How do I select all the same link instances in a project?

[Billywhizz]

Hi,

This must be possible but I'm getting nowhere looking for an answer.  I have dropped many links into a design.  How do I now select all of the same instances of the graphic?  I need to rebuild a corrupted file, essentially need to copy and paste all instances of a library graphic from one file to another.

Help please

[Mike_Gondek]

Ifyou had made this a symbol instance, before making a library item, then you can

Select >> Same >> Symbol Instance

Even less of a chance is if one of the other options under select.

Make sure you also check out the magic want by double clicking on that as you may get some help there.

But a command for selecting same library item I doubt you will find as the reference is removed once placed.

[Billywhizz]

Hmm no I didn't make them symbol instance before making them a library item.  I'm guessing it's not possible to do this afterwards.  I've only fairly recently started using the library functionality. It seems a strange function to not be included.  Thanks for your reply.

[Mike_Gondek]

Would be difficult to include that, since you can ungroup and modify the elements afterwards. Many users would not like the library elements automatically going to symbols as they have to then double-click to go into the symbol edit mode. But I do hear you and would be great to have, for the situation you are in.  Just sharing my thoughts as I doubt this feature exists or will in the near future.

Atleast in the future you can take advantage of  adding symbols to library, which would allow global changes to symbol references and selecting them with one command when needed.

Sorry my news/input is not better for you.

If you would like to post a screnshot of what you are trying to do, might be chance we can provide an alternate way of getting that selected for you.

[Billywhizz]

It's Okay thanks Mike I can nut through it.  It was more the needing to know there wasn't a quicker way of doing it that I had to satisfy in my mind if that makes sense.

The ideal would to be able to select multiple missing links with the same file name and then be able to re link the highlighted group rather than one a one by one basis.

I will be familiarising myself with the symbol pane once I have cleared this!

Thanks again.

[Mike_Gondek]

You are welcome Billy.

Note if you placed items as links rather than library items you could

[Billywhizz]

They were links I think but when the file became corrupted (PC MBrd failed) the links panel simply said the file 456xxxxfgthxxxx .ai is missing.

The list looked similar to this although these are snipped from my LIBS folder from my profile:

I have now re linked them all via the relink from CC Libraries button.

[Mike_Gondek]

I made a small edit to you title and post, as library and links are 2 different items.

Sounds like you were able to relink everything. You should not have to select all instances of a link, only one, relink that , save you file and reopen and then you will notice an asterisk after your file name (that means additional link locations were modified, as you had a connection to one link with that link name).

Hope I explained that well, but that would save you a lot of time if you have large amounts of links. IN there words if you connect one, Illustrator is smart enough to relink the rest, but you have to save your file establishing a correct link location, and when you open the file gain the rest will update and you shod save your file after opening to lock that in.

Let us know if you need anymore help. If you are good, please choose a post as a solution. This lets others know what  worked, and also the post turns green so gives us less post to monitor.

[Billywhizz]

Hi Mike,

I appreciate your continued support with this.  I did try re-linking a couple of the links to a library graphic and saved and reopened, not because I knew your suggested fix, purely chance.  Other links to the same assets from the library did not reconnect as you described though.

This case might be a little unusual.  I was working on the project when an intermittent motherboard fault occurred.  I'd done a routine block of work and did a save but the system seemed sluggish so I did a reboot after the save.  The PC failed to reboot and I found myself caught up in an auto repair cycle in Win10 boot up.

A few clean re-installs of windows later and the auto repair fault kept occurring after a few normal reboots.  I tried a different hard drive and ended up with the same issue, having tested the HDDs and swapped out the RAM I concluded the M/brd has a problem. 

So all in all I think there was a corruption to the file caused by the M/brd failing.  So the issue was perhaps caused outside of the realms of Illustrator which might suggest why the normal re-linking intelligence of Illustrator did not jump in to action.  Obviously all massive assumptions on my part here.

Aside from that the knowledge you've kinly shared I will no doubt make use of now so I can sign this off, not perhaps as solved but educated.  They need an educated button

[Mike_Gondek]

Sounds good Billy. I marked the post as assumed answered which is the closest option to what you were asking for. If there is anything else we can help with, you are most welcome to add o this post or start another one.