extending a node (multi)selection

[A_Pirard]

Update: see in comment #2 how this applies to ​utilsplugin2

hen trying to detach a long multi-polygon or something from a road, or whatever the reason to have to select a long series of contiguous nodes, e.g. to duplicate and to move aside, the temptation is high to use the conventional method: shift-click.
It does not work, alas. It could, however, as follows.
Basically, shift-click only duplicates what can already be done with control-click.

1) to simplify the logic, and to keep shift-click mostly compatible if needed, possibly request to preselect (and later unselect) the way(s) over which the nodes to select will extend [this option inside brackets...]
2) when a node [on a selected way] is shift-clicked, follow the [selected] ways in all directions [, rejecting meshed selections (junctions of more than 2 ways),] and count the nodes until a selected node or the initial node is met
3) choose the path with the lowest count and select the nodes on it

Very useful, simple enough I think, and fun to program I guess, alas, I'm unable to.

[AlfonZ]

It seems to me that utilsplugin2's Select middle nodes could help with this workflow:

1. Select first and last node in the series.
2. Selection/Middle nodes will select the nodes between them.
3. Do whatever with the nodes.

[A_Pirard]

Thanks Alphonz, a good find and I think I'll add a pointer to utilsplugin2 in the Advanced tagging page.

Unfortunately, I tried it from A to B on a road way, and it was impossible to do (OK for polygons etc.).
That's because of the craze for splitting and splitting ways, we'll end up in tiny pieces.
You can't have any two nodes on the same way segment, they were on different ones.

It's different with my scheme. I suggest to first select the ways over which the nodes must be selected.
That is, extend the concept of the way segment on which the two nodes must be to a selection of ways.

Because utilsplugin2 has that feature, this request will never make its way to JOSM core.
But the idea might attract "Kalle Lampila, Upliner, Zverik, akks, joshdoe and others" for ​utilsplugin2.
So, I recycled this bug to ​utilsplugin2.
And I thank them for the nice things they've done.