---
title: Selecting Content Elements
description: Migrate breaks down your document into simple content elements. These are the content units on which you can set annotations which will guide the conversion to the target format. Content elements may be nested. For example, a paragraph element may…
url: "https://www.stilo.com/docs/migrate/understanding-your-rule-set/selecting-content-elements/"
updated: "2021-04-25"
category: Rules / Understanding Your Rule Set
tags:
  - Rules
---

# Selecting Content Elements

Migrate breaks down your document into simple content elements. These are the content units on which you can set annotations which will guide the conversion to the target format.

Content elements may be nested. For example, a paragraph element may contain span elements. A table element will contain row elements which, in turn, may contain paragraph and span elements.

## Procedure

1. From the **content panel**, click the content element that you are interested in.
   1. The innermost content element you clicked on is selected and will now have a green background.
      1. For selecting content elements at different nesting levels do the following.
2. Click the currently selected content element
   1. The selection will expand to include the containing content element, if any. If the current selection was already the outermost content element, the innermost content element at the point you clicked will be selected.

## Result

The **Element Properties** tab is automatically put into view and is updated to correspond with the content element you have selected.

*Example: Selecting Content Elements*

[![Selecting a paragraph content element in a table](https://www.stilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/selected-element-p-in-table.png)](https://www.stilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/selected-element-p-in-table.png)
Figure: Selecting a paragraph content element in a table

Clicking anywhere in the green box from the previous fig will select the current row

[![Selecting a row content element in a table](https://www.stilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/selected-element-row-in-table.png)](https://www.stilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/selected-element-row-in-table.png)
Figure: Selecting a row content element in a table

Clicking anywhere in the green box from the previous fig will select the entire table.

[![Selecting an entire table content element](https://www.stilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/selected-element-table.png)](https://www.stilo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/selected-element-table.png)
Figure: Selecting an entire table content element

#### Prerequisite Concepts

- [Working with the Rules Editor](https://www.stilo.com/docs/migrate/getting-started-rules/working-with-the-rules-editor/)

#### Related Tasks

- [Determining the Properties of an Element](https://www.stilo.com/docs/migrate/understanding-your-rule-set/determining-the-properties-of-an-element/)
- [Determining Which Rules Have Applied](https://www.stilo.com/docs/migrate/understanding-your-rule-set/determining-which-rules-have-applied/)
- [Determining Where a Rule Has Applied](https://www.stilo.com/docs/migrate/understanding-your-rule-set/determining-where-a-rule-has-applied/)