I do like to quickly see just layers without objects. There is an option for that in 2018 and has been for many versions, called Current Page Layers Only. This doesn't exist in 2020 (probably 2019 as well but who can check, I certainly can't as its banished)
However if you hover over the layer dropdown arrows used to display or hide objects a tooltip pops up to say Ctrl-Click to collapse all. Great thats what I needed.
Doesn't work. Grrr.
Hywel, I suspect that the functionality you are missing was a casualty of the big redesign of the Object Manager.
I agree that it would makes sense to have a way to quickly see pages and layers, but not the objects on those pages (e.g., collapse every layer all the way down to just showing the layer name).
As a side note, in 2018 and earlier, simply carrying out a "Refresh" in a VBA macro produces that result in the Object Manager. I don't necessarily want display of all layers to be collapsed, but there it is.
In comparison, in 2019 and 2020, the Objects docker does not appear to respond as it should to a Refresh carried out in that way. So, content created by a macro does not necessarily appear in the Objects docker immediately. Totally not good behavior!
Eskimo said:Hywel, I suspect that the functionality you are missing was a casualty of the big redesign of the Object Manager.
I wonder why they went to the trouble of coding the tooltip before they coded the action? Stupid. If they'd simply left out the tooltip no-one would have known, we'd have just been annoyed that a useful piece of functionality had disappeared.
hywelharris said:I wonder why they went to the trouble of coding the tooltip before they coded the action? Stupid. If they'd simply left out the tooltip no-one would have known, we'd have just been annoyed that a useful piece of functionality had disappeared.
Although the functionality may not be what you wish it was, Ctr+Click to "collapse all" or "expand all" does in fact do something different from simply clicking.
If you have a number of things expanded in the hierarchy of Page 1, and simply click on Page 1 to collapse, it collapses at that point - but remembers the collapsed/expanded status of everything that was just hidden in the tree. Click on Page 1 to expand, and it all comes back, just the way it was.
In the same circumstances, Ctrl+Clicking collapses at that point, but also collapses everything in the hierarchy that was just hidden in the tree. Click on Page 1 to expand, and it comes back with everything collapsed.
So, if you wanted to get from that original "lots of stuff expanded on Page 1" state to "just see the layers on Page 1", you could:
You can also Ctrl+Click to "expand all" from any given point on down the tree.
See some of that here, including the scenario I described for getting to "just see the layers of Page 1" in two clicks:
Your findings are the same as mine, John.Ctr+click works as expected, I think.
Ronny Axelsson said:Your findings are the same as mine, John.Ctr+click works as expected, I think.
There are a number of things I would like to see changed/improved in the Objects docker. From what I have seen so far, though, Ctrl+Click to collapse all / expand all seems like a useful feature implemented in a way that makes sense to me.
I go back to what I said before I have no idea what they were thinking. Once things are expanded the object docker is a mess, a file with 16,000 objects makes work to collapse. Once you have a multi-page file opened with keep desktop objects on layer active the desktop the object docker is a mess multiplied by the number of pages in the document and multiplied again by the number of total layers.
I see what you mean John. It is possible but it doesn't do what it says i.e. collapse all. If you have a multi layer document with a lot of objects in Layers and Objects view its very awkward to 'Collapse All' . In that view you don't see the Master page layers either. But as guidelines automatically go onto Master Guides Layer, that leaves them not included.
If you have groups and layers. With a Layer fully expanded you'd expect Ctrl-Click on a group should collapse all groups. With many layers expanded you should be able to collapse to a Layers only view without recourse to your trick of going to the Page.
Corel haven't really thought this through from a single page/multi layer perspective. Being able to get to see just layers for both Page and Master Page is awkward.
Hywel looking at the function of the object manager with page functions is a cluster f$#k. Yes it's a mess when you have tens of layers and tens of thousands of objects.
However there's also this, in default mode the object manager is useless to find desktop items. There can be items on (the desktops) as there is a desktop for each and every layer and page but the manager does not label items on the desktop as being on the desktop. It gets even more complicated as items get locked and hidden and on the desktop. Then some clients have items 10' off the page, hidden and locked.
Then version 2020 in the 2018 layer mode, (keep desktop objects on layer disabled) a single page document, with desktop objects acts like the default of keeping desktop objects on layer mode.
Now when we add a second page the application (with keep desktop objects on layer ) disabled the applications has another CORRECT behavior treating the desktop like a true art table.
In any case it's another example of zero thinking in programming and AGAIN extreme assembly required. Too much damn set up, too time consuming and confusing for seasoned users let alone new users.