Layers

On selecting Layers tab from the left pane of the model/drawing document, the program displays a control frame as shown in the image below — here presented after three new layers have been created besides the default layer '0' —:

Layer editing buttons

The top of the control frame lists a series of buttons ordered horizontally that enable you to access the main commands:

	New Layer
	Set Current Layer
	Delete Layer
	Filter Layers
	Select Layers

Custom filter control

The area 2 in the figure, under the Masters, has two controls — Invert filter (check box) and Filter: (editable drop-down list).

Layer property controls

The area 3 consists of nine columns that enable you to define/modify different properties relevant to the item selected in the column.

Column name	Description and usage
Current	Indicates the current layer — the layer on which new entities are created. The current layer is also displayed and dynamically updated in the drop-down list of the Set Current Layer toolbar.
Name	Displays the name of the layer. It is possible to rename a layer (accepts both numeric and alphanumeric values) in the following ways: Left-click twice (that is: first click selects the cell and second click enables edit mode) on the cell of a selected layer. Select the Rename Layer command from the context menu. Press F2 function key. Note The default layer, named 0, cannot be renamed.
On	Indicates the visibility of the layer. To turn on/off a layer, left-click on the corresponding icon.
Lock	Indicates the layer lock status. To lock/unlock a layer, left-click on the Lock icon and then select the new status from the Lock drop-down list, as show in the image below: Unlock Entities on this layer are visible, selectable and modifiable. Enables to negate the Lock option and allows you to edit the entities on the layers previously locked. Lock with Snap Entities on this layer are visible, not selectable and not modifiable; however, the user can snap to them and the layer can be set as current (which means entities can be added to it). Lock Entities on this layer are visible, not selectable and not modifiable; the user cannot snap to them and the layer can be set as current (which means entities can be added to it).
Color	Indicates the color assigned to a layer. To change the color associated to a layer, left-click on the Color icon and then select the new Color from the application Color palette which immediately shows up. The layer color affects only the entities on a layer whose color is set to By layer (the associated attribute of a current layer).
Line Type	Indicates the line type assigned to a layer. To change the line type associated to the layer, left-click on the Line Type icon and then select the line type from its drop-down list. The layer line type affects only the entities on a layer whose line type is set to By layer (the associated attribute of a current layer).
Width	Indicates the width assigned to a layer. To change the width associated to the layer, left-click on the Width icon and then select the line width from its drop-down list. The layer width affects only the entities on layers whose width is set to By layer (the associated attribute of a current layer).
Entities	Displays the number of visible and hidden entities on each layer in the format visible\hidden — for example, 3\2 as shown in the image above.
Description	Contains optional information that helps the user to identify the content of each layer.

The above described layer properties can be customized to make them visible by right-clicking and selecting the check box of the required property from the available list. The column order can be customized:

• by dragging and dropping the layer property column header
• by using the Customize Layer Columns dialog box options. To open this dialog box, select Customize from the context menu as shown in the image below:
  
  
  
  

  The customize dialog box provides you with the following controls:

  • Move Up
    Moves the selected property column up one line. On the Layers tab, the property column shifts left one space.
  • Move Down
    Moves the selected property column down one line. On the Layers tab, the property column shifts right one space.
  • Show
    Control the visibility of the property columns. Click this button to show all the selected properties in the layer list.
  • Hide
    Click this button to hide all the selected properties from the layer list.
  
  
• Select the column you want to modify and then click the button on the right hand side to perform the required action.

The improved layer list displays all the existing layers and their associated properties. The generic information about the layer list follows:

• The list is provided to display nine properties of all the layers that are associated to the drawing/model document. By default every document contains one layer, named 0, which cannot be renamed or deleted from the document. When trying to rename or delete it, a warning message will be displayed stating that it is not possible to rename the default layer.
  
  
• Each column displays a layer property that the user can modify by clicking on the specific property cell.
  
  
• The sorting button adjacent to each attribute heading can be selected so as to sort layers with respect to that specific column property.
  
  
• Each column can be hidden by right-clicking on the corresponding heading and selecting the check box of the required properties.
  
  
• A layer selection is possible through a single click on any layer cell and it is possible to use Standard Windows paradigms (such as Shift, Ctrl, Window selection) to perform multiple selections.
  
  
• A layer selection is possible through a single click on any layer cell.
  
  

The OK button close the dialog and applies all changes.

The Cancel button close the dialog and discards all changes.

The Reset button restores the official settings, for the default width, order and visibility status. Pressing it, a warning message box appears to ask the user confirmation on the action.

Manage save/load of last width columns of Layers page

When the user changes the width of one or more columns on the Layer page, then this information is saved and restored for all successfully opened document

Filter results area

The Filter result field displays results of the matched filter criteria (that is: filter on name or that of the defined filtering option — All Layers, Layers On, Locked Layers, Layers with Entities, Selected Layers).

Related Topics

• Layers: Working with layers