Can I use movement commands to refine a mouse-defined region?

Can I use movement commands to refine a mouse-defined region?

[Nick Helm]

I usually define a region by firstly setting the mark with C-SPC, moving
point with some combination of C-f, C-b, C-n, C-p etc, then acting on the
highlighted region.

Occasionally, I use the mouse to define the region using click and drag.
This, I presume, sets the mark on button down and moves point with the
drag. 

Sometimes though, my mousing is not as accurate as it could be and I
would like to refine the region by moving point with C-f, C-b etc. 
However, any movement keys immediately deactivates the defined region
and removes the region highlight. 

Any ideas how I might resolve this? 

Thanks,
Nick

Re: Can I use movement commands to refine a mouse-defined region?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Nick Helm <nick@tenpoint.co.nz>
> Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2016 17:38:10 +1300
> 
> I usually define a region by firstly setting the mark with C-SPC, moving
> point with some combination of C-f, C-b, C-n, C-p etc, then acting on the
> highlighted region.
> 
> Occasionally, I use the mouse to define the region using click and drag.
> This, I presume, sets the mark on button down and moves point with the
> drag. 
> 
> Sometimes though, my mousing is not as accurate as it could be and I
> would like to refine the region by moving point with C-f, C-b etc. 
> However, any movement keys immediately deactivates the defined region
> and removes the region highlight. 

Use shifted arrow keys, they don't deactivate the region.

Re: Can I use movement commands to refine a mouse-defined region?

[Michael Heerdegen]

Nick Helm <nick@tenpoint.co.nz> writes:

> Sometimes though, my mousing is not as accurate as it could be and I
> would like to refine the region by moving point with C-f, C-b etc. 
> However, any movement keys immediately deactivates the defined region
> and removes the region highlight. 
>
> Any ideas how I might resolve this? 

Maybe this:

  C-x C-x runs the command exchange-point-and-mark (found in
  global-map), which is an interactive compiled Lisp function in
  ‘simple.el’.
  
  It is bound to C-x C-x.
  
  (exchange-point-and-mark &optional ARG)
  
  Put the mark where point is now, and point where the mark is now.
  This command works even when the mark is not active,
  and it reactivates the mark.
  [...]


Regards,

Michael.

Re: Can I use movement commands to refine a mouse-defined region?

[Nick Helm]

>> I would like to refine the region by moving point with C-f, C-b etc. 
>> However, any movement keys immediately deactivates the defined region
>> and removes the region highlight. 
>
> Use shifted arrow keys, they don't deactivate the region.

Thanks Eli, that works well. 

This also led me the right place in the manual:
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Shift-Selection.html