#Layers & groups

#The Layers panel

Every object appears in the Layers panel, top of the list = front of the drawing.

• Click a row to select the object; Shift-click to add it to the selection.
• Double-click a name to rename it.
• The eye hides an object, the lock protects it. A group's row has them too, for everything in the group.
• The ↑ / ↓ buttons move an object one step in the stacking order. A group moves as one block, groups inside it included; an object inside a group stays in that group.

#Reorder by dragging

Drag a row up or down. A see-through copy of the row follows your pointer and a thin blue line shows exactly where it will land.

A group's row has two kinds of drop:

• Near its top or bottom edge: the blue line appears and the item lands next to the group — handy for placing something between two groups.
• On the middle of the row: the row is highlighted and the item goes inside the group.

This works for single objects and for whole groups, so you can nest one group in another or drag it back out. Drop onto a layer's header to move the item to that layer.

Keyboard: ] forward, [ backward, Shift ] to front, Shift [ to back.

#Layers

Use + to add a layer. New objects go onto the active layer (highlighted). Each layer has its own visibility, lock, opacity and blend mode. Locking a layer is the quickest way to protect a finished part while you work on another.

#Groups

• Group: Ctrl G. Ungroup: Ctrl Shift G.
• Groups can contain groups — nest as deep as you need.
• Isolate: Ctrl Shift I (or double-click a group) to work inside it while everything else is dimmed. Esc leaves.
• Inside an isolated group a click picks one object, or a whole group nested in it; double-click that group to go one level deeper. Ctrl A selects only what is inside.

#Text on a path in the panel

A text on a path and the shape it follows are shown together under a Text on path header, so you can always find the path behind curved text. Click the header to select both.