Hi,
Thanks, I will give this a try. I haven't parsed the column_selections fully yet, but at first blush I think I was hoping for something dead simple. Maybe it is simple, with the docs making it harder than it looks. (Before I posted the question, I did start reading this section from the online help...)
Column selection is dead simple and you'll wonder how you've lived w/ o it for so long.
Just try to select a block of text across multipe lines. Once you have it selected (and let go of the mouse), just hit "option" and see what happens.
Alternatively, hold the option key down then click and select text across multiple lines, you'll pick it up right quick.
Enjoy, -steve