See also: Block
Discontiguous blocks, also known as non-adjacent blocks (or cells, or ranges), are used to mark multiple blocks of items when the items are not all side by side in one group.
Blocks of items are marked with the mouse by activating a row and, while holding the mouse button down, dragging the mouse up or down. The marked (selected) items are highlighted. To mark another block just repeat the above steps. Note that the active row (the row with a yellow cell and a cursor) is the "anchor point" for marking blocks by dragging the mouse. To mark additional blocks, just move the cursor - with a mouse click or keystrokes - and drag the mouse from the new anchor point.
Individual items can also be selected (or deselected) by left mouse button clicking the row while holding down the <Ctrl> key.
Blocks of items can also be are marked with the keyboard, by moving the active cell while holding down the <Shift> key. To mark another block just repeat the above steps.
Either mouse or keyboard methods can be used interchangeably.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Many software products allow multiple discontiguous blocks, but they are incredibly fragile. The blocks are cleared whenever the active item changes, which means dragging the mouse from two or more anchor points is not possible. Setting the anchor to a new position clears all previously marked blocks. You are reduced to marking your first block with a mouse drag and all the rest one at a time with <Ctrl> mouse clicks.
Many software products also clear the marked blocks whenever the data changes, or you manually cause a reload.
Blocks in NewViews are rugged. They are not cleared when the active cell changes, or when the data changes and is reloaded. To clear all marked blocks, simply issue the Block>Clear command.
Marked items are preserved when the sort order or direction is changed. Marked items are cleared when you navigate to a different object, and when you logout of a database.