Make, copy, and search multiple concurrent text selections.
MultiLine Text Selection Extension
Usage
Make additional text selections while holding down ctrl. Clear all selections by clicking without holding ctrl. Undo the most recent selection with ctrl+z. On Macs, use cmd instead of ctrl.
Lock selections with ctrl+shift+L. When selections are locked, they will not disappear when left-clicking. This prevents accidentally clicking out and clearing your selections. While locked, ctrl/cmd is not needed to make selections. Leave locked mode and clear all highlighted text by pressing ctrl+shift+L again.
Right click any selection for search options. Select MultiSearch to open a search tab for each selection. Select CombinedSearch to open a single search tab for each selection separated by a space. Right click the extension icon in the Chrome toolbar (top-right of the browser) and select options to enable or disable the context menu search options.
Select the extension icon to toggle copy options. If 'Copy With Newline' is selected, each selection will be separated by a newline when copying. If 'Copy With Spaces' is selected, each selection will be separated by spaces when copying. If 'Copy With Bullets' is selected, each selection will be copied as a bullet point.
Notes
- The extension is automatically disabled by Chrome in the store description. Try it out on other sites.
- Refresh any current tabs when first installing to activate the extension on those pages. This is not necessary for new tabs.
- When selecting separate words throughout a web page, you can double-click while holding ctrl instead of dragging to select.
- When making overlapping selections, ctrl+z will remove the combined selection.
- Selections are sent to the clipboard and searched in the order they are selected.
- Copied selections will be in plain text.
- A single selection containing text on separate lines will be treated as multiple selections when MultiSearching. This keeps you from having to individually select multiple lines that are grouped together.
Updates
- 3/23/21: Removed unused clipboardWrite permission
- 4/15/19: Swapped ctrl with cmd for Mac users
- 5/1/19: Added selection lock with shift+L, see usage for details
- 5/11/19: Replaced shift-L with ctrl+shift+L to prevent accidental activation
- 5/18/19: Added search options for YouTube and Wikipedia
- 6/22/19: Made selections crossing multiple bullets, lines, and hyperlinks possible. Fixed copy options reverting on new pages.
- 7/12/19: Fixed bug where undoing with an active selection would expand the selection instead of removing
- 9/8/19: Users no longer need to hold down ctrl for the first selection. Only additional selections need to be made with ctrl. Fixed bug where search options wouldn't appear the first time in the context menu. Fixed bug when clearing a single selection.
- 9/28/19: Fixed bug where keyboard shortcuts for copying on Google Sheets would fail. Fixed bug when clearing selections in locked mode.
- 10/2/19: Selections are now draggable
Issues
- Selections made on dynamic content sometimes have problems while copying
- Selections crossing multiple elements can rarely include collapsed text.
- Some types of selections cannot be copied or searched. Undo such a selection or refresh to continue.
- Selections are rarely not cleared after clicking. Re-select the text and clear, or refresh the page if this happens.
Privacy
This extension does not collect any information. All data used in this extension is stored locally and temporarily, on the user's computer. The extension's code can be viewed in the linked GitHub repository.
Source Manifest.json
How to download and manually install MultiLine Text Selection extension for Chrome
Looking for a way to install MultiLine Text Selection extensions for Chrome, you can search for them in the Chrome Web Store, clicking the "Add to Chrome" button, and following the straightforward process.
However, you may need to install MultiLine Text Selection extensions manually, this article outlines two simple methods to effortlessly install MultiLine Text Selection extensions, whether they come as unpacked folders in compressed formats like .zip or as .crx files.
Method 1: Download MultiLine Text Selection extension and manually install through Drag &Drop
If you ever need to manually install a MultiLine Text Selection extension for Chrome, don't worry, it's a simple process. Just follow these easy steps, and you will have your extension ready to use in no time.
Step 1: Download the MultiLine Text Selection Extension by clicking the "Download CRX" button on the website.
Look for the MultiLine Text Selection extension you wish to install. Go to the website and download the MultiLine Text Selection extension package, which is usually a .CRX file and comes in a zipped file. Here ".crx" file is the format for MultiLine Text Selection extension that contains all the data.
Step 2: Extract &Arrange Files
Once the file is downloaded, extract that file into its own folder. Similarly, give that extension files a permanent home. In other words, keep it in a folder that you don't accidentally delete it because these files will be needed to make that extension work.
Step 3: Go to the Chrome Extensions Page
Open Google Chrome and in the address bar, type chrome://extensions; it will open the Google Chrome extensions page. Make sure that "My extensions" is selected in the sidebar.
Step 4: Drag and Drop the Extension
Now, go to the folder where you extracted the MultiLine Text Selection extension and drag &drop the extension file from there anywhere onto the extension page within Google Chrome.
Step 5: Complete the Installation
Once you drag and drop the extension file, follow the steps that Google Chrome takes you through. Similarly, if the extension file is of .crx file format, you will be required to review the permissions and then add the extension.
Now, you can manage that added extension as you would like to with any other Chrome extension that you added through Chrome Webstore. Its icon will also appear in the Google Chrome Menu on the right side of the address bar once you activate it.
Method 2: Download MultiLine Text Selection extension for Chrome and install in Developer Mode
This is another method to install MultiLine Text Selection extension manually, but the twist is that here, you install by enabling the developer mode option provided in Google Chrome. This mode is commonly used for testing extensions or running unpublished tools.
Step 1: Download the MultiLine Text Selection extension file
Select and download the MultiLine Text Selection extension by clicking the 'Download CRX' button on the website.
Step 2: Extract the downloaded contents
Convert the file to a ZIP file if it is in CRX format then extract the MultiLine Text Selection extension zip file or folder that you downloaded. Make sure you extract it using the same folder name and keep it safely in another folder, so you don't delete it by mistake. The extracted folder will be needed to keep your MultiLine Text Selection extension running.
Step 3: Open Chrome Extension Setting Page
In the address bar of Google Chrome, type chrome://extensions and open the Chrome Extension Page.
Step 4: Enable Developer Mode
After opening the Chrome Extension page, look at the top right side, and you will find the toggle option of "Developer mode."Simply enable that developer mode option.
Step 5: Load the Unpacked Extension
Once you enable the developer mode option, you will see the menu of Load Unpacked, Pack Extensions and Update. From that, select the option "Load unpacked."
Step 6: Select the Extension Folder
Once the pop-up opens upon clicking Load unpacked, select the MultiLine Text Selection extension directory and click on the "Select Folder "button.
Step 7: Confirm and Install
After you select an extension folder of a Google Chrome extension you're installing manually, confirm its installation for the final time and let the installation complete.
Conclusion
Here we've made a step-by-step guide on How to manually install MultiLine Text Selection extension in 2 ways. We hope this guide proves helpful.
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