Known Participant

Answered

Is it possible to select multiple layers by selecting first and last layers?

Forum|Forum|15 years ago
June 18, 2010
18 replies
99354 views

I frequently get Illustrator files in that have individual objects such as paths on individual layers that could be grouped to make the layers more concise. I find that I have to shift click each individual layer to select it to eventually group it. At times, I have 25 or so layers that I need to select. Is there a way to select the first and last layer in the layers palette, and have Illustrator select all layers in between?

Correct answer Bearsto

Don't know about selecting layers by first/last, but to select multiple consecutive layers in the layers palette.....

Option-click (Mac) on a layer to highlight it and, with the option key still pressed, drag down the list--DO NOT click-drag on the target icons as logic would tell you. As you drag down the layer list, the target icons will become selected.

Shift-Option-click allows you to skip layers and continue selecting additional consecutive layers on down the palette.

Note: Drag slowly or some layers will not select.

Strange, I know. It took me years to stumble upon this.

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WallyDee

Participating Frequently

This has bugged me for a long time, and I honestly can't even believe that the (exceedingly awesome) Illustrator team hasn't solved this seemingly simple problem yet!

We already have the functionality of clicking on the sublayer "meatballs" to select the path, then we can also ctrl+click additional meatballs to select those sublayers as well...

So why in the world can't they simply include the added (and logical) functionality of then shift+clicking on a non-consecutive meatball to select all layer/sublayer meatballs in between?!?

Anyway, the easiest workaround I've been able to come up with is this:

In the Layers panel highlight your first sublayer, then shift+click on your last sublayer to highlight all sublayers in between
From the Layers panel flyout menu, select 'Collect in new layer'
Click the meatball of your newly created layer in order to select all sublayers within that layer
Within your newly created layer click on the first sublayer, shift+click on the last, then drag those sublayers up and out of the main layer
Delete the now empty main layer

K

Katrina12345Author

Known Participant

Wally...number 1. is what does not work. Shift clicking on a sublayer, and then shift clicking on another does not select everything in between. It simply selects those clicked on. This is exactly what I need to work. Numbers 2-5 aren't even needed. I'm on a Mac, OSX 10.6.8. Illustrator CC. So I'm wondering how this works for you and not me.

WallyDee

Participating Frequently

Hi Katrina, I think we're just getting our terms and meanings mixed up here...

In step 1. when I say "highlight" your first and last non-consecutive sublayers... I do not mean making the paths active, only highlighting the layer itself in the layers panel.

Clicking the 'meatball' (little circle at the far right of a layer/sublayer) will make that layer/sublayer active on your artboard... When a path is active you will see it's bounding box and it's edges highlighted (providing they're not set to 'Hidden'). Here, the blue arrow points to the activated sublayer "meatball":

Notice in the image above the sublayer itself is not highlighted, only the meatball.

What I'm saying in step 1 is just highlight only the sublayers themselves by clicking in the middle of the sublayer somewhere (near the layer name), then shift-clicking on the last in the same way. This will highlight all sublayers in between. Highlighting the sublayers does not make whatever paths are on those layers active on your artboards yet, it's only affecting the sublayers.

Here is an example of a highlighted sublayer (sublayer itself is now highlighted - in blue) :

Note that the meatball has not been activated. No paths on the artboards are active at this point but just the sublayer in the layers panel has been selected.

Now here in the following image all of my desired sublayers are highlighted after clicking on the first and shift-clicking on the last as detailed in step 1 of my previous post:

Note again that none of the meatballs have been clicked yet, only the sublayers themselves...

Only now, once you've reached this point in your own work will you move on to step 2 by going into the Layers panel flyout menu and choosing 'Collect in New Layer", etc.

You wrote: "Numbers 2-5 aren't even needed"... Yes they are. Steps 2-5 are how to actually make those paths within your sublayers active (selected) on your artboards so you can group them or move them or whatever, and then return them to their original hierarchy within the layers panel.

Hope that cleared things up for you! All the best...

A

AsbestosTEMLabs

New Participant

VERY SIMPLE SOLUTION!

I was trying to find a solution and it seems the Control+Click method is not working for me on my Windows 7 PC (I use Illustrator Creative Cloud). The trick I came up with is relatively easy.

In order to select or group multiple target layers without having to click on each individual target button, you should first select just two of the layers using Shift+ click each layer's target button.
Once you've selected the two layers, Control+G to group them and label the group for convenience.
Expand the new group you've created.
Then select the rest of the layers you want in the group (using a regular Shift+click first and last LAYER, not target button).
Drag the selection into the group containing the first two layers, and voila all layers are now in one group.
You can collapse the group and select the target button for just that group to select everything in the group.

