Add stroke preset to menu

[GrangerMorton]

Hi 
I'm doing some small drawings and would like to have a stroke width of .05mm in the menu (the smallest is .1mm)
can this be done? can it be added to the menu list in the stroke palette?

thanks

G

[Doug A Roberts · Accepted solution]

The list unfortunately is what it is.

If I were doing what you're doing, I would make a graphic style of it.

[tromboniator · Accepted solution]

No, but you can make it a graphic style (Window menu > Graphic Styles opens the panel) that you can apply to a selected path with one click.

Peter

Edit: Hi, Doug, I'm 2 min. late!

[Doug A Roberts · Accepted solution]

Hi Peter.

A fuller idea for the OP: Ten years ago I was a technical illustrator, and the company had an established standard of 0.07, 0.15, and 0.2 mm stroke weights. The most efficient way I could think of to switch between them was to create a graphic style for each, then set an action to apply each graphic style, with an F-key shortcut. So by hitting F2-F4 one could change stroke weights between these three.

[GrangerMorton]

Thanks All, the concensus seems to be clear, I shall make a "Graphic Style" (that's a new one for me)

[Ton Frederiks]

I was thinking about  a graphic style too. That works for paths without fills, but if you have a path with a fill, the fill changes too.

Recording an action and using it with a shortcut can change just the stroke and leave the fill as it was.

[GrangerMorton]

thanks for all the info, I will learn how to do this...

G

[tromboniator]

Ton and Doug, I appreciate your sharing your added wisdom. I use actions seldom enough that I forget how useful they can be. Good stuff!

Peter

[Kurt Gold]

Ton, you are right that sometimes it may be better to use actions, but to preserve the fill attributes (and/or other attributes) you can just Alt (key) click on the style item.

The stroke will then be applied below the fill which may or may not be desired.

[Doug A Roberts]

With this post, I can make an entry on the 'Things I didn't Know About Illustrator' list today.

[Ton Frederiks]

Kurt, that's what I thought and tried first, but it does not replace the default stroke,  it adds just another stroke below the fill. The action avoids this.

[Kurt Gold]

Yes, Ton, as already indicated, the Alt click way isn't always appropriate. Just wanted to mention it as a possible way.

[Doug A Roberts]

I was thinking it would be nice to be able to append graphic styles to existing objects like character styles, i.e. characteristics that aren't defined in the style are left unaffected. Or if you could maintain overrides.

[Ton Frederiks]

The alt click graphic style way is nice to add effects, but in this case it would add more work than it would save; remove the original stroke, move the new one to the top  and if the stroke had a color, change the color.

[Kurt Gold]

Well, we don't know much about the actual context, Ton.

Again, I just mentioned it as one possible way that may or may not be the most useful way.