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Changing the mouse button and modifier key used for column selection in Sublime Text

To select a column in Sublime Text (on Windows) you use Shift+Right Click.

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How can I change the mouse button and modifier key to Alt+Left Click so it is the same as Notepad++?

I found a similar question/answer here on StackOverflow but it did not work.

Here is my Default (Windows).sublime-mousemap file but nothing happens when I press Alt+Left-Click or Alt+Right-Click.

[
    {
      "keys": ["ctrl+s"], "command": "run_multiple_commands", "args": {"commands": [ {"command": "save"}, {"command": "create_backup_copy" } ] }
    },

      // toggle fold all
    {
      "keys": ["f12"], "command": "fold_all"
    },

      //toggle fold current code block
    {
        "keys": ["f11"], "command": "toggle_fold_current"
    },

    //alt+ left click column select
    {
        "button": "button1", "modifiers": ["shift"],
        "press_command": "drag_select",
        "press_args": {"by": "columns"}
    },

    {
        "button": "button1", "modifiers": ["shift", "ctrl"],
        "press_command": "drag_select",
        "press_args": {"by": "columns", "additive": true}
    },

    {
        "button": "button1", "modifiers": ["shift", "alt"],
        "press_command": "drag_select",
        "press_args": {"by": "columns", "subtractive": true}
    },

    //re-open recent file
    {
        "keys": ["ctrl+shift+t"], "command": "open_recent_file", "args": {"index" : 0}
    },
]
Solution

  • Your Default (Windows).sublime-mousemap is a very strange looking sublime-mousemap. It should not contain any key bindings at all but for some reason it contains key bindings to call the run_multiple_commands, fold_all, toggle_fold_current, and open_recent_file commands.

    Those key bindings should be in Default (Windows).sublime-keymap and not in Default (Windows).sublime-mousemap.

    I think you might have added the Alt+Left Click code to your user sublime-keymap file instead of a user sublime-mousemap file and you didn't change the modifier key from Shift to Alt.

    The StackOverflow code that you found here looks correct to me. I have posted it again below. Copy and paste it into a new file and save it in your Sublime Text config User directory as Default (Windows).sublime-mousemap. On Windows that path should be as I've shown below, or something like that, the directory should be the same one as your user key bindings file is in:

    %APPDATA%\Sublime Text 3\Packages\User\Default (Windows).sublime-mousemap

    Copy and paste this code (credit: Mr.F):

    [
    {
        "button": "button1", "modifiers": ["alt"],
        "press_command": "drag_select",
        "press_args": {"by": "columns"}
    },
    {
        "button": "button1", "modifiers": ["alt", "ctrl"],
        "press_command": "drag_select",
        "press_args": {"by": "columns", "additive": true}
    },
    {
        "button": "button1", "modifiers": ["shift", "alt"],
        "press_command": "drag_select",
        "press_args": {"by": "columns", "subtractive": true}
    },
]

    If that works for you then make sure you upvote the other answer as well as this one. I nearly marked your question for closing as a duplicate - I didn't because you are clearly confused by the different config files, and I couldn't provide the explanation within the space constraints of a comment.