For example, if I have 50 layers, each being a U.S. state, I would first select California and Nevada and group them. I would expand the group. Then select the rest of the 48 states (layers). Drag the layers in the California/Nevada group (in between) and instantly have all 50 in on group.

Not a perfect solution but it's quicker than individually clicking target buttons or even dragging while holding down any button.

Cheers!

John William Domingo

Marketing Data Specialist

Asbestos TEM Laboratories, Inc.

D

Dave Laird

Participating Frequently

Hey everyone. I've just discovered a partial solution to this problem. It has annoyed me for years too. The solution works in CS6, but with one limitation: you can't use it to select objects that are in different groups or layers due to limitations of selecting layers in the layers palette.

Select layers in the layers palette. Unfortunately, it appears all layers must be at the same level of hierarchy i.e. all in the same group, or all siblings of each other. You can use shift-click or command-click to select the layers.
From the layers palette submenu, select "collect in new layer"
Option-click on the new layer to select all the objects in that layer
Undo

Now if only we could select layers inside different groups at the same time. Regardless, this technique would work well to solve Katrina12345's issue of selecting 2 or 3 hundred objects quickly and easily.

D

Dave Laird

Participating Frequently

This technique would be even more useful if we could assign a keyboard shortcut to layers palette menu items.

CarlosCanto

Community Expert

check the script on this thread

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4820011#4820011

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Katrina12345Author

Known Participant

This little trick (Thank you Bearsto) has made my life so much easier. Thanks to ALL of you for your suggestions. I truly appreciate the help!

B

BearstoCorrect answer

New Participant

Don't know about selecting layers by first/last, but to select multiple consecutive layers in the layers palette.....

Option-click (Mac) on a layer to highlight it and, with the option key still pressed, drag down the list--DO NOT click-drag on the target icons as logic would tell you. As you drag down the layer list, the target icons will become selected.

Shift-Option-click allows you to skip layers and continue selecting additional consecutive layers on down the palette.

Note: Drag slowly or some layers will not select.

Strange, I know. It took me years to stumble upon this.

K

Katrina12345Author

Known Participant

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! THAT'S what I've been trying to do! I appreciate your help!!!!

C

coreyarte

Known Participant

Katrina I had the same problem. Thanks to Carlos post I finaly atleast have a work around.

But I just dont understand the point of being able to shift select multiple layers if it doesnt actually select the objects in the layer.In photoshop and flash u can shift select layers and group them. Illustrator is version 15 and still cant do something so basic without tricks? Whats the point of being able to select a layer then?

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Katrina,

This may be what you are after (wording from the Helpfile of an old, old version):

To save a selection:

1. Select one or more objects on the artboard, and choose Select > Save Selection.

2. In the Save Selection dialog box, enter a name in the Name text box, and click OK.

The new selection name appears in the Select menu.

After that, you can access the selection through Select>Name.

Larry G. Schneider

Community Expert

You can't group objects on different layers. They will all be moved to the highest layer in the stack to be grouped.

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Katrina12345Author

Known Participant

If you want to select all the objects on the canvas, you can use the Select All (Ctrl/Cmd-A) command. If you want to select objects only on the active artboard (if you are working on multiple artboards), you can use Alt/Opt+Ctrl/Cmd+A) command.

If you are worried that you will accidentally move object(s) by selecting them on the canvas, then instead of clicking on the object(s), you can marquee drag with the black arrow Selection tool/Lasso tool.

To reinterate, I really don't work by selecting things off of the canvas. I've had instances in the past where I was zoomed in, and in moving something, didn't realize I was unintentionally moving something else. Same with deleting something, it could be grouped to something outside of my view.

I prefer to select off of the layers palette. That way I can see what is grouped with what, and what effect is applied to the sublayer or layer that could affect what I'm grouping. I feel it's the more informative way to see how the art was created.

So back to my original request...is there a way to select objects, using the layers palette, from first object...scroll down...select object number 25...and have Illustrator select all objects between object on sublayer #1 to sublayer #25?

I really wish there were if this is not currently possible. Is there a way to request that?

K

Katrina12345Author

Known Participant

I guess I should of stated my problem differently. I want to select multiple objects, that each reside on their own layer, in sequential order. Is there a way to select a first and last object and holding down a key, select all objects inbetween???