I'm not very experienced in Houdini, sorry in advanced for not using proper terminology.

I can't seem to move individual SOP nodes, like boxes and spheres independently. For example, when I create a geometry node on OBJ level, then create a box and a sphere inside the geometry node; how can I translate the sphere independently from the box?
When I select the sphere in obj mode ('1-key') and then translate it, it translates both the sphere and the box? I know I can change the values in the parameters panel, but I also want to be able to translate by clicking on the viewport.

Thanks!

If you transform a whole object, all of its geometry will be transformed. If you want to transform just some of it, you'll either need to split the geometry into two inner objects and just transform one of them, or you can use a Transform SOP to directly transform the point positions of a group. Hopefully one of those approaches will get you what you need.

I tend to work almost exclusively at the SOP level, so I'm rather biased toward using SOPs, but if the sphere and the box don't need to be in the same detail for anything, they might as well be separate objects.

Just add a Transform Node for each object node. That way you can animate them individually as you desire.

Midphase
Just add a Transform Node for each object node. That way you can animate them individually as you desire.

Ah I see. And if I want to use the move tool to move the box1 while clicking/dragging in the viewport, I would first have to control-drag or double-click on the box to select all its primitives, and then perform the translation? Or is there a way to just click once on the box to select it, and then translate?

cr3scendo

Midphase
Just add a Transform Node for each object node. That way you can animate them individually as you desire.

Ah I see. And if I want to use the move tool to move the box1 while clicking/dragging in the viewport, I would first have to control-drag or double-click on the box to select all the primitives, and then perform the translation? Or is there a way to just click once on the box to select it, and then translate?

Yes, keep the box a separate object.