
`\\[universal-argument] \\[universal-argument] \\[org-todo]' \
can be used to switch TODO sets,
`\\[org-ctrl-c-minus]' to cycle item bullet types,
and properties can be edited by hand or in column view.

However, when the cursor is on a timestamp, shift-cursor commands
will still edit the time stamp - this is just too good to give up."
  :group 'org
  :type '(choice
	  (const :tag "Never" nil)
	  (const :tag "When outside special context" t)
	  (const :tag "Everywhere except timestamps" always)))