Make selection from layer palette

[Don Cheke]

Sorry if this has been asked before. I am new to PSP, coming from Photoshop.

In Photoshop you can Ctrl + left mouse click on the window area of a layer and what is there will be selected (marching ants) in the main window. I am trying to find a similar function in PSP 2019. Does anyone know if such a function exists?

Not sure you can see the selection in the attached image, but hope so.

[JoeB]

Because I don't use Photoshop I'm not sure what is happening in the Layers palette. I see that you seem to have a layer called Workplanes selected in the palette. In the window, I see an object selected. If all other layers were hidden, would the object that I see selected with the marching ants in the winow be one separate object on a transparent background?

[Don Cheke]

Because I don't use Photoshop I'm not sure what is happening in the Layers palette. I see that you seem to have a layer called Workplanes selected in the palette. In the window, I see an object selected. If all other layers were hidden, would the object that I see selected with the marching ants in the winow be one separate object on a transparent background?

Yes, because the background had previously been removed.

[LeviFiction]

We don't have a single click solution for selecting the visible area of a selected layer.

However, I do have a simple script that can at least simulate it. Unfortunately it will require you actually select the layer before running it and you can't attach it to a mouse click. But you can attach it to a shortcut key.

To Add the script to PSP
1) Download the file
2) Unzip the file into your Scripts-Restricted folder (usually found at C:\users\YourUserName\Documents\Corel PaintShop Pro\2019\Scripts-Restricted)

Now if you have the Script toolbar open you can select the script from the list and hit the play button to run it.

For this next part You will want to be sure you're on the Complete workspace. Go to File -> Workspaces -> complete

To attach the script to a shortcut key:
1) On the main menu select View -> Customize
2) Select the "Scripts" tab
3) Find your script in the drop down
4) Select an icon to bind your script to
5) Hit the Bind button
6) Go to the Keyboard tab
7) Select "Bound Scripts" from the category drop-down
Select your script
9) Click inside the "Press new shortcut key" box
10) type a shortcut you'd like to use like CTRL + J or Alt + L. If it's available you'll see "[Unassigned]" appear beneath the box
If it is already assigned to a command you'll see what command it is.
11) Once you have one you like, just hit the "Assign" button and it'll assign that shortcut to the script

[Don Cheke]

The script is exactly what I was looking for. I assigned a short cut key combo and it works great. Thanks!

[JoeB]

@LeviFiction, perhaps you could also post the script in the Scripting sub-group with a link back to this thread so users can see the full context of the discussion. I realize it may be a script with perhaps a limited audience, but think it should also be available in the Scripting sub-group.

And, just to be clear, did you actually mean (by saying it couldn't be attached to a mouse click), that it couldn't be bound and attached as a button to a toolbar where it could be run with a mouse click on the button (after the layer was selected, of course) rather than only run if attached to a keyboard shortcut?

[LeviFiction]

It can't be attached to Ctrl+click on a layer. It can also be placed in the layer context menu for easy access

[JoeB]

It can also be placed in the layer context menu for easy access

Now this makes it probably even more convenient than the way it works in Photoshop the way I see it. No need to select the required layer with a mouse click and then take your hands off the mouse to use a keyboard shortcut. Instead, just right-clicking the required layer selects it automatically while at the same time opening the context menu, allowing an immediate left click on the bound script. And voila, layer selected AND object selected with minimal movement! Good work, LeviFiction!