OK, thanks, so the Qs remain from my OP -
are there a shortcut ways
a) to activate Element Selection - shorter than Esc>1>1 (in MS as incorporated in AECOsim)?
b) or, better, to make Element Selection re-activate automatically as soon as any other tool's dialog is closed?
c) to dismiss the current selection when it hangs around in pink even after some other tool has supplanted Element Selection - shorter than Esc>1>1>Clear?