After running Corel since Corel 1, I now suddenly feel like a novice with X4 in the layers dept. I can't figure out how to get my layers settings to default so that items on the Desktop "Always" print or better yet, they are placed on Layer 1 by default. In Object Manager it has an X on the printer icon and it's a pain to deal with. I've never had this issue with V13 or previous versions, I presume everything ended up on Layer 1 as it all printed for me without messing with Object Manager. I admit I'm not a "layers manipulator", have not had the need to.
ie: When I make a floating shadow, it's always laced on the desktop... why not on layer 1?.
Like I said, I'm stumped and can't fiure it out... any tips!
Many thanks in advance.
In X4, layers work quite different from the previous version. It gives a great flexibility to those who need it, and great annoyance to those who don't.
First, anything that you are creating will appear on the active layer, which is red bolded in the Object Manager.Second, everything place completely outside the document i.e. Desktop will be placed on the Desktop Layer in Master Page and will be visible in every page.Anything partially overlaps with the document will remain on that layer and will only be visible in that page.
Those are the basic things you need to bear in mind.
The layers help you to organise your objects accordingly, with the additional order in each layer.For example, if you have 100 objects, rather than having them all on one single layer, you can "group" them into a few per layer. I normally separate text from drawings, and further separating texts into text groups (layers) and drawings into relevant groups (layers).And for other items to be used in the future, I put them all on Desktop.
Thank you so very much... I thought I was losing it or X4 had a confilct with V64 or something.
Your feedback was very helpful. Thanks!
You are welcome.
You can read more about the layer system in the Help section.
Hi Michael,
I am not sure if I misunderstood your post, but this is how things work on my computer:
1. If I draw a shape anywhere (on the page or on the desktop) it will appear on the active layer at the time. This will not be the Desktop Layer unless I have specifically selected the Desktop Layer manually.
2. If I draw an item and let's say it is on Layer 1 - dragging it off the page into the desktop area will make it visible to all pages (until I drag it back onto one of them), but it still appears as being on Layer 1 in the Object Manager.
3. If I select the Desktop Layer and draw an object (either in the desktop area or on the page) - it appears on the Desktop Layer. However, as soon as I drag the object into the Desktop area and back onto the page it moves to the last active layer that was in use prior to selecting the Desktop Layer. It will now remain on that layer even if I move it back to the desktop area of my screen.
I guess my point in this post is to say that X4 never uses the Desktop Layer (on my system) unless I specifically select that layer before creating/moving objects. If I move anything on the Desktop Layer to the page area again - it leaves the Desktop Layer never to return!! It will never go back to the Desktop Layer unless I drag it there in Object Manager.
Is this how it is working on anyone else's computer?
Best regards,
Brian,
Your explaination is the way I understood it to be also. I've never had issues with Desktop like I do now. I noticed additionally that when I create a series of random shapes on layer one, each new object gets placed on top of the previous objects. Right!... no, unexplainably, without rhyme or reason the new objects I add will suddenly appear behind the other objects I just created. (The new object goes behind the other object shapes). And no, I don't even have the layers flyout open.... it just randomly does it. I have to move the new object to the front of the others manually. Then, it stops doing it and all goes back to normal.
I never ever messed with layers as in my line of work, it's never been a huge benefit for me to use layers, and this Desktop annoyance has been a challenge.
I appreciate your feedback...
Brian said: 1. If I draw a shape anywhere (on the page or on the desktop) it will appear on the active layer at the time. This will not be the Desktop Layer unless I have specifically selected the Desktop Layer manually.
Brian said:2. If I draw an item and let's say it is on Layer 1 - dragging it off the page into the desktop area will make it visible to all pages (until I drag it back onto one of them), but it still appears as being on Layer 1 in the Object Manager.
Brian said: 3. If I select the Desktop Layer and draw an object (either in the desktop area or on the page) - it appears on the Desktop Layer. However, as soon as I drag the object into the Desktop area and back onto the page it moves to the last active layer that was in use prior to selecting the Desktop Layer. It will now remain on that layer even if I move it back to the desktop area of my screen.
Thanks Michael,
that clears up the mystery for me, I was only testing on a single page document. The reason I have never noticed any of this before is that I never look at the layers when dragging an item to the desktop to drag back again onto another page.
Also, I have a macro I use for duplicating items across many pages and so I don't tend to use the desktop very much at all. My macro copies selected items on a page to various other pages via various options (e.g. copy to all pages, all odd pages, all even pages, every second page, pages in the range x to y, every second page in range x to y). I often use it to place text boxes on every page of a document in set positions.
I have no idea why I just rambled on about that macro, lol.
Generally I don't use the Desktop very often too, basically just to keep certains items to be used or for testing.
I do magazine from time to time but I seldom need repeating items on various page. But I'll remember the macro you have just in case I need it one day ;-)
Sounds like a good macro. Thanks for ramblin' on about it.
Is that one you wrote and is it available for download anywhere?
I presume you've heard of macromonster.com n'est pas?
the 'dd'