Filter layers by name Affinity Designer

[CyberAngel]

I have a document, it has 200 objects made up of around 12 layers for every object, these are all grouped. That means there is 200 grouped layers with another 12 layers per group.

I have a specific name for each layer.

Question is, I now need to make changes to specific layers.

And I am having to manually select each one individually to make the same change to 200 layers.

Is it possible to filter these layers by name, so that I can just select them all and make the change once?

[carl123]

Select > Select Same > Name

Maybe?

[CyberAngel]

9 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Select > Select Same > Name

Maybe?

I found that, but it only selects them, I can not change the properties.

For example, I have 200 cards, they all have a specific stroke, size, and rounded corner. Those options can not be changed when all are selected.

[carl123]

8 minutes ago, CyberAngel said:

For example, I have 200 cards, they all have a specific stroke, size, and rounded corner.

What sort of layers are they (the ones selected)?

Rectangles, curves, groups, Layer layers etc?

[CyberAngel]

2 minutes ago, carl123 said:

What sort of layers are they (the ones selected)?

Rectangles, curves, groups, Layer layers etc?

Rounded Rectangles

[carl123]

Use the Stroke Panel to change the stroke once all are selected

Click on the Transform Objects Separately icon in the context toolbar, then adjust the size in the Transform panel

I'll get back to you on the corners

[CyberAngel]

Just now, carl123 said:

Use the Stroke Panel to change the stroke once all are selected

Click on the Transform Objects Separately icon in the context toolbar, then adjust the size in the Transform panel

I'll get back to you on the corners

That's the issue these panels don't show up or am I missing something?

[carl123]

Make sure View > Studio > Stroke is enabled (ticked)

[CyberAngel]

3 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Make sure View > Studio > Stroke is enabled (ticked)

It is ticked, if it wasn't I couldn't do that individually.

[carl123]

Reset your Studio...

View > Studio > Reset Studio

Then make sure View > Studio > Show Left Studio and View > Studio > Show Right Studio are ticked

Also make sure View > Studio > Hide Studio is NOT ticked

 

If it still does not show up, please upload a full-sized screenshot of the app

[CyberAngel]

12 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Reset your Studio...

View > Studio > Reset Studio

Then make sure View > Studio > Show Left Studio and View > Studio > Show Right Studio are ticked

Also make sure View > Studio > Hide Studio is NOT ticked

 

If it still does not show up, please upload a full-sized screenshot of the app

Well this is a default installation, so the options you have mentioned are as you said they should be, and that would mean that if any of them then I still would not be able to do it with one selected.

I have attached two images, one is with one selected and the other is by name.

 

 

[carl123]

The Stroke Panel is the 3rd tab near the top-right of the screen (in the same section where you see the Colour panel currently active)

Click that Tab to open it

[CyberAngel]

11 minutes ago, carl123 said:

The Stroke Panel is the 3rd tab near the top-right of the screen (in the same section where you see the Colour panel currently active)

Click that Tab to open it

Thanks, not where I was expecting it. I was expecting it to be along the top.

But I did notice there is no corner radius there.

[carl123]

1 hour ago, carl123 said:

I'll get back to you on the corners

Can't seem to find an easy way to change those corners with multiple objects selected

I believe something similar has cropped up before as regards being able to access the specific attributes of shapes when more than one, of the same type, is selected

Hopefully, that made it to a feature request and Serif will work on it in the future, but check back later as someone may have found a workaround

 

[GarryP]

17 minutes ago, CyberAngel said:

Thanks, not where I was expecting it.

There is a Stroke control on the Context Toolbar but it is not available when multiple layers have been selected, which is why you need to use the Stroke Panel instead.

17 minutes ago, CyberAngel said:

But I did notice there is no corner radius there.

Corner Radius is not available when multiple shapes are selected, probably because there’s no guarantee that all the selected shapes will have corner radii.

If you have many shapes which you want to change en masse then I would suggest using Symbols instead, if they will work with what you want to do (sometimes they don't).

[CyberAngel]

11 minutes ago, GarryP said:

There is a Stroke control on the Context Toolbar but it is not available when multiple layers have been selected, which is why you need to use the Stroke Panel instead.

Corner Radius is not available when multiple shapes are selected, probably because there’s no guarantee that all the selected shapes will have corner radii.

If you have many shapes which you want to change en masse then I would suggest using Symbols instead, if they will work with what you want to do (sometimes they don't).

More limitations

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, CyberAngel said:

I found that, but it only selects them, I can not change the properties.

For example, I have 200 cards, they all have a specific stroke, size, and rounded corner. Those options can not be changed when all are selected.

I am not going to make 200 cards but the test I made with two allows me to change the stroke and the size and the rounded corner when doing Select > Select Same > Name. All the Rounded Rectangles with the name Card (just as your screenshot showed) are selected and I can make the changes using the move tool and the stroke panel.

Select one of the Rounded Rectangles which is named Card. Now do the select same name thing. For resizing you would be best served by choosing the Context Toolbar's Transform Objects Separately item once all the Rounded Rectangles are selected. Then you just alter the size of the one that is highlighted on the canvas/artboard/window.

[walt.farrell]

31 minutes ago, GarryP said:

There is a Stroke control on the Context Toolbar but it is not available when multiple layers have been selected, which is why you need to use the Stroke Panel instead.

Perhaps I'm not understanding something, but if I have several Rounded Rectangles selected, and I have the Rounded Rectangle Tool active, I can change the stroke and corners using the controls on the Context Toolbar.

[CyberAngel]

20 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

I am not going to make 200 cards but the test I made with two allows me to change the stroke and the size and the rounded corner when doing Select > Select Same > Name. All the Rounded Rectangles with the name Card (just as your screenshot showed) are selected and I can make the changes using the move tool and the stroke panel.

Select one of the Rounded Rectangles which is named Card. Now do the select same name thing. For resizing you would be best served by choosing the Context Toolbar's Transform Objects Separately item once all the Rounded Rectangles are selected. Then you just alter the size of the one that is highlighted on the canvas/artboard/window.

Are they grouped, as you can see the second image shows no toolbar!

[CyberAngel]

18 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Perhaps I'm not understanding something, but if I have several Rounded Rectangles selected, and I have the Rounded Rectangle Tool active, I can change the stroke and corners using the controls on the Context Toolbar.

It might be a grouped thing, as I said I have 200 objects, and each object has 12 layers per group. The Rectangle is one of those children.

[Old Bruce]

20 minutes ago, CyberAngel said:

Are they grouped, as you can see the second image shows no toolbar!

Choose the Rounded Rectangle tool once you have the select same name made. You will then see the options for Rounded Rectangles in the Context Toolbar.

In my limited testing the only way I can get this to fail is to have spelling mistakes in the name of the Rounded Rectangles and or have another type of layer named Card.

[CyberAngel]

4 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

Choose the Rounded Rectangle tool once you have the select same name made. You will then see the options for Rounded Rectangles in the Context Toolbar.

In my limited testing the only way I can get this to fail is to have spelling mistakes in the name of the Rounded Rectangles and or have another type of layer named Card.

Shouldn't have to, but that's great to know, thanks.

[walt.farrell]

42 minutes ago, CyberAngel said:

Shouldn't have to,

Why not? The Context Toolbar options are specific to the Tool you have active.

[CyberAngel]

2 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Why not? The Context Toolbar options are specific to the Tool you have active.

Really, so if I have the arrow selected and click one card they are there, but I select multiple and its gone, how does that make sense?

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, CyberAngel said:

Really, so if I have the arrow selected and click one card they are there, but I select multiple and its gone, how does that make sense?

Can you provide a sample document, and a screenshot?