manual/include/toolbox.html

<figure>
<img src="/images/toolbar-tools.png" alt="Editor toolbar's tools, aka toolbox">
<figcaption>Editor toolbar's tools, AKA toolbox.</figcaption>
</figure>

<h2>Global Edit mode</h2>

<p>
  Ardour has a global <dfn>Edit Mode</dfn> selector at the left side of the
  Editing toolbar, which affects how regions are moved or copied:
</p>

<table class="dl">
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Slide</kbd></th>
  <td>Regions move freely. Ardour creates overlaps when necessary.</td></tr>
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Ripple</kbd></th>
  <td>Editing affects the regions to the "right" of the edit (see below).</td></tr>
  <tr><th><kbd class="menu">Lock</kbd></th>
  <td>No region motion is permitted (except for "nudge").</td></tr>
</table>

<p>
  The general idea behind the Ripple edit mode is this:
  <ul>
    <li>Deleting a range will move later regions to compensate for the deleted time</li>
    <li>Deleting a region will move later regions to compensate for the deleted region's length</li>
    <li>Moving a region will move later regions to compensate for the length of the move</li>
    <li>Inserting a new region (via dragging or via Paste) will move later regions to the right to compensate</li>
  </ul>
</p>

<p>
  Within this general behavior several variations are available
  as Ripple edit modes:
</p>

<ol>
  <li>
    <dfn>Selected</dfn>. Only applies the ripple logic to currently selected
    tracks. After making a selection, you can use the
    <kbd class="button">Alt</kbd> modifier and click on tracks to add or remove
    them to/from the selection. Markers will stay intact.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>All</dfn>. Applies the ripple logic to all tracks on the timeline
    and shifts location, CD, and cue markers accordingly. Selecting a range
    with this mode will automatically make a time-constrained selection in all tracks of the project.
  </li>
  <li>
    <dfn>Interview</dfn>. This mode works just like the <dfn>Selected</dfn>
    mode with one exception: when you select a range and press
    <kbd class="button">Del</kbd>, this will remove the selected portion
    of either audio or MIDI without shifting other clips to the left to match
    the freed space on the timeline. The main use case for this mode is editing 
    interviews where you want the ripple behavior to edit out e.g. periods
    of silence, while being able to just delete e.g. an out-of-place
    noise or an exclamation by the interviewer.
  </li>
</ol>

<p class="note">
  If <kbd class="menu">Snap To Grid</kbd> is enabled, then regions can
  only move so that they align with locations determined by the current
  snap settings (beats, or seconds, or other region boundaries, etc).
  See <a href="@@grid-controls">Snap To the Grid</a> for details.
</p>

<h2 id="edit-point">The Edit Point selector</h2>

<p>
  Numerous editing operations require the definition of an Edit Point,
  that is chosen in this selector. More information about the Edit Point
  can be found <a href="@@edit-point-control">here</a>.
</p>

<h2>The <em>Smart</em> mode toggle switch</h2>

<p>
  The <dfn>Smart Mode</dfn> toggle button (shortcut: <kbd>y</kbd>) to the left
  of the mouse mode buttons modifies the behavior of <dfn>Grab Mode</dfn>: when
  enabled, the mouse behaves as if it is in <dfn>Range Mode</dfn> in the upper
  half of a region, while behaving as if it is in <dfn>Grab Mode</dfn> in the
  lower half. This makes it possible to avoid constant switching between these
  two modes.
</p>

<h2>Mouse Modes</h2>

<p>
  Editing <a href="@@working-with-regions">regions</a> and their contents
  is very complex and, by virtue of this, requires different <dfn>Mouse
  Modes</dfn> in order to be able to perform typical editing chores in a
  way that is powerful and makes sense.
</p>

<table>
  <tr><th><strong>Mode</strong></th><td><strong>Keyboard Shortcut</strong></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Grab</th><td><kbd>g</kbd></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Range</th><td><kbd>r</kbd></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Cut</th><td><kbd>c</kbd></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Audition</th><td>None</td></tr>
  <tr><th>Stretch</th><td><kbd>t</kbd></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Draw</th><td><kbd>d</kbd></td></tr>
  <tr><th>Internal Edit</th><td><kbd>e</kbd></td></tr>
</table>

<p class="note">
  Changes to the mouse pointer only occur when hovering over the track canvas;
  the mouse pointer <em>always</em> changes to a hand in the ruler area
  regardless of what mode is selected, and always moves the <a
  href="@@controlling-playback">playhead</a> to the position <kbd
  class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicked on&mdash;as long as there is no marker
  or other tag under the mouse position clicked on.
</p>

