Adobe InDesign CS3 Bible

Creating Layers

Each document contains a default layer, Layer 1, which contains all the objects you place on master pages and document pages ‚ until you create and activate new layers. You can create as many layers as you need; the number of layers in a document is limited only by the RAM available to InDesign. Once you create a new layer, it's activated automatically so you can begin working on it.

Creating a layer

The Layers pane (Window ‚ Layers or F7) provides several methods for creating new layers. It doesn't matter which document page is displayed when you create a layer, because the layer will encompass all the pages in the document. To create a layer, do one of the following:

• To create a new layer on top of all existing layers, click the New Layer button on the Layers pane to get the New Layer dialog box. The layer will get the default name of "Layer x. "

• To create a layer above the selected layer, z +click or Ctrl+click the New Layer button. The layer will get the default name of "Layer x. "

• To create a new layer on top of all existing layers but customize its name and identifying color , Option+click or Alt+click the New Layer button. Use the New Layer dialog box to specify options for the layer. (The New Layer dialog box ‚ set with a custom name and color ‚ is shown in Figure 6-3.)

  Figure 6-3: The New Layer dialog box.

  Note ‚

  You can create a layer while a master page is displayed. Objects you create on a layer while a master page is displayed will be placed on all pages based on that master page. However, the layer is not specific to that master page. It is available for all document pages ‚ even those based on other master pages ‚ and you can place objects on it.

Customizing layers

A dialog box lets you customize the name, identifying color, guides, and lock status of objects on a new or existing layer. If you choose to customize the layer when you create it (by Option+clicking or Alt+clicking the New Layer button), the New Layer dialog box displays. If you choose to customize an existing layer, double-click on it to display the Layer Options dialog box. (You can also choose Layer Options for [Name of Layer] from the Layers pane's palette menu.)

Whether you're using the New Layer dialog box shown in Figure 6-3 or the nearly identical Layer Options dialog box, the options all work the same:

• Name field: Type a descriptive name for the layer. For example, if you're using layers for multilingual publishing, you might have a "U.S. English" layer, a "French" layer, and a "German" layer. If you're using layers so you can hide background objects while you're working, you might have a "Background Objects" layer.

• Color pop-up menu and button: A layer's color helps you identify which layer an object is on. The color displays to the left of the layer name in the Layers pane and displays on each object on that layer. The color is applied to frame edges, selection handles, bounding boxes, text ports, and text wraps. Note that the display of frame edges is controlled by the View/Hide ‚ Show Frame Edges command (also available through the shortcut Option+ z +Y or Ctrl+Alt+Y). By default, InDesign applies a different color to each new layer, but you can customize it to something meaningful for your document and workflow. Choose a color from the list or double-click the color swatch to use from the operating system's color picker.

• Show Layer check box: Checked by default, this control lets you specify whether objects on a layer display and print. If you want to suppress printout of the objects on a layer (for example, to hide a different version of a document or to hide pictures while proofing), uncheck Show Layer. The Show Layer check box has the same effect as clicking the eye icon on the Layers pane.

• Lock Layer check box: Unchecked by default, this option lets you control whether objects on a layer can be edited. Check Lock Layer if you don't want to be able to select items and modify them. For example, in a document containing multiple versions of text on different layers, you might lock the layer containing background images and other objects that stay the same. The Lock Layer check box has the same effect as clicking the Pencil icon on the Layers pane.

• Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden check box: Unchecked by default, this new option prevents text wrapping around the layer's objects when the layer is hidden. Be sure to check this check box when you use multiple layers for variations of the same content ‚ such as multilingual text or different contacts for business cards ‚ otherwise your layer's text could not display because it is wrapping around a hidden layer with an object of the same size in the same place.

  New Feature ‚

  The Suppress Text Wrap When Layer Is Hidden check box is new to InDesign CS.

• Show Guides check box: This lets you control the display of guides that were created while the selected layer was active. When checked, as it is by default, you can create guides while any layer is active and view those guides on any layer. When unchecked, you cannot create guides. Any guides you created while that layer was active are not displayed, but you'll still be able to see guides created while other layers were active. Note that when guides are hidden entirely (View ‚ Hide Guides, or z +; [semicolon] or Ctrl+; [semicolon]), this command has no apparent effect.

• Lock Guides check box: This works similarly to Show Guides in that it only affects guides that were created while the layer was active. When unchecked, as it is by default, you can move guides on any layer for which Lock Guides is unchecked. When checked, you cannot move guides created while that layer was active. You can, however, move guides on other layers for which Lock Guides is unchecked. Note that when all guides are locked (View ‚ Lock Guides, or Option+ z +; [semicolon] or Ctrl+Alt+; [semicolon]) this command has no apparent effect.

  Tip ‚

  You can multiple-select layers and customize them all at once. Since each layer must have a different name, the Name field is not available in the Layer Options dialog box when multiple layers are selected.