Maya MEL - Highlighting Specific Range in Timeline

I'm new in writing scripts. In Maya, I'd like to highlight a specific range in timeline without shift+LMB scrubbing. I want to enter start/end values and make the script select that range. Is that even possible? I haven't found any solution yet.

Thanks in advance.

Here's the biggest hacky workaround there is - in Python however. Using Qt Mouse press, move and release events to mimic the mouse behavior on the time slider widget to have it select. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner, but at least it works.

In code I'm temporarily changing the time slider range to maximize the screen space for the frames I want to click on.

from maya import mel
from maya import OpenMayaUI as omui 

from shiboken2 import wrapInstance 
from PySide2 import QtCore, QtGui, QtWidgets


def select_time_slider_range(start, end):
    
    app = QtWidgets.QApplication.instance()
    
    widgetStr = mel.eval('$gPlayBackSlider=$gPlayBackSlider')
    ptr = omui.MQtUtil.findControl(widgetStr)
    slider = wrapInstance(long(ptr), QtWidgets.QWidget)
    
    slider_width = slider.size().width()
    slider_height = slider.size().height()
    
    # Store time slider settings
    min_time = cmds.playbackOptions(query=True, minTime=True)
    max_time = cmds.playbackOptions(query=True, maxTime=True)
    animation_start_time = cmds.playbackOptions(query=True, animationStartTime=True)
    animation_end_time = cmds.playbackOptions(query=True, animationEndTime=True)
    t = cmds.currentTime(query=True)
    
    # Set the time slider to the range we want so we have
    # perfect precision to click at the start and end of the
    # time slider.
    cmds.playbackOptions(minTime=start)
    cmds.playbackOptions(maxTime=end)
    
    a_pos = QtCore.QPoint(0, slider_height / 2.0)         
    b_pos = QtCore.QPoint(slider_width, slider_height / 2.0)
    
    # Trigger some mouse events on the Time Control
    # Somehow we need to have some move events around
    # it so the UI correctly understands it stopped
    # clicking, etc.
    event = QtGui.QMouseEvent(QtCore.QEvent.MouseMove, 
                              a_pos, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.NoModifier)
    app.sendEvent(slider, event)
    
    event = QtGui.QMouseEvent(QtCore.QEvent.MouseButtonPress, 
                              a_pos, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.ShiftModifier)
    app.sendEvent(slider, event)
   
    event = QtGui.QMouseEvent(QtCore.QEvent.MouseMove, 
                              b_pos, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.ShiftModifier)
    app.sendEvent(slider, event)

    event = QtGui.QMouseEvent(QtCore.QEvent.MouseButtonRelease, 
                              b_pos, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.ShiftModifier)
    app.sendEvent(slider, event)
    
    event = QtGui.QMouseEvent(QtCore.QEvent.MouseMove, 
                              b_pos, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.MouseButton.LeftButton, 
                              QtCore.Qt.NoModifier)
    app.sendEvent(slider, event)
    app.processEvents()
    
    # Reset time slider settings
    cmds.playbackOptions(minTime=min_time)
    cmds.playbackOptions(maxTime=max_time)
    cmds.playbackOptions(animationStartTime=animation_start_time)
    cmds.playbackOptions(animationEndTime=animation_end_time)
    cmds.currentTime(t)

select_time_slider_range(-200, 500000)