>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
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