How do I select and move a label with free / smart free positioning?

Question

I'm still quite a newby wrt yEd, so maybe this is a stupid question:

I've created some labels in a node with different positionings (inside, outside etc.) which works nicely. But I have difficulties using the (smart) free positioning: When select the label by double clicking on it, it becomes highlighted, its border is shown with a double line and the cursor changes to a four-sided arrow.

But for some reason I can't move the label (I've managed this once in about 100 tries so it has to be possible). Clicking _inside_ once more allows me to edit the text. When I click on the border coming from the highlighted state, the text becomes un-highlighted, the cursor goes back to normal, only the border still is shown as a double line.

Is there a special trick?

I'm using the latest version 3.17 under Win7 64 and JRE version 1.8.0_121

Answer 1

When you double-click a label, you automatically enter the "label editing mode". In this "mode" it is not possible to re-position the label.
What you actually want, is to "select" the label - i.e. text un-highlighted but double-line border. To re-position a selected label, move the mouse over the label (inside the double-line border), press and hold the left mouse button, and drag the mouse to the desired new label position.
Labels may be selected in several ways:

1. As you did by double-clicking the label, then clicking outside the label.
2. By CTRL-clicking on the label. (This is the preferred method for selecting labels.)
3. By using either "Edit" -> "Find" or "Tools" -> "Select Elements" with settings appropriate for label selection.

Comments

Thanx, that does the job! I knew I didn't get the concept ... what really put me off the tracks was the four-sided arrow that means "move the node" not "move the label".