Selected objects from two layers. When option dragged to copy, the copied objects are on same layer.

[Rafael3665687841cy]

Here's the situation: My job has me working on several different existing Illustrator documents. In most, there are two layers—call one Symbols and the other Text of the symbol's title (think Google Maps locations like a restaurant icon and the restaurant name). To keep spacing standardized, we would select a pair of Symbol object and Text object, which are on two separate layers, then Option Drag/Alt Drag to make a copy. On typical Illustrator documents, the copied items maintain their respective layers, and that's how I need them to be. But on certain documents I've worked with, the copied items end up on the same layer and I can't figure out why.

I already know about Paste Remembers Layers, and that's not the issue, since this is a drag-duplicate, not a paste. Is there a way to revert it so that drag-duplicating items from separate layers to remain in their respective layers?

[Monika Gause]

Please show the layers panel and how exactly the hierarchy is.

Better: please make a test document so we can reproduce it.

[Rafael3665687841cy]

Unfortunately, I cannot give the document that I was working on, as it's proprietary. But I've made a copy of the afflicted document, and stripped it of everything aside from the issue I mentioned, found here.

Upon stripping however, I believe I found that the "issue" is the mask sublayer for the top level layer in the heirarchy.

Again, the goal is to select both objects in Object Layer 1 and Object Layer 2, then Option-Drag/Alt-Drag a new copy of it, with the new objects remaining in their respective Object Layers. When the mask is removed in this specific case, this goal is achieved. However, when the mask is present, doing the steps results in the new objects outside of Sublayer 1.

What I don't understand is that in several documents that I have worked with set up in the same way, with a mask applied, I don't have this issue. It's rare cases like this which led me to believe this was a toggle-able preset or something.

[Monika Gause]

Your download is locked.

[Rafael3665687841cy]

How about now?

[Monika Gause]

I could download it and all I can do is reproduce it.

When the mask layer is not there, it doesn't happen. So it looks like the mask layer is somehow causing the behaviour. Unfortunately hiding the mask sublayer is not sufficient to stop the behaviour.

If this does not happen in other documents which are set up the same way, what you could try is copy all the elements to a new file (Paste remembers layers) and then try again.