Illustrator Layers are expanded when opening.

[bradrollo]

I haven't had much luck googling this, because I am not certain of the proper terminology to ask the question.

When I open a file, one or more layer are opened/expanded in the layer tab on the side of the screen.  I can close the layer, make modifications, and save; but when I open it up, the layer is always opened.

It doesn't happen with every file.  But on the files that do have this, it's always like this.

Any ideas? It's rathe annoying, especially with larger art files.

[Kurt Gold]

This issue has been discussed quite often.

Take a look at the "More Like This" box on the right-hand side.

[bradrollo]

Those links were helpful, but it still doesn't make any sense to me.

Why doesn't it do this everytime?  What are the variables that make this occur to layer B, but not layer A or C?  Or why in file A, but not in file B?  The work arounds where not really practical IMHO.  Inconsistant results do not convence.

[Larry G. Schneider]

Most often this happens when you have sub-layers in which all the items are grouped. At least this is what happens to me. If the layer has only path items or path items and groups they will usually stay closed.

[bradrollo]

Nope, not doing here.

I went through and ungrouped and made sure there were no sublayers.  Just items and paths.  Still opened.

[steffenunger]

Is it possible to script closing all the layers?

[CarlosCanto]

nope

[Keepme Handin]

I've done limited research on this issue (which is, as you say, annoying when working on many-multi layered files) and so far I have concluded that it is a bug. If so, I think it is something which Adobe should have sorted out by now; I can't remember in which Ai version this problem first manifested itself, but it was many years ago, and I remember it was commented on by several people in the studio where I was working at the time.

[chrisgieger]

I experience this exact same issue and it is insanely frustrating.

Everytime I open a file with lots of Layers or Layer Groups, the file opens with all the layers expanded—even though the were all closed when I last saved the file. So everytime I open one of these files, I need to first close all the expanded layers before I start working. If someone finds a fix, a workaround, or hears of a patch, please post it here.

Thanks.

[Grayson_Stebbins]

Simple +1 on this. One of those minute but incredibly annoying bugs. Why do I feel like this has existed in the past several versions of Illustrator? I'm at CS6 now, but I remember it in 5 too.

[JShado1]

It's existed since CS4 at least (which I have on my personal laptop). My custom AI web template does this and it's extremely annoying.

[RobBarrett]

Just adding another +1 for this - while it's only a small issue, it does get very irritating over time.

[marcalamari]

SOULTION WORK ARROUND HERE:

At a previous job at AARP.org, we had CS2 and went to CS4, where I first noticed this "bug."

Sometimes, we'd have a file with 10-30 web page designs in it and having to close all the Layers showinging every Sublayer drove  me nuts and can take a few Annoyed minutes.

I still have this issue in CS5, and noticed it yesterday on a co-workers CS6.

So, today I decided to Google search and fonund this thread.
I've spent the last 2 hours trying to fix the issue of all Layers and Sublayers showing when opening a document and I have found a work arround. 

Now, we know that Illustrator gives a unique color to items that live on seperate layers, and it also does this for Sub-layers.

It seems when you open a file with lots of layers and sub-layers, the defualt in Illustator is to show all layers.
To fix that bug they need to add a "Show/Hide Sublayers" or something.

I think they may have added "Sublayers" in CS4, and that is when this "bug" started for the users. I'm not sure.
Also, sometimes items are getting stuck inside sub-layers etc, and it becomes hard to move selected items to the front and or back using short cut commands, you have to actually go move the sub-layer. meh.

Somethings to note:

Adobe gives the user the option to "Merge Selcted Layers" but this only lets you merge layers and sub-layers that live within the same heiarchy, and you still will have lower level sub-layers, and you can't drag a sub-sub-level layer to the the sub-layer up from it.

I haven't figured out how or why all the sublayers got created, I know I never made a actual "New Sublayer"

So, if there is a process in the workflow to avoid doing that, I'll look out for it and post something in the future.
But it may have to do with working with custom symbols, pasting form layers to layers, Paste Remembers Layers being selected, copying layers, etc... I don't know.

So, here is how I cleaned up my file:

I removed all the damn sub-layers that ened up in my file somehow.

1) First make sure "Paste Remembers Layers" is NOT selcted in the Layers palette menu. 

2) Select everything in a specific layer by clicking on the circle to the right of the layer name in the layers palatte or use commed-c to copy.

3) With all your content still selected, delete everything.

4) Select all the sub-layers (which are now empty), that are underneath your most top level layer.

5) Click on your top level layer, and use Shift-Command-V to Paste in Place (also found under the Edit menu).

Now, your layers will look like the used back in CS3 or CS2, you will have NO Sublayers, and after you save and re-open the document, all layers will not be open showing.

Ta-Da! This has been driving me crazy for like a year and a half. Work arround discovered.

Thought I should share. 

Now, if you like using layers and naming them, then you're stuck with all layers showing upon opening a document but you can reduce what shows by going into Panel Options and checking "Show Layers Only"
This will show only your layers and sub-layers, but it can reduce you seeing all the paths and objects, etc., but when you open documents, all those layers will still be open. Got it?

