Install theApril 2024 iWork updateand you ’ll gain ground access to a “ new ” characteristic that ’s decades erstwhile : noncontiguous textual matter selection . Put simply , it imply you’re able to pick out text that does n’t feed continuously from one letter to the next . This lets you choose multiple areas of text for manual formatting or graphic symbol styles all at once instead of one at a time . ( Apple does n’t countenance you practice get hold & Replace to select everything that match the Find plain , however . )

To make a noncontiguous excerption :

you’re able to remove textual matter from the option by drop behind or break - dragging while keeping Command held down .

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After making a noncontiguous text selection, I set the selected text to a different type weight.

With a noncontiguous selection , all the normal format options are available in the Format sidebar ( View > Inspector > Format ) .

After making a noncontiguous schoolbook natural selection , I set the select text to a different type system of weights .

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Pages noncontiguous text selection

After making a noncontiguous text selection, I set the selected text to a different type weight.

While I joked above about Apple being recent to the party , it ’s absolutely unfeigned . I ca n’t find the former citation of noncontiguous text selection , but Nisus Writer – still in yield today – was promoting this special feature inan advertizing inMacUsermagazineback in 1991 . Years before that , this kind of selection was also useable with lots of keystrokes in pre - graphical - exploiter - interface discussion processors .

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