---
title: "selectByName"
canonical: "https://help.vicon.com/space/Shogun18/13668025/selectByName"
format: markdown
---
# Description

Selects all modules with matching name(s).

Names can contain DOS-style wild card characters to select modules matching name patterns. The wild card character ? matches any single character, while * matches zero or more characters.

Thus, the following command selects all markers whose name began with L (usually indicating they are on the left of the body):

```plaintext
selectByName "L*" -type "Marker"; 
```

Unlike the [select](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668009) command which selects only the first module with the given name if multiple modules of the same name exist, the selectByName command selects all modules of the given name.

## Functional area

Selection

# Command syntax

## Syntax

|  |
| --- |
| `selectByName "name1" "name2" ...[-a] [-r] [-type string] [-childOf string]` |

### Arguments

| **Name** | **Type** | **Required** | **Comments** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `name1` | string | no | One or more module names to select. The name can contain DOS-style wild card characters to match name patterns. If no names are specified, all modules are de-selected. |

> Macro (scroll-pagebreak)

### Flags

> Macro (scroll-tablelayout)

| **Name** | **Flag arguments** | **Argument type** | **Exclusive to** | **Comments** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `a` | 0 | — | r | Specifies that selection operation add to the current scene selection. The default is to replace the scene selection. |
| `r` | 0 | — | a | Specifies that selection operation be removed from the current scene selection. The default is to replace the scene selection. |
| `type` | 1 | string | — | Narrows the search to specific module types (e.g. Bone, Marker, etc.). The default is all module types. |
| `childOf` | 1 | string | — | Only selects modules that are children of this module name. |

## Return value

void

## Examples

```plaintext
// Select all head markers in the scene, not just the
// one under the priority search module
selectByName "LFHD" "RFHD" "LBHD" "RBHD";
 
// Could have also done this
selectByName "*HD";
 
// Add to the selection all front waist markers
selectByName "?FWT" -a;
```

# Additional information

## Related commands

- [select](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668009)
- [selectabilityOn](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668007)
- [selectBranch](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668005)
- [selectByPart](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668021)
- [selectBySide](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668019)
- [selectByType](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668017)
- [selectChildren](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668043)
- [selectParent](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668059)
- [selectSet](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668147)
- [selectTree](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13667959)
- [setPrimary](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Shogun18/pages/13668662)