<![CDATA[Select text via syntax highlighting]]>In Notepad++ can I select text via syntax that has been highlighted? Example: Say I’m editing an html file. I hover my mouse over the"y" in a tag such as

<a href=“https://mylink.htm”>click here</a>

and the whole URL, that is the whole text of “https/mylink.htm” gets automatically syntax highlighted by Notepad++. Can I now press a hot-key or right-click or something to select that entire URL? Or must I drag the mouse over the URL to select it?

I ask because very often I need to select an entire syntactical element, say to copy it to some other location. Notepad++ is already aware of the element I’m after, yet I find myself tediously dragging the mouse from one endpoint of the element to the other and then right-clicking and clicking “copy” to select the element I’m after. It seems it could be easier and faster than that.

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/19861/select-text-via-syntax-highlightingRSS for NodeWed, 10 Jun 2026 18:08:20 GMTFri, 14 Aug 2020 16:52:29 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Sun, 16 Aug 2020 05:43:23 GMT]]>@Дмитрий-Трошин said in Select text via syntax highlighting:

I am using jN plugin for such task.
https://github.com/sieukrem/jn-npp-plugin
The “href” selection functionality is in the file:
https://github.com/trdm/jn-npp-scripts/blob/master/includes/IntellHtml.js

How it works.
![alt text](image url)

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56857https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56857Sun, 16 Aug 2020 05:43:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Sun, 16 Aug 2020 05:27:33 GMT]]>@Дмитрий-Трошин said in Select text via syntax highlighting:

I am using jN plugin for such task.
https://github.com/sieukrem/jn-npp-plugin
The “href” selection functionality is in the file:
https://github.com/trdm/jn-npp-scripts/blob/master/includes/IntellHtml.js

function htmlMakeSelections(psAnaliser) {
	var rv = '';
	if(0) {
		psAnaliser = new CHtmlTagAnalizer;
    }
	if(psAnaliser) {
		//debugger;
		var vPosStart = -1, vPosEnd = -1, vAnchor = 0, vPosOffset = -1;
		
		var vTag = null, vLP = psAnaliser.getLastPlasement();
		if(vLP && htmlNeedSelections(vLP)) {		
	    	var vTag = vLP.tag;
			var vNames = ['img']
	    	if( vTag && vTag.name == 'img' && vLP.atribName == "src") {        
				// select 'img'  or "src
    	        var vAtrName = vTag.atribByPos(vLP.column);
		        if (vAtrName != '') {
		            vPosStart = vTag.atribPosStartVal(vAtrName)+1;
		            vPosEnd = vTag.atribPosEnd(vAtrName);
					/* bytePos/Pos и column связаны, */
					vPosOffset = view.pos - view.column;
					view.anchor = vPosStart + vPosOffset;
					view.pos = vPosEnd + vPosOffset;
		        }
		    }		
        }    
    }
	return rv;
}
]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56856https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56856Sun, 16 Aug 2020 05:27:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Sun, 16 Aug 2020 05:15:05 GMT]]>I am using jN plugin for such task.
https://github.com/sieukrem/jn-npp-plugin
The “href” selection functionality is in the file:
https://github.com/trdm/jn-npp-scripts/blob/master/includes/IntellHtml.js

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56855https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56855Sun, 16 Aug 2020 05:15:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Sat, 15 Aug 2020 19:04:23 GMT]]>Hi @dfdeboer

You’re welcome. Glad to be of help.

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56847https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56847Sat, 15 Aug 2020 19:04:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:22:19 GMT]]>Thanks astrosofista. I’ll probably try setting that up some day soon. (Must keep nose to grindstone and not get distracted by fun toys. . .)

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56832https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56832Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:22:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:31:12 GMT]]>@astrosofista said in Select text via syntax highlighting:

As long as URLs are quoted strings, there is already a Pythonscript available and a macro solution as well

Yea, makes sense.
For the current thread I was thinking more of a hover-based solution.
But clicking somewhere inside the text and then running the script/macro is pretty reasonable.

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56827https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56827Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:31:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:29:43 GMT]]>Hi @Alan-Kilborn, @dfdeboer

As long as URLs are quoted strings, there is already a Pythonscript available and a macro solution as well. Take a look at

Copying quoted strings

Have fun!

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56825https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56825Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:29:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:19:39 GMT]]>Thanks Alan! I thought it might be as you describe, but OTH if I was missing something it should would have been nice to figure it out.

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56823https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56823Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:19:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Select text via syntax highlighting on Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:11:55 GMT]]>@dfdeboer said in Select text via syntax highlighting:

Can I now press a hot-key or right-click or something to select that entire URL?

No.

Or must I drag the mouse over the URL to select it?

Yes.

Perhaps something could be done with scripting to ease this situation.
URLs are done with indicator #8.
Maybe a script with execution tied to a keycombo could be run when the URL is pointed at.

]]>https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56820https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/post/56820Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:11:55 GMT