How To Move an Object

I searched the Gameplay forum without success. It's been 7 months since playing; some good changes, some not so much. I'm playing Survival mode.

Upon creating a Research Table. it couldn't place it, I could only drop it. It fell over. I want to stand it upright. How do I grab it so I can manipulate it? I tried left-clicking without success. Left-clicking the Crafting Table allows me to pick it up and move it. I created two Small Chests. I was able to grab one to move it, but not the other. WTF?

A year ago, I could grab, move, and manipulate any object. Today, no joy. As an added benefit, the game file I had a 7 months ago could not be loaded, as the game saw it as corrupted. Good-bye castle...

How do I move objects? I tried CTL-C and CTL-V to copy/paste. Nope.
--- Automerge ---
The problem is that I'm inside a so-called "safe zone". Outside this zone, I'm able to place objects, such as the crafting table, research table, chests, etc.

 

Try to build it on another block... if it doesn't snap, try pressing J to switch build-mode.

Also, you can only pick up items with an empty inventory.

 

I would like to see pulleys in this game. This would introduce the programmer challenge of managing multiple ropes in one connection...

*addition* This means that you can build anything as long as you have the framework for it. Also, a lot of interesting things can be built. It's akin to the ropedrum, but much more simple resourcewise (programming-wise it is really not that much worse, it's just yet another rope - two per pulley)

*addition 2* I think it might work just linking two ropes so that they share the load, summing up the load on each rope in series. That is: when the sum of the ropes becomes high, the weakest link will break (and all the ropes will disappear)

*explanation* I was trying to build a wheeled cart above ground (as it should be). I tried lifting, pulling, pushing, even building the carts with origin on a ground-bound frame. The frame couldn't be removed, so that idea didn't work. However, ropes usually work fine for lifting. They can be cut, which is good.

 

Does anyone know how to pick up an object you've already placed?

 

And, does anyone here use a SpaceMouse?

 

And what is modding?

 

Look at the item and hold F

The safe are is designed to be unchanging so that you always have a place to spawn and access to basic resources like a wardrobe or crafting table. It also means all new players spawn in the same place which prevents players from getting lost all over the world unless they choose to. The point is, you can't modify the safe area in any permanent way. Moving outside of the safe area will allow you to build and mine normally.

This was changed to O a long time ago.