>I was hoping for this in the updated docs, but it wasn't there. If someone has >the time, I would appreciate a quick tutorial on how to use the layers feature >of PGS. Please include:
OK, I'll do my best. I was hoping someone else would step in (just a little busy), but since I havn't seen a public response, I'll give it a go.
First, remember that layers = drawings in all of this. A drawing can have drawings inside of it. This would be the layer concept. I started to make the two objects different, but I couldn't see any reason why. Any feature you might want for a drawing layer, is already done with drawings, or would be useful for drawings!
If for example you made a drawing of a face, and the eyes where drawing of themselves, you might leave the eyes "external" (external layers feature!), you might move or scale or crop the subdrawings (shifting,scaling, rotating croped layers), send them behind of infront of other objects/drawings (rearranging the layers).
You probably would want to supress the printing of a layer (which you can do for drawings), or hide it all together (new feature, which is useful for drawings also, but you would need the ability select them which without the layers palette you would not know where to click! This way you can find it in the list instead!)., and of course draw into a layer/modify objects on a layer,and not modify objects on a layer (which we have the no modify as locking!)
So, you see the ability to edit objects in a layer (and drawing) plus the visual listing of objects/drawings in the layers palette where the two real features added. A couple other minor were added, but they are not as important.
> o What do the icons in the layers palette represent?
From left to right: 1. New layer/drawing. Same as Object->Drawing->Make Drawing menu item. 2. Layer/Drawing Info. Same as Edit->Object Info. This is how you take an unnamed drawing/layer and give it a name. Like "eye" "nose" "clouds" whatever. 3. Delete Icon (but actually just dissolves the layer, or "flatten it" into the parent layer (or page if none). I did find a bug in this just now testing all of this. Won't work unless the drawing/layer is selected in the window. 4. Move "up" or "forward" in the display stack. Will only do so within the parent layer/page. 5. Move "down" or "backwards" in the display stack. Will only do so within the parent layer/page.
Then down to the actual display. It shows each drawing in a tree like display, plus it shows objects between drawings(but they are grouped together with a count of the stray objects). The objects from left to right are: 1. Active layer/page indicator. Which ever layer (or the page and pasteboard) which has the pen tool in the first column is the layer/page which the drawing tools will drawing into. Also, when you select objects with the object tool/reshape etc, only those in that layer/page are selected etc. Just click in this column to change the active layer/page to the one you want. 2. +/- indicators. Currently it toggles between showing objects in that layer/page and not. You _always_ see _all_ the layers and sublayers. Internally I can also hide/reveal sublayers, but coming up with an interface for it is not easy. +/- is well defined, so I'm sticking with it for now 3. Actual layer name (or the words Page for the page, Pasteboard for the pasteboard, and Object(s) for free objects.) On note, _all_ objects are free objects at its "home" layer. 4. Object count. Total number of free objects in that layer (not counting sublayers). 5. Write flag. Pen indicates you can edit the objects in that layer. Pen with slash indicates locked. 5. View flag. Open eye indicates you can see the object on the page, closed eye indicates it is hidden (and I don't believe will print either).
Some of these individual questions are answers above, but I'll give a quick summary. I would suggest you place with this feature, and then if you dont' understand something please ask for a more detailed help.
> o How is a new layer created/named?
Select objects, and make drawing using the object menu, or the new layer icon (left most icon, top row of the layer palette). Named with object info
> o How are objects added to/deleted from a specific layer?
to delete an object, select it (see below) and then choose edit->delete or hit the delete key (same as any other object).
To add an object, just draw it. The active layer (or page) will get the drawing.
> o How is a specific object on a layer selected?
By making the layer active (click in the left most location of the display in that layers row which causes the pen tool to appear). Then you can click on an object in the window that is in that layer using the object tool (or any of its varients like reshape tool, crop tool, rotate tool, etc).
> o How is an object moved from one layer to another?
You have to copy/paste them between layers. Don't have a way to "move to layer". Obviously, the move to page requester will be the prime location for this. You can select an object and a layer and add to drawing also. But you can't move a selected drawing out of a drawing.
> o How is the order of the layers determined/changed?
By the same forward/backwards as stack options in the object menu, or via the layers palette.
> o How is a layer deleted?
Select and delete the drawing/layer.
>Thanks in advance for your help! > >Ron
Deron Kazmaier - support@grasshopperllc.com Grasshopper LLC Publishing -http://www.grasshopperllc.com PageStream DTP for Amiga, Macintosh, and Windows
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