# Smart Selection, Boolean Chips & Manipulation

> Quickly isolate specific layers using multi-keyword boolean search chips (OR, AND, NOT), invert selections, sample every Nth item, and manage canvas performance.

## Goal

Select, refine, and manipulate exact groups of Figma layers across large documents with precision.

## Before you start

- A Figma document with multiple frames, components, or layers.

## Steps

1. **Add search keyword chips** In the Refine tab, type a search keyword and press Enter or comma. It converts into an interactive chip.
   ![Smart Selection, Refine tab: search chips card, price and thumbnail joined by AND and NOT badges.](https://raiken.io/assets/kb/contently/smart-selection-filters/selection-refine.png)
2. **Click operator badges to combine logic** Click the operator badge between chips to toggle between OR (default), AND, or NOT (e.g. 'card' NOT 'thumbnail').
3. **Use the Manipulate tab** Switch to Manipulate to invert your selection among its siblings, or use the 'Select Every Nth' slider (from 2 to 12) to sample alternating items. Select Every Nth is switched on by default, so switch it off before you use Invert.
   ![Smart Selection, Manipulate tab: Negative (invert siblings) off and Select Every 3rd on, with a slider.](https://raiken.io/assets/kb/contently/smart-selection-filters/selection-manipulate.png)
4. **Manage Live Select performance** Live Select is off by default. In the content toolbar's View options you can switch it on to keep the list in sync with your selection, or leave it off and click 'Scan Selection' to update the list on demand.

## Tips

- Combine 'Find Similar' with 'Select Every Nth: 2' to quickly apply alternating background colors or zebra-striping to table rows.
- Use Group by 'By Parent Name' in the content toolbar to inspect cluster hierarchy before applying batch content.

## Result

Target layers are isolated and selected on canvas, ready for template application or bulk styling.

## If something goes wrong

- **Selection does not find layers inside component instances.** -> Turn on 'Include hidden layers' in the Smart Selection panel so Contently looks inside hidden layers of component instances. Layers that are themselves hidden are never matched.

## Common questions

### Can Smart Selection find hidden layers?

Only inside component instances. 'Include hidden layers' makes Contently look inside hidden layers of component instances. Layers that are hidden themselves are never matched in Find Similar or Manipulate, and the toggle has nothing to do with off-canvas layers.

### How do I filter my selection using multiple search terms?

In the Refine tab, type a word and press Enter or comma to create a search chip. Click the operator badge between chips to combine them with OR (matches either), AND (matches both), or NOT (matches the first but excludes the second). Chips are evaluated strictly left to right, and a match is a case-insensitive part of a layer name or its text.

### What does the Manipulate tab in Smart Selection do?

The Manipulate tab lets you reshape an active selection without starting over. Invert selects the siblings of your current selection instead. Select Every Nth keeps only every Nth sibling (e.g. every 2nd card for alternating patterns); it is on by default, so switch it off to use Invert.

### What do the Group by options do?

Controls how the content list organizes layers: By Layer Name (strict name-based grouping), By Parent Name (clusters by parent frame or component), By Element Type (groups all text, shapes, etc.; the default), or By Element Name. It is in the content toolbar.

### What is Live Select and when should I disable it?

Live Select keeps the plugin's content list continuously in sync with your canvas selection. It is off by default. On very large documents with thousands of layers, leave it off and click 'Scan Selection' to update the list in batches without repeated canvas rescans.

## Related guides

- [Smart Templates: Automatic Layer Matching](https://raiken.io/kb/contently/smart-templates-overview): Smart Templates automatically match template data to the right layers based on layer names, letting you populate entire mockups and nested components in one click.

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Source: https://raiken.io/kb/contently/smart-selection-filters (Contently help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30.