Renumber artboards

[_MlissL_]

Is it possible to renumber the artboards manually? I want to make an small animation and need a particular sequence.

[_Gary_Newman_]

I don't think so, unfortunately. You have four artboards - 1, 2, 3, 4 - and you want to swap 2 and 3. You should be able to just change the artboard numbers, but can't. You have to manually move either the artboards or the content of the artboards. There is a button which locks an artboard's contents to that artboard, so that when you move the artboard all the stuff on it moves along with it.

[Wade S Zimmerman]

Naming and numbering art boards is a no brainer, but art boards are new. Maybe next time or better yet anupdate to test it!

[_MlissL_]

Hmm too bad! Thanks anyway.

[Wade S Zimmerman]

I thinkthis is something they did not have time to institue probably!

How would youenvision this feature working?

What would be best for you, let's compare notes.

[_Bob_Stern_]

I think the artboards should not have fixed numbers, but should be numbered according to their position on the canvas.

Workaround for renumbering artboards:

Keep your artboards arranged in a single row.

When you need to renumber them:

1. Unlock all layers. (Option-drag in step 2 only copies unlocked objects.)

2. Activate the Artboard Tool, then option-drag the artboards, one at a time, from the original row to a new row in the newly desired order. That is, first option-drag the artboard you want to be the new number 1, then the new number 2, etc.

3. After you've created a second row in the desired order, delete the entire original row.

[Mordy_Golding]

I think the artboards should not have fixed numbers, but should be numbered according to their position on the canvas.

I don't agree. What about Hebrew, Arabic, or other languages that read right to left? Also, I don't always think of multiple artboards as multiple pages. Sometimes I want them numbered top to bottom. What I really want is a way to customize the order. Like you can set a tab order for fields in an electronic form.

🙂 Mordy

[Wade S Zimmerman]

I don't agree either because they are not pages they are artboarts and as such have more use then do pages.

I would like to be able to perhaps set a name and have a renumber command but if one needs artboard two to be next to artboard ten and it renumber it you would not be able to keep track of your atboards because the would have changed position and number.

Also if you were able to name your artboards which I think is more useful and you had a flower Artboard that had a number 2 assigned to it and then you duplicated that art board and art and it was now Flower artboard number 6 then you do not have to worry about them getting mixed up if you had to arrange it so Flower 6 was in the position where Flower 2 was and that now Flower 2 has become Flower 3 which did not exist before.

It would be helpful true for some if you could arrange your artboards in a sequence that you want and then select a command to renumber the artboards.

That could be a part of the artboard naming feature if they create such a feature.

But changing the number when you move an artboard is out of the question.

What you want is to work in a program called InDesign.

However I would go along withe a feature that would give the user the option if it did not interfere with the development of a naming and renumbering feature.

I think I missed the turkey?

[_MlissL_]

I think it is just a simple case of making an extra option in the Artboard options panel. You can adjust the precize size there already and the number of the artboard is previewed in the bottom. Just make it a field where you can adjust it. When I adjust it to #1 it has to swap with #1 OR maybe all the other artboards get one place higher.

[_Gary_Newman_]

There's a whole raft of things that need to be done to make the multiple artboard concept robust. For example, currently, when you create new document you get a chance to specify the number of artboards and their arrangement. But there's no way to get back to this dialog to add artboards or alter the arrangement.

[Wade S Zimmerman]

I think you do not understand what problems that might cause once the user does this and does not understand they cannot go back and then they reopen the file and start looking for the number they had for the artboard with a certain art on it an they now can no longer find it, they are going to start screaming bloody murder.

This has to be thought out better then just renumber the art boards but reordering the pages numbers automatically.

The users has to make a definitive decision to do so.

Just think about it?

i understand you think well it's a no brainer but that is not the case this matter has been discussed and there are problems with this scenario you are not thinking about.

The whole point of being able to move the artboards with the content is so you have maximum flexibility, once you have the automatic renumbering you loose that ability even though you can sort of physically move the boards because you loose the number of the board.

This has to be done by a command to renumber the artboards and a warning are you sure that you want to do this and that if you do you loose all previous numbers and once save it cannot be undone.

I say the ability to renumber and rename a board is a good one because that is both artboard and art specific, you know which board you have renumbered!

I am against a auto renumbering system, even as an option it is a dangerous move.

