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Layer panel order based on y and x value

New Here ,
Dec 15, 2020 Dec 15, 2020

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I am looking to find a way to change the order objects are layered in the layers panel. Ideally, Perhaps a script that runs down the page, reordering objects (in the layers panel) based on the y and then x value. This way, a logical order is created in the Layers panel. 

 

There has been a similar querie for Illustrator found here:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/auto-arrange-per-y-value-position/td-p/10024991?page=1

 

Can anyone help?

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correct answers 4 Correct answers

Community Expert , Dec 15, 2020 Dec 15, 2020

A little tricky since items on a given layer can be spread across several pages. So you have to go page by page to get the items on a given layer, sort them and rearrange. Something like this could work, but perhaps someone has a more elegant solution. Also won't hit pasteboard items. Use at your own risk 😉

 

 

 

var main = function() {
    var pages = app.documents[0].spreads.everyItem().getElements();
    var layerName = "myLayerName";
    var layerArr,
        apis;
    for (var i = 0; i < p
...

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Community Expert , Dec 16, 2020 Dec 16, 2020

Hi Brian,

the logical point to start with this is not the page, I think, but the spread. From the perspective of the GUI the layers panel will show all items on the active spread and not the items of a page on that spread.

And you do not do that with the allPageItems array, but with the pageItems collection of a spread, because you cannot assign a new value for itemLayer if an object is nested in other objects like allPageItems will show them.

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

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Community Expert , Dec 16, 2020 Dec 16, 2020

Thanks, Uwe. Some good points. Doing spread would allow us to re-sort items on the pasteboard, and we probably only need to move top-level page items, but I am not reassigning itemLayer; I am just reordering the objects (.sendToBack()) since layer ordering is predicated on the object's front/back position. It could be done by either Page or Spread, since the end result would be the same as far as the GUI is concerned, but as noted, doing spread captures PB items. 

 

I've made some adjustments to

...

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Community Expert , Jan 11, 2021 Jan 11, 2021

Change "myLayerName" on the second line of code to whatever the layer name is. Alternartively, if there is only one layer, you can change that to: "Layer 1"

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Community Expert ,
Dec 15, 2020 Dec 15, 2020

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A little tricky since items on a given layer can be spread across several pages. So you have to go page by page to get the items on a given layer, sort them and rearrange. Something like this could work, but perhaps someone has a more elegant solution. Also won't hit pasteboard items. Use at your own risk 😉

 

 

 

var main = function() {
    var pages = app.documents[0].spreads.everyItem().getElements();
    var layerName = "myLayerName";
    var layerArr,
        apis;
    for (var i = 0; i < pages.length; i++) {
        layerArr = new Array();
        apis = pages[i].pageItems;
        for (var j = 0; j < apis.length; j++) {
            if (apis[j].itemLayer.name == layerName) {
                layerArr.push(apis[j]);
            }
        }
        sortByYX(layerArr);
        for (var k = 0; k < layerArr.length; k++) {
            try { layerArr[k].sendToBack(); } catch(e) {}
        }
    }
}

var sortByYX = function(arr) {
    arr.sort(function (a, b) {
      if (a.geometricBounds[0] < b.geometricBounds[0]) {
          return -1;
      } else if (a.geometricBounds[0] > b.geometricBounds[0]) {
          return 1;
      } else {
          return a.geometricBounds[1] > b.geometricBounds[1];
      }
    });
};

main();

 

 

 

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Community Expert ,
Dec 16, 2020 Dec 16, 2020

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Hi Brian,

the logical point to start with this is not the page, I think, but the spread. From the perspective of the GUI the layers panel will show all items on the active spread and not the items of a page on that spread.

And you do not do that with the allPageItems array, but with the pageItems collection of a spread, because you cannot assign a new value for itemLayer if an object is nested in other objects like allPageItems will show them.

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

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Community Expert ,
Dec 16, 2020 Dec 16, 2020

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Thanks, Uwe. Some good points. Doing spread would allow us to re-sort items on the pasteboard, and we probably only need to move top-level page items, but I am not reassigning itemLayer; I am just reordering the objects (.sendToBack()) since layer ordering is predicated on the object's front/back position. It could be done by either Page or Spread, since the end result would be the same as far as the GUI is concerned, but as noted, doing spread captures PB items. 

 

I've made some adjustments to my script. 

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New Here ,
Jan 11, 2021 Jan 11, 2021

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Thank you very much for taking a look and providing the code. Unfortunately, the script doesn't make any changes to the layer order. 

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Community Expert ,
Jan 11, 2021 Jan 11, 2021

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Change "myLayerName" on the second line of code to whatever the layer name is. Alternartively, if there is only one layer, you can change that to: "Layer 1"

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New Here ,
Jan 11, 2021 Jan 11, 2021

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Pefect! Thank you so much. Have a great day 🙂

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