<h3 id="object">Grab Mode</h3>

<p>
  <dfn>Grab Mode</dfn> is used for selecting, moving, deleting and copying
  objects. In this mode, the mouse pointer appears as a hand and can be used
  to select and perform various operations on objects such as regions, markers
  etc&hellip;. This is the most common mode to work in, as it allows the
  for selection and moving of <a href="@@working-with-regions">regions</a>,
  as well as the modification of control points in <a href="@@automation-lanes">automation lanes</a>.
</p>

<h3 id="range">Range Mode</h3>

<p>
  In <dfn>Range Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer appears as a vertical line;
  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on the track canvas will display
  the time at the position clicked on. <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking
  and dragging on the track canvas will create a time range for the track
  clicked and dragged on; adjacent tracks can be selected as well by dragging
  the mouse into them. Once a time range has been defined, it can be resized
  by <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on either the left-hand or right-hand
  side of the range and dragging the mouse to the desired position.
</p>

<h3 id="cut">Cut Tool Mode</h3>

<p>
  In <dfn>Cut Tool Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer appears as a pair of scissors
  and allows for the separation of any region into two distinct regions by
  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking at the desired point of separation.
  If more than one track is selected, then all the regions on the selected
  tracks will be split at the point clicked on. If no track is selected,
  then only the region hovered by the mouse cursor will be split.
</p>

<h3 id="stretch">Stretch Mode</h3>

<p>
  In <dfn>Stretch Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer appears as an expanding
  square symbol and is used to resize regions using a timestretch algorithm.
  Resizing a region is done by <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on
  the right-hand side of the region and dragging the edge to the desired
  position; once the button is released a <kbd class="menu">Time Stretch
  Audio</kbd> dialog will appear, as detailed in the dedicated <a href="@@stretching">
  Stretching</a> page.
</p>

<h3 id="audition">Audition Mode</h3>

<p>
  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on a given region using <dfn>Audition
  Mode</dfn> will play the the session for the time span of that region.
  The regions can also be <dfn>scrubbed</dfn> by
  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking and dragging in the direction
  desired; the amount dragged in one direction or the other will determine
  the playback speed.
</p>

<h3 id="draw">Draw Mode</h3>

<p>
  In <dfn>Draw Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer will change to a pencil; the
  effect it will have depends on the type of track or region it is utilized
  in.
</p>

<p>
  In an <a href="@@audio-track-controls">audio track</a>, a green line will
  appear in the region which is that region's <a href="@@gain-envelopes"><dfn>gain
  envelope</dfn></a>. <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking anywhere in
  a given region between two existing <dfn>control points</dfn> will add
  one to the region at the X-coordinate clicked on with the Y-coordinate
  being on the line connecting the control points on either side of the
  new one. <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on a control point will
  allow it to be moved to any point in the region in between the control
  points that bound it on either side of itself. And finally,
  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on a control point and pressing
  the <kbd>delete</kbd> key or holding down the <kbd class="mod3n"></kbd>
  key while <kbd class="mouse">right</kbd>-clicking on it will delete the
  control point.
</p>

<p>
  In an <a href="@@automation-lanes">automation lane</a>, if any automation
  is defined in it, a green line connecting its control points will appear
  in the lane. Control points in the lane are manipulated in exactly the
  same way as they are in a region's gain envelope (see previous paragraph
  for details).
</p>

<p>
  In a <a href="@@midi-track-controls">MIDI track</a>, 
</p>
<ul>
	<li>
	  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking in a part of the track that has
	  no region, creates a one-bar long region, while <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-dragging
	  will create a region of arbitrary length.
	</li>
	<li>
	  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on a region in Percussive mode
	  creates a diamond indicating a hit.
	</li>
	<li>
	  <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-clicking on a region in Sustained mode
	  creates a note whose duration is one <a href="@@grid-controls">Grid unit</a>,
	  while <kbd class="mouse">left</kbd>-dragging creates a note of arbitrary
	  Grid units length.
	</li>
</ul>

<h3 id="edit-internal">Internal Edit Mode</h3>

<p>
  In <dfn>Internal Edit Mode</dfn>, the mouse pointer will change to
  cross-hairs.
<p>
<ul>
	<li>
		On an automation lane, it allows to edit the automation
		like the Draw tool.
	</li>
	<li>
		On a MIDI region, it allows to lasso-select multiple notes at a time.
	</li>
	<li>
		On an audio region, it displays the current level of the signal
		and allows to edit the region gain like the Draw tool.
	</li>
</ul>