Unable to change stroke color on lines and make them dashed?

[Dilly_Dally]

All of a sudden I can't see to change the color or stroke design (dashed).  What have I done?

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

You have an effect applied to the layer, in your case a black stroke will be added to everything on that layer.

Select an object (like the spiral).

Double click the layer item at the top of the Appearance panel.

Select Clear Appearance from the Appearance panel menu.

[Dilly_Dally]

So I was able to clear the appearance of several objects.  But now when I go to draw (for instance a line), it automatically has an appearnce (the dot on its layer is opaque).  When I try to clear the appearance...the whole thing disappears, but the layer is still there.  In the attached file I am talking about the path under the layer named Instructions:ArrowDottedLine:path.

[Monika Gause]

If you delete the Appearance and then apply a new basic stroke, that doesn't work for you?

[Dilly_Dally]

When I clear the appearance it removes the stroke and fill color.  When I draw another pen line, I have to set the stroke and fill and then the appearence dot shows up again (filled).  

[Ton Frederiks]

If you select that path, can you give it a stroke color?

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Yes, if you give it a stroke, you give the path an appearance. But that is different from giving an appearance to the entire layer and its contents.

[Dilly_Dally]

This is photo of the layers panel.  Why would that one sublayer show a solid circle, but none of the other layers with objects on them do?

[Ton Frederiks]

I don't see a filled circle in the file you send for the arrow dotted line.

[Dilly_Dally]

Ton, you are correct.  I went back and opened that file and there is no appearence on it.  To be honest, I am very confused about what is going on.  It 'feels' like this file behaves differently than others.  I can only play with it and post again if I figure anything specifically peculiar about it.

[Monika Gause]

Did you get that file from a production company? If so it might be pretty old and it might be damaged and whatnot.

[Dilly_Dally]

No, I just created it the other day....I probably hit something without knowing and got myself into trouble.  

[Ton Frederiks]

Yes, be very careful with clicking on the circle in the layers panel. You are then targeting the layer. Any fill or stroke or effect you add in the Appearance panel will become a layer appearance.

So don't click on the circle to select things on a layer, but click next (to the right) of it to select all on that layer without targeting the layer appearance.

See here for an explanation of the columns in the layers panel:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/manage-layers/create-and-organize-layers/layers-overview...

[Bill Silbert]

It sounds like you may have switched from Preview to Outline mode. You can switch back through View>Preview or by using Command (Mac)/Control (PC)-Y.

[Kurt Gold]

It is not an Outline Mode issue, Bill.

As Ton mentioned, the issue is about an additional stroke applied at the layer level (Layer is called "CuttingLines" in the sample file).

[Bill Silbert]

There was an error displaying the file that the Questioner posted when I tried to see it. So I went with the suggestion that I posted based on just the written question.

[Ton Frederiks]

There are constant errors lately with attached images/files, Bill. You need to download them to view them.

[Kurt Gold]

Yes, that's a current bug with the previews in this forum.

If you do not download the file, one can only guess about the issue. Not your fault.