Selection Mechanics

Selection is the core interaction in GeoWords. You build words by selecting an ordered sequence of tiles on the hexasphere. The current selection is displayed as a letter sequence in the Word Bar at the bottom of the screen.

Selection Order Matters

The order in which tiles are selected determines the word. Selecting C-R-O-C-H-E-T spells CROCHET. Selecting the same tiles in a different order — C-R-O-C-E-H-T — does not.

Basic Selection (Paint Drag)

Click a tile and drag across adjacent tiles to select them in sequence. Each tile is added to the selection as your cursor crosses it. This is the most common selection gesture.

Extending a Selection

To add tiles to the end of an existing selection, hold Ctrl (or Cmd) and click the last selected tile, then drag to adjacent tiles. The new tiles are appended to the selection.

This lets you build long words incrementally — select BATH, then Ctrl+drag from H to add I-N-G, producing BATHING.

Prepending a Selection

To add tiles to the beginning of an existing selection, hold Ctrl and click the first selected tile, then drag away from the selection. The new tiles are prepended in reverse drag order.

Select BATH, then Ctrl+drag from B outward to add S-U-N, producing SUNBATH.

Trimming

If you've selected too many tiles, hold Shift and click the tile you want to remove:

Shift+click the last tile — trims from the end. BATHI becomes BATH.
Shift+click the first tile — trims from the start. NBATH becomes BATH.

Algorithmic Selections

Beyond manual dragging, GeoWords supports two algorithmic selection modes:

Great Circle

Hold Shift+Ctrl and drag to select tiles along a great circle — the shortest arc across the sphere between two points. Great circles can form closed loops, which are required for certain actions.

Halo

Hold Alt (Option) and drag to select a halo — a ring of tiles at a fixed BFS distance from a center cell. Halo-1 selects the immediate neighbors; Halo-2 selects the ring two steps out. Halos are natural loop selections.

Selection Topology

The shape of your selection determines which actions are available:

Chain — a contiguous sequence of adjacent tiles with distinct start and end points. This is the default shape from paint-drag. Most actions operate on chains.
Loop — a chain whose first and last tiles are adjacent, forming a closed ring. Required for rotation actions. Great circles and halos naturally produce loops.

Clearing the Selection

Click on empty space (outside the hexasphere) or start a new plain drag to clear the current selection and begin fresh.

Visual Feedback

Selected tiles are highlighted with colored overlays:

First tile — orange/amber highlight
Middle tiles — light blue highlight
Last tile — deeper blue highlight

This color coding helps you see the selection's direction and endpoints at a glance.