I’m using Dolphin primarily via keyboard and I’m trying to directly select an item that’s “hovered” (surrounded by a light outline), without triggering select mode.
There are currently two keyboard shortcuts, Select (no default) and Select Files and Folders (Space). I had expected the first one to do what I want, but both just trigger select mode.
Currently I switch to a different item and back via arrow keys to select the one I wanted (let’s be honest, often I accidentally trigger select, rename, etc. mode, before I remember to do that…):
I know I can start typing in the name to select an item, but in a list with similarly named items that might make my view jump around, and it requires me to press the correct letter.
I understand the reason for not having items selected by default, but having to go through select mode / using arrow keys requires multiple different keys to be pressed to select one item. Having one shortcut that just selects the item would make it so much easier to use.
Or did I miss something, can this already be done somehow?
The outline indicates focus though, not hovered state - hover is indicated by a gray background highlight, or a more intense color if selected. I’m not aware of a keyboard-based way to select the hovered thing (except something that synthesizes clicks with the keyboard, I guess).
Though sadly can’t be remapped to another key, which makes it only slightly better than my current solution. It’s not listed in keyboard shortcuts, so it’s apparently one of those undiscoverable standard shortcuts (like Shift+F10 for right-click).
I’d love to set it to just Space, since I don’t use select mode all that much really.
I know, I only called it “hovered” because that’s what it was being described as when that outline got introduced.
I don’t need a way to select an actual hovered item.
I think that there IS an issue here, but your arguments supporting your case are not an issue to be frank.
There is no keyboard shortcut to enter ‘Select’ mode - though you can access it by hitting the menu entry:
F10↓↓⏎ Enter gets SELECT MODE
This will only work with the main menu disabled which allows F10 to pull up the hamburgler… With the main menu enabled, then
AltEEdit Menu↑↑↑⏎ Enter gets SELECT MODE
Space would do that without hitting arrow keys to move and return to the file.
Selection mode with Ctrl
Normally, with the mouse, we hold Ctrl as we ADD to our selections - this also works with the keyboard.
Menu to SELECT MODE
Hold Ctrl and toggle select with Space
This is limiting, if you wanted to copy a bunch of items then paste links, for example. (I do this with DRAG and ALT key).
So yes, overall it’s an interesting proposition - but I think there are always compromises when switching between Terminal (F4 pulls that up), GUI with the mouse, and GUI keyboard only - so you have to step down and accept some level of fusion there.
For a more KEYBOARD centric flow, you can press F4 and open YAZI in the terminal there…
Now Yazi does everything you’re asking for and more multiple selections - yank 'em and paste 'em to your heart’s content, add full fzf and zoxide functionality and your brain becomes the limiting factor as your mouse becomes a distant memory…
If you change the hotkey mappings for both “Select” and “Select Files and Folders” (what’s the difference here, anyway?) to either some hotkey or just “None”, the Space Bar will act exactly as you want, at least it does for me (Dolphin 25.12.3)
But that’s entirely besides the point, I specifically don’t want to enter select mode, did you miss the “(without entering select mode)” part?!
Let me illustrate a typical workflow for me:
Enter a folder (Enter)
Select the first file (Ctrl+Space, as I’ve now learned)
Rename the file (F2 then Enter)
Select the file again, sometimes it doesn’t get autoselected (Ctrl+Space)
Move the file to the other split (Shift+F6)
Leave the folder (Backsp.)
Select the folder (Ctrl+Space)
Finally delete the folder (Del)
All those selects there weren’t necessary before the auto select behavior got changed.
All I want is to change the select keyboard shortcut to just Space, because that’s an awful lot of hitting Ctrl with my weakest finger for no reason, and I’m starting to feel it.
(Of course I’d also love an option to re-enable the old behavior, for my keyboard-centric usecase that was a lot more accessible)
I know how to use the inline terminal, what a wildly unhelpful and condescending reply
Thank you, I’m on the same version, and both of those shortcuts just trigger select mode for me, no matter which one I unset
Did you really also try unsetting both at the same time? I just downloaded the current KDE Neon ISO and tried it in a VM to make sure, selection mode does not trigger anymore.
The only way it still gets triggered is when a file is “outlined” (whatever we call this selection type) and I hit F2 to rename, I wish I could also get rid of that one.
I did not, and that actually works, thank you soo much
That’s at least a workaround for now, but that leaves me without a shortcut for selection mode, which I do find quite useful in some cases…
Ideally Select should be the shortcut for simple select, and Select Files and Folders the one for selection mode.