[_scott_]

It's not really a workaround to destroy the existing layer structure. There is often a very valid and helpful reason a file contains a layer structure.

A better option is to create a new top level layer, move all your layers into that new top level layer. Then when opening the document you can simply option/Alt-click to close the top level layer and all the sublayers will be collapsed as well.

[marcalamari]

Nice, well that worked for me the first time. and that seems to be a good route for users who wish to maintain layers and sub-layers that have been named. The file will still open with every layer and sub-layer showing, but when I option/alt clicked on the expand/close triangle, all layers close into that new top level layer, and then I simply just clicked on the expand for that layer again, and all the sublayers were closed. Well it worked it first time at least.

I closed and re-opened my test file, and each time I followed your option/alt click, and each time I still got buggy different results.
The first time, I made a new Top level layer, then I took 3 previous top level layers each containing several sub-layers and moved them there. saved. closed, re-opened, did the option/alt click. and ta-da, it did exactly what you said. All layers closed into that new top level layer, and then I simply just clicked on the expand for that layer again, and all the sublayers were closed and easy to read and find.

Then, I added more layers with sub-layers, saved then re-opened, did the option/alt, all layers closed into one, but the expanding of that then gave me buggy results.

A few, now second level layers stayed closed, the rest stayed open, still giving me the original problem of then having to close all those now, second level layers.
I closed them all, saved a second time, closed, re-opened, followed your instructions, and then this time different, now second level layers were condensed while others were all open again. I played around with this a few more times and each sequential time, I got different results.
I even started over with a new file. No go.

Unless, I am missing something. then overall your suggestion isn't 100% a better option.

I think a lot of us user who may have been using Illustrator for years, have been confused by the addition of sublayers.

I for one, have no use for sublayers.
Therefore, the solution I posted previously, works the best for me, and I will look out to make sure sublayers are not magically created in future files that I set up to work with.

[_scott_]

Works 100% of the time here.

I've been using AI since v88 (more than 20 years). Sublayers don't confuse me at all.

[Mike_Gondek]

Why do some people need sublayers?

In the food packaging industry we get files with sublayers, and use the paste remembers layer off method to get rid of the sublayers. I have not seen a file where sublayers have been useful, that could bot have been achieved with layers.

We often build files for mulitple flavors in one Illustrator file, but get by with using extra layers and a naming convention for what is common. Even on cartography map projects, I avoid sublayers cause fo the problem this thread is about.

[Kurt Gold]

> Why do some people need sublayers?

Well, perhaps it's the same reason why many people need groups to structure and organise their files. Sublayers are similar to groups, but not as encapsulated as groups. Therefore aligning objects – for example – is easier in sublayers.

> I have not seen a file where sublayers have been useful, that could bot have been achieved with layers.

That obviously could also mean that there may be countless files that were built with sublayers in a useful way. You just have not seen them yet.

[wkjeiwoi]

As my illustrations get more complex and the number of layers expands and consumes vertical space, I use sub layers not only to make it easier for me to interact with them, but to easily turn on and off things which I've put into logical groups.

This is the story of human cognition.

Plus, imagine having a client look on-screen and say, "What's it look like without that part?"

Do you want to:

A) click once and hide it, or

B) tell them to come back in 5 minutes while you click upwards of 50 things?

In a work environment, people don't have time for clicking 50 things when there's a 1-click alternative.

[Mike_Gondek]

Is there really anything you can do with a sublayer, that you cannot already do with groups or layers?

These sublayers seem to do more good than harm than good.

Honestly I have no trouble aligning objects using groups. Searching the forums for sublayers, shows dissatisfaction with subalyers. Add me to the wishlisters for sublayers to be scripted out.

[wkjeiwoi]

I guess you could do most anything with one tool that you could do with another, but it almost gets academic at this point.

When I began to use Illustrator, there were no layers at all. Somehow, the sun didn't explode.

IMHO, the kernel of dissatisfaction over the sublayers opening by themselves, is that, when they work, they are SUCH a positive enhancement to the workflow, that it's just a darn shame when they misbehave.

w

[CarlosCanto]

I'm with Mike in this topic, when I first started learning Illustrator I got the importance of the concept "organize your art as you work" using layers, sublayers, groups, etc

to the best of my knowledge (or lack of at that time) I used groups and layers, never used a sublayer...fast forward to today, I have never used or felt the need to use a sublayer.

but getting rid of sublayers is a little extreme, the day they're gone, countless users will want them back, I'm sure others have found advantages in using sublayers over groups

[Kurt Gold]

> These sublayers seem to do more good than harm than good.

Thanks, Mike. That beautiful triple comparison will encourage me to even use more sub and sub sub layers in my files. 🙂

[ctmurphyri]

This is absolutely unbelievably annoying. GET A CLUE ADOBE. I have hundreds of sublayers. Thanks for all your helpful comments BUT ADOBE NEEDS TO GET A CLUE ON THIS ONE!

[Guest]

I'm also having the same issue. It never experienced it until I bought CS5, I thought it would have been fixed in CS6, but no still here.

This is extremely annoying. My workflow now involves a couple mintues closing all the sublayers. What a great way to start work with.