Working with feature selection tools

Selecting features is one of the core functions of any GIS, and it is useful to know them before we venture into editing geometries and attributes. Depending on the use case, selection tools come in many different flavors. QGIS offers three different kinds of tools to select features using the mouse, an expression, or another layer.

Selecting features with the mouse

The first group of tools in the Attributes toolbar allows us to select features on the map using the mouse. The following screenshot shows the Select Feature(s) tool. We can select a single feature by clicking on it, or select multiple features by drawing a rectangle. The other tools can be used to select features by drawing different shapes (polygons, freehand areas, or circles) around the features. All features that intersect with the drawn shape are selected.

Selecting features with expressions

The second type of select tool is called Select by Expression, and it is also available in the...