Layers auto expanding. Can I turn it off? Designer 2.2.1 win 10

[kcmoto]

Working in Affinity Designer 2.2.1 on windows 10. (I'm a newbie to Affinity who is sick of a-dobe extorting far too much money from me every month. I'm working on cutting ties with a-dobe.)

Question: Within the Layers toolbox: Is there a way to disable a layer folder from automatically expanding every time I click on an object inside said layer? 

Example: If I have a single layer folder with 5 boxes, and I select only one of the boxes, the layer "folder" automatically expands to show all 5 boxes in the layer tool box. This becomes a major inconvenience if I have multiple layer folders and each layer folder has 50 or more boxes (or items of any kind) inside it. I then end up having to constantly scroll to the top, and collapse the layer folder in order to see the other layer folders below it.