🚀 go-pugleaf

There is nothing in your example that would not be addressed by the ability to convert a path into a selection. You would draw the circle, rightClick, and choose Make Selection from the cursor menu.

One of the [many] problems with Illustrator's selection interface is there is no provision for chosing between contact sensitive and enclose modes, as other drawing programs provide.

      I personally don't mind an array of selection tools




I do. It's horribly inelegant. Illustrator already has several examples of multiple tools that collectively can't do as well as a single tool does in other programs. It makes for too many tool changes, too much clutter, needless tedium.

For one example, note that there are six "different" text tools--yet Illustrator's text handling interface is among the worst.

JET