Skip to main content
D
default2hte6k6j2net
Participant
February 17, 2022
Question

How to lock a layer

  • February 17, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 440 views

Hi,

I have created an interactive PDF in InDesign using acrobat layers, when opening the PDF I can turn different layers on and off however, there is a base layer that I would like to lock so it remains on and cannot be turned off, is this possible and if so, does anyone know how to do this?

Thanks in advance. 

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

D
default2hte6k6j2netAuthor
Participant
February 17, 2022

Hi Nitro, 

Thank you for your response, I know how to lock layers within in InDesign but I wonder whether there is a way to lock it in the PDF so it cannot be turned off by another user.

For example I have a base map, but the layers are different points of data we may want to overlay over the base map but we can turn these points and off. At the moment we can also turn the base map off which is not ideal, I wonder whether we can turn the option off to toggle with the base map layer. 

Thanks.

 

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
February 17, 2022

Okay, I was swinging at the question as I understood it. 🙂

 

Bob is right, this is more of a PDF forum question. And he's also right in that unless you can confine your users to Acrobat Reader, there's no guarantee that the many third-party readers, especially the crummy ones built into most browsers, are going to honor something as subtle as layer locking. You may need to design your document so that it works even without locking active.

 

Good luck!

 

—

D
default2hte6k6j2netAuthor
Participant
February 17, 2022

Thanks again 🙂 

BobLevine
Community Expert
BobLevineCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 17, 2022
You'll get more attention to this in the Acrobat forum, but keep in mind, anything like this may or may not be honored by 3rd party PDF readers.

IOW, if this is vital, you can just forget about it.
James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
February 17, 2022

I'm not quite sure what you want to achieve here, but yes, ID layers can be locked. In the Layers list, at the left of each layer name, the Eye icon controls whether the layer is visible or hidden. The empty space next to it is the Lock icon; click there to turn the layer lock on and off.

 

Whether this passes through to the interactive PDF in a way to suit your goal, you'll have to determine.

 

—

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices