Layer Manager

The Layer Manager contains information on plot layers. Layers can be selected, replicated, arranged, added, deleted, activated, renamed, made visible/invisible, made editable/uneditable, and locked/unlocked in the Layer Manager. Changes made in the Layer Manager are reflected in the plot window. The layer each object exists on is listed in the Data Manager.

The Layer Manager contains a list of

all of the layers in the document.

Show or Hide Manager

Use the View | Toolbars/Managers command to show or hide the Layer Manager. A check mark is displayed next to visible managers. To show a manager, click on the manager name to place a check mark next to the manager and make the manager visible. Uncheck the manager to hide it.

Adding a Layer

To add a layer, right-click in the Layer Manager and select Add Layer or click the button on the Layer Manager toolbar.

Deleting a Layer

To delete a layer, right-click on the layer and select Delete Layer or click the button on the Layer Manager toolbar. A project must contain at least one layer. If the last layer is deleted, a warning message appears. Click OK and the layer will remain.

Changing the Active Layer

To set the active layer, click the $image\currentlayer.png$ button next to the layer name or click the layer name. The active layer is displayed with a red triangle $image\currentlayer.png$ next to the layer name. The layer order does not matter when making a layer active as the top, bottom, or any layer in the middle of the layer list can be active. You can use the ARROW keys on your keyboard to move between layers but this does not make the layer active.

Renaming a Layer

To change the name associated with a layer, right-click on the layer and select the Rename Layer command or click the button on the Layer Manager toolbar.

Duplicating a Layer

To make a copy of an entire layer, right-click on the layer and select Replicate Layer or click the button on the Layer Manager toolbar. A new layer is created with all of the objects and properties of the original layer. The new layer is named Copy of and the original layer name.

Selecting All Items on a Layer

To select all objects on a layer, right-click on the layer and select Select All Items on Layer or click the button on the Layer Manager toolbar.

Showing or Hiding a Layer

All layers have a light bulb button to indicate if the layer is visible. The yellow light bulb indicates that the layer is visible. The gray light bulb indicates the layer is not visible. To change the visible status of a layer, click on the light bulb. Invisible layers do not appear in the plot window and do not appear on printed output.

Locking and Unlocking a Layer

An editable layer is indicated by an open lock to the right of the visibility light bulb. You may need to resize the window if you cannot see the lock. If you do not want the objects on the layer to be editable, click on the open lock. The lock changes to a closed lock , indicating that the objects on that layer can no longer be edited. You can add objects to an uneditable layer, but you cannot select, delete, or change properties of objects on an uneditable layer. To unlock a locked layer, click on the closed lock icon next to the layer name.

Formatting Objects on the Active Layer

To format active layer objects, right-click on the layer and select Format Active Layer Objects or click the button on the Layer Manager toolbar. The Layer Formatter dialog is displayed, allowing object properties, such as line or fill style, to be changed for objects that share a common attribute, such as keyword name.

Arranging Layers

To change the display order of the layers with the mouse, click on a layer name to select it and drag it to a new position in the list above or below a layer. Release the mouse button and the layer moves to the desired location.