Option-1 (macOS) or Alt-1 (windows/linux) selects the annotation highlight tool in the PDF reader. But afaik, there’s no keyboard shortcut that will highlight the selected text in the PDF reader. imo it would be an improvement to add this shortcut. My suggestion to the devs would be opt-cmd-H on macOS, to keep it in line with other programs.
Cmd-Option-H is a system-wide macOS shortcut to hide other apps, dating back decades. I think you mean Ctrl-Cmd-H.
But also, you have to select text with the mouse anyway, and then there's a popup right there with the color options, so I'm not really sure what the point of this would be in the PDF reader.
In the note editor, where you're already using the keyboard, would make more sense.
@dstillman good catch. You’re right that the majority of time, we make text selections using the mouse. But sometimes I fine-tune the selection with key command (shift-left/right) to include punctuation, so it would he convenient to add a highlight with a keyboard command. Secondly, I find that the popup with color options requires significantly more mouse-precision to hit compared to making text selections. In my main reading setup, the popup box targets are about half the height of the text characters. And often it requires a long mouse gesture to move the cursor from the end of the text selection back to the middle where the popup appears. One solution might be to make the popup appear closer to the point where the mouse is released upon completing a text selection. But adding a keyboard shortcut for highlighting I think addresses this same issue.
I had the same question. My highlighting habit was conditioned by using macOS preview.app where I select the text and then use a keyboard shortcut to highlight it.
I've found a different but still easy practise when using the Zotero PDF reader. Option + 1 selects the highlight tool and then whatever I select with my mouse is automatically highlighted (and the highlight colour picker does not appear after selection). Pressing option + 4 repeatedly cycles through the available colours.
However this doesn't address the sitation described by @aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa where the intial text selection is made using the mouse, fine tuned by using the keyboard and then further mouse movement is needed.
I was looking for a shortcut in the PDF reader to enable the highlight tool without having to click on the toolbar button, which this thread fortunately provides (Option/Alt + 1). This shortcut should be better advertised in the Zotero documentation.
As for being able to highlight currently selected text while the highlight tool is not enabled, I've noticed that after selecting some text, enabling the highlight tool with Option/Alt + 1, that *clicking on the selected text will highlight it*. Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone landing here hadn't tried this yet.
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But also, you have to select text with the mouse anyway, and then there's a popup right there with the color options, so I'm not really sure what the point of this would be in the PDF reader.
In the note editor, where you're already using the keyboard, would make more sense.
I've found a different but still easy practise when using the Zotero PDF reader. Option + 1 selects the highlight tool and then whatever I select with my mouse is automatically highlighted (and the highlight colour picker does not appear after selection). Pressing option + 4 repeatedly cycles through the available colours.
However this doesn't address the sitation described by @aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa where the intial text selection is made using the mouse, fine tuned by using the keyboard and then further mouse movement is needed.
Plus, I'd like it even better if there were different shortcuts for the different colours.
As for being able to highlight currently selected text while the highlight tool is not enabled, I've noticed that after selecting some text, enabling the highlight tool with Option/Alt + 1, that *clicking on the selected text will highlight it*. Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone landing here hadn't tried this yet.
I'm using Zotero 6.0.35 on Linux.