Same name layers suddenly changed, and x5F added

[anneb33755225]

Hi all,

I've been working on an Illustrator file, which is a map of Europe. Countries are grouped layers, and these countries have a subset of items (sometimes also grouped). The thing is that most subset items can appear in multiple countries, and must have the same name. See below for example. 

All of a sudden, Illustrator not only shows 'x5F' in between items layers, but also adds '_#' after each item layer. However, I need all the layers in their original names. This was working great before, but suddenly changed. Basically, same name layers are suddenly no longer supported and I need it. Otherwhise I have to spend way to much time on changing this manually every time I create the SVG, and developers need this for a web application. 

Example of current problem:

Spain

- Itemgroup

   - I_x5F_G1

- Item 

- Item

Portugal

- Itemgroup_2

  -  I_x5F_G1_2

- Item_2

- Item_2

Example of previous situation and preferred situation:

Spain

- Itemgroup

   - I_G1

- Item 

- Item

Portugal

- Itemgroup

  -  I_G1

- Item

- Item

I already changed 'Identify objects by' to 'XML ID' but that didn't change anything. 

Does someone know what to do? I don't know if this is a bug or not, but it seems weird that is suddenly changed without doing an Illustrator upgrade. 

[Monika Gause]

Which version and system is it?

What is your workflow? You save the file as SVG and then open it and continue working? Or do you even open the file in  a different application and then continue working on it? Which would be a bad idea, since SVG is not suitable for roundtripping in Illustrator.

[anneb33755225]

It's version 25.2.3 on MacOS Mojave 10.14.6

The workflow is simple: I create the map in Illustrator as .ai, I save-as it as .svg, and the developer uses the .svg. 

When something need to be adjusted, I open the original .ai file and follow the abovementioned workflow from the beginning. The original file is also the file that previously had layers with the same names. 

[Monika Gause]

Can you please upload a sample file?

[anneb33755225]

I would like to, but this forum gives me an error each time I try to upload the file.

"The attachment's map.ai content type (application/postscript) does not match its file extension and has been removed."

[anneb33755225]

I do have a screenshot, but that probably doesn't help at all. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Try: Dropbox, CC file sharing, Google, WeTransfer...

[anneb33755225]

I have a wetransfer link: https://we.tl/t-yQmBPF1kM3

[anneb33755225]

In the example you can see what I mean: BE is how it should be (and how it worked), while NL has all kinds of Illustrator generated additions. Most importantly, ELIA_TTN should always be the same name for development purposes. 

[Mike_Gondek]

Don't use underscrore in layer names, use dashes.

underscore "_", will be saved as "_x5F_

[isaacb47986656]

I am having this same problem with my SVG.
Anywhere I have an underscore in my layer name "_x5F" is added to the layer name.

"Don't use underscores" is practical advice, but quite dissapointing that Illustrator, the gold standard for creating SVG and web illustrations, would not allow you to create clean svg code with simple layer names.

[defaultgw2ma6d8zp4d · Accepted solution]

I agree - I'm trying to populate an svg dynamically with data from an api that uses snake case and it's frustrating that I have to add some ugly code to transform the layer name

[Monika Gause]

---

@defaultgw2ma6d8zp4d  schrieb:

I agree - I'm trying to populate an svg dynamically with data from an api that uses snake case and it's frustrating that I have to add some ugly code to transform the layer name

---

Please make a feature request. Because this is a public forum 95% of people aren't even staff. Please post to https://illustrator.uservoice.com 

[katiec48617878]

If anyone is still experiencing this issue, I found that "Export" rather than "Save as" fixed this.

[jbxnjr]

'Export' seems to fix the problem in the ID/Layer tag, but introduces the same issue in my Javascript tags (onclick="show('X', 'Y')" becomes onclick="show('X', 'Y')"). The apostrophes in the script come through properly using "Save As" but the unicode problem shows up in the layer tag. Have you experienced anything like this?

[peters64032090]

This happened to me today.
Suddenly, and for no reason, my exported paths changed name from "FRONT_XL", the correct layer name,  to "FRONT_x5F_XL"

This makes Illustrator useless for any data applications.
At the export level I am choosing to preserve layer names.

The "x5F" bug lives on in 2024.

[Anubhav M]

Hi @Peter Strømberg,

We understand how frustrating technical issues can be. I replicated the issue on my end and reported the details to the product team. I will update this thread as soon as we have more information.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Thanks,
Anubhav

[lukasb61532544]

Our icon recoloring etc. in our design system is based on the names of the layers and we suddenly (older exports work, newer ones not) have the same issue which makes newly exported icons not usable. I commented here to stay on track when this will be fixed as announced by Anubhav. A fix would be highly appreciated.