The DesignEditor allows you to get an organized look at all of the layers, objects, effects, text, and more. This article will guide you through the various options and settings for the Layers Tab. For the Objects tab, see: DesignEditor - Objects Tab
Layer Order
The order of the layers in the stack determines how the objects are displayed in the design area.
To rearrange the order of the stack, click and drag a Layer color icon to a new position. A horizontal dashed line displays to indicate where in the stack the layer will be placed.
Note that if an object's order is rearranged in the design (Send to Front/Back, Move Forward/Backward), it will only occur in that layer. Any layer below that layer will still appear behind the object even if Send to Back was used (and vice versa).
Changing Layer Color
Each layer is associated with a color. The Guide and Grid layers change the colors of the Guides and Grid, respectively. For Layers 1, 2, 3…, etc. the color will be used when you do one of the following:
- Display objects in wireframe mode.
- Color the borders of selected objects.
- Show the Preview for that layer.
The following are ways to chance the layer color:
- Drag any color from the Swatch Table and drop it directly onto the desired Layer color icon in the DesignEditor - Layer tab dialog box.
- Right click the layer and open the Layer Properties dialog box.
- In the Layer Properties window, select the color dropdown on the right and choose a color. This will reference the Swatch tables you have open.
Layer Properties
Again, you can open the Layer properties dialogue by right clicking the layer and selecting Layer properties, or by double-clicking the layer.
The Layer Properties window has the following options:
- Visible: Specifies if the layer is visible or not. Always disabled for the Trash Layer.
- Editable: Specifies if the layer is editable or not. Not available for the Trash, Grid, and Substrate layers.
- Printable: Specifies if the layer will be printed or not. Always disabled for the Trash Layer.
- Cuttable: Specifies if the layer is cuttable or not. Always disabled for the Trash and Grid layers.
- Master Layer: Designates the layer as the Master Layer. Always disabled for Trash, Grid, and Guide layers.
In the DesignEditor window, you can change these options quickly by clicking the respective icon so that a red X appears over it. Below, clicking the eye has turned the Visible and Master layer options off.
Merging Layers
When you merge one layer with another, all the elements of the layer that you merged are added to the target layer.
- Click and hold the mouse on the layer you want to merge.
- While holding Ctrl, drag the layer onto the layer you want to merge it with and drop it. A horizontal dashed line displays directly over the target layer to indicate that the layer will be merged.
Showing Layer Names
Each layer in the DesignEditor has a name. Being able to identify layers aids greatly in changing layer order. By default the DesignEditor dialog box is not wide enough to display layer names.
To view all layer names:
- Move the tip of the mouse pointer over the right edge of the DesignEditor dialog box until a double-headed white arrow appears.
- Left-click and drag the edge of the dialog box to expand it.
The layer names appear to the left of the Layer color icons.