It (or rather the specific mode) will also get triggered by any of the other edit actions, try hitting Del with a file only outlined.
The only way to get rid of that would be an option to enable the old autoselect behavior again, which I really understand why it’s been disabled by default, buuut it made at least my life a lot easier.
Well, you can still set one of the shortcuts to an actual hotkey like ctrl+s and it will work just the same, I just used None because I don’t use it at all.
The only way to get rid of that would be an option to enable the old autoselect behavior again, which I really understand why it’s been disabled by default
I don’t actually, I’d rather F2 and Del do nothing rather than start up Selection Mode (though autoselect would be preferred), I just find it really clumsy for selecting a single file/folder. I’m sure it has its uses when selecting multiple targets in “patterns”, though, I just don’t think that’s the main use case for most people.
It probably was implemented the way it is to make it easily discoverable, which I get, I just wish I could get the option to not use it after having found it.
Short aside: Ctrl+S is the default hotkey for “Stash” which I had no idea exists until now and only works if this is installed: FileStash - KDE Applications
Sadly, it doesn’t seem officially supported or heavily maintained for now, it kind of seems like a cooler and more useful version of Selection Mode.
No - Select Mode is a specific mode where you don’t need to hold down CTRL to navigate and select another file.
If you press Space, it only toggles the selection of the current file… If three files were selected, and you press Space, all three files deselect and the file under the cursor is selected.
This isn’t the same as a Visual Select mode where items stay selected unless de-selected.
Duh , I only ever tried to set one of them to Space, you are right of course. I’ve set select mode to Ctrl+Space now and selecting files with just Space still works, amazing stuff
I still maintain that those shortcuts shouldn’t both trigger the same action.
It’s been implemented that way because before that change the first item would just get auto-selected (no light outline), which meant if you just held your finger on Del you’d basically delete every item in a folder, one after the other, and that’s definitely an accessibility issue.
Yeah I noticed that too, and I barely remember some blog posts about that in the past, sounded pretty cool at the time.
I don’t know what ancient/modified version of Plasma you’re running, and I frankly don’t care, but recent versions open select mode on Space…
Interestingly you didn’t actually give much system information in your opening post - so I’m not sure why you’re attacking me now and accusing me of using some ancient version… your attitude is frankly offensive.
Certainly in 6.6.4 and 25.12.3 it appears to be a new Default to set space to enter select mode, as I updated the new default was not set…
So obviously, if you don’t like that you can unset it… and that’s the actual answer to your topic title.
If someone misunderstands the issue and tells me I’m holding it wrong…
…then posts a wall of text with random “suggestions” because their system is misconfigured and they don’t know about the default shortcut.
Completely unprompted tells me about unrelated basic functionality…
…and proceeds with a condescending paragraph about the “englightened” way to do things, actually
When told about the misunderstanding, doubles down on arguing about the imagined issue they think I’m having, while other people in the thread are already close to solving it.
Then yes, I consider that unhelpful, condescending, and I certainly don’t have to be grateful for those kinds of replies.
If I was a first-time user, not someone who has been using Linux for over two decades, I’d leave and never come back, so I absolutely stand by my tone.
Ok, stand by it - Mistakes occur, but I’m confident I understand perfectly now.
I now set Ctrl_Space to enter select mode - so that Ctrl worked to toggle ‘select’ instead of just holding the current selections whilst I added others… and then space bar ‘just select without entering select mode’.
More misunderstanding, I honestly have no idea what that sentence means - and using passive language ‘if someone’ to imply what? I never told you that you’re holding anything wrong, but you seem to be implying just that!
My system is not ‘misconfigured’. However, not all defaults are applied to pre-existing installations… this is something we should understand if we used Linux for 20 years.
By your own admission, it appears your fresh install was ‘misconfigured’ in your opinion - yet you attack me instead of addressing the issue.
I do not think that I was condescending, unless you are referring to my attempt to make a clear post to explain my thoughts about solutions.
Given the simplicity of this issue, it would make more sense to put in a request for developers to consider changing the ‘toggle select files and folders’ default shortcut to be Ctrl_Space, leaving Space free for toggling single items. I think clarification about this new Default should be requested, and consideration given to the changing of said default.
multiple selections - yank 'em and paste 'em to your heart’s content, add full fzf and zoxide functionality and your brain becomes the limiting factor as your mouse becomes a distant memory…
, I only ever tried to set one of them to Space, you are right of course. I’ve set select mode to Ctrl+Space now and selecting files with just Space still works, amazing stuff 