The “Selection” Menu

The “Selection” Menu offers features and functions to affect your current selection of objects and object components (vertices etc).
The following items are available in the menu.

Selecting All, the Inverse, the Parent, Group, or Child

SelectAll
 

Select all objects in scene, or – in component mode – select all components on the currently selected object.

Invert Selection:

Invert the current selection.

Select Parent

Select the group or next higher transform node of the currently selected object.

Select Child

Select the first child or next lower transform node of the currently selected object or group.

Shrinking and Growing the Selection

Grow Selection

Grow the selection to include the neighboring objects or components.

Shrink Selection

Shrink the current selection to exclude those components on the outer border of the current selection.

Convert Selection:

This item holds a sub-menu with items to convert the selection to different component types.
The following items are available in the sub-menu:

…to vertices

Select the vertices of the currently selected faces or edges.

…to edges

Select the edges connected to the currently selected vertices faces or vertices.

…to faces

Select the faces connected to the currently selected edges or vertices.

…to contained faces

Select the faces that are contained (surrounded by) the currently selected edges or vertices.

…to shell

Extend the current selection to the complete shell of connected faces.

…to shell border

Extend the current selection to the shell border of connected faces.

Extend Selection

Submenu to extend the current selection. These are convenience functions to select rings, loops, and patched of similar components.
The following items are available:

…to edge ring

Select a single edge and activate this item to select a continuous ring of edges spanning around the object.

…to edge loop

Select a single edge and activate this option to select a loop of parallel edges around the object.

…to face longitude

Select a single face and activate this option to select a continuous ring of faces around the object.

…to face latitude
  
Select a single face and activate this option to select a continuous path up-and-down the object.