[_JC_Tremblay_]

here is a complex workaround for renumbering artboard if you really want to do it.

1. Use the Rectangle tool to draw rectangle that cover the artboard size of all of your artboard except the one that you want to be the first. Using smart guide it will snap to the artboard. It's IMPORTANT to draw them in the order you want your artboard to be re-order.
2. Now using the Artboard tool, delete all artboard except the one you did not draw a rectangle over.
3. Select all the rectangles from step 1. and choose Object > Convert to Artboards

[Wade S Zimmerman]

Wonderful work around.

[are18]

WOW! JC, you just opened up a new world for me! I had not noticed that command before. I always had a problem with adding additional artboards to an existing document and having them arranged a certain way. Now I realize I can just create rectangles, move them exactly where I want, arrange them, and convert them to artboards. THANK YOU!

[_JC_Tremblay_]

Arthur, itÕs a pleasure to make you feel good!

[Wade S Zimmerman]

Just remember Arthur I taught JC everything he knows! Or was it everything I know?!

[are18]

In that case, I also thank you Wade :)

[Wade S Zimmerman]

You're Welcome! LOL!

[tomasio]

Wow, JC! That's a great workaround! I just used it to reorder a (ähem) Doc with to artboards ; )

[Steve Fairbairn]

I have never dared to ask until now (after a few beers :-)), but what is the point of multiple artboards? If you use 1 artboard and have it big enough, with page tiling set as you want it, can you do something with multiple artboards that you couldn't do before? Are multiple artboards really necessary? What do you gain by them? They don't even seem to have independent X/Y axes, so you can't use Cmd-F to paste in place between artboards. Isn't this just a sort of Freehand thingummy that hasn't been properly implemented in Illy?

[JETalmage]

If you use 1 artboard and have it big enough, with page tiling set as you want it, can you do something with multiple artboards that you couldn't do before?

For just a couple of obvious things, multiple Artboards can be different sizes and can be freely re-arranged.

Your blanket insults of anyone who favors this long-needed feature (and whom also happens to have enjoyed its benefits in FreeHand) just displays your own ignorance of the issue.

Prior to CS4, Illustrator was the only drawing program among its long-time competitors incapable of page 2. It was a ridiculous limitation.

JET

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

steve fairbairn wrote:

I have never dared to ask until now (after a few beers :-)), but what is the point of multiple artboards? If you use 1 artboard and have it big enough, with page tiling set as you want it, can you do something with multiple artboards that you couldn't do before? Are multiple artboards really necessary? What do you gain by them? They don't even seem to have independent X/Y axes, so you can't use Cmd-F to paste in place between artboards. Isn't this just a sort of Freehand thingummy that hasn't been properly implemented in Illy?

It is not fully implemented but there is a feature request to be able to name the artboards for instance, tiling was something that most users that came to the forum did not understand and we continually had to explain it to them and many still could not get it to properly work, there was no bleed for tiled pages, you could not print a specific tile as you can with artboards, you could not print a specific range or place a specific tile in say ID there are lots of advantages already implemented, besides multiple size artboards which only happened in tiling is the page size was odd and did not divide accordingly.

There may be some features that would be nice to have but keep in mind artboards are not pages, to think of them as pages is not quite the right approach although there will eventually be a feature I assume to make artboard pages if one desired but that would mean all artboards would be restricted to the same size, unless of course Adobe does something really innovated and allow you to have custom page inserts.

Artboards are a bit like FreeHand but not the same by any means and it has come along way from CS3 and hopefully the same will happen in CS5.

I agree with James on the notion of insulting FreeHand users over this issue it is out of place and it is a very excellent feature and much needed for many users though perhaps not for all users.

[RogerPaine]

You can save a file as a multi page pdf and have each artboard as a separate page. That's got to be a good thing.

And also export separate artboards to various formats (swf) - good for animation

[maccoutinho]

Just make the numbers on the top left corner editable so one can renumber the artboards as s/he pleases. Simple and straightforward solution that should be a no brainer to code. Is it really necessary to wait for a new version of Illustrator to have this fixed? Should be implemented through an update asap.

I don't see why it is so hard to admit that, despite Freehand having been abandoned quite a long time before Adobe decided to terminate it, it had pretty intuitive features that Adobe should simply stick to copy. By the way, give me back paste inside while you're at it.

[__simon_]

It keeps the whining ex-freehand users a bit quieter.