properly import column selection from message

diff --git a/src/jalview/gui/SeqPanel.java b/src/jalview/gui/SeqPanel.java
index 8b97853..e32c5cf 100755 (executable)
--- a/src/jalview/gui/SeqPanel.java
+++ b/src/jalview/gui/SeqPanel.java
@@ -1904,18 +1904,31 @@ public class SeqPanel extends JPanel implements MouseListener,
       }
       if (av.colSel == null || !av.isColSelChanged())
       {
-        // Check to see if the current selection is from a previous message
+        // the current selection is unset or from a previous message
+        // so import the new colsel.
         if (colsel == null || colsel.size() == 0)
         {
-          av.colSel.clear();
+          if (av.colSel!=null)
+          {
+            av.colSel.clear();
+          } 
         }
         else
         {
-          av.colSel = new ColumnSelection(colsel);
+          if (av.colSel == null)
+          {
+            av.colSel = new ColumnSelection(colsel);
+          } else {
+            av.colSel.setElementsFrom(colsel);
+          }
         }
         repaint |= av.isColSelChanged();
       }
     }
+    if (av.hasHiddenColumns && (av.colSel==null || av.colSel.getHiddenColumns()==null))
+    {
+      System.err.println("Bad things");
+    }
     if (repaint)
     {
       // probably finessing with multiple redraws here