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Using Protel 2004, with the new Service Pack 2 that includes the new List panel enhancements, it is now easy to perform a version of inside block selection that selects just the objects you require.

In this example we will select a region of a PCB using inside area and filter every thing out except for Tracks and Vias.

Using Left mouse click and drag or Edit » Select » Inside Area (S,I) select the area you wish to copy.

Open the List panel and using the Drop down options at the top of the panel select View – Selected Objects and then change the All types of Objects to Display Only and check the Track and Via objects only.

Next staying within the List panel, ensuring that everything within the List panel is still selected, use the Right Click Mouse button menu and select Apply Filter.  On your PCB you will notice that now only the tracks and vias in that area are selected and the rest of the board is masked out.

You can now perform global changes using the Inspector panel or use the Edit » Copy/Paste or other selection related commands.

This process can be performed in any of the Protel 2004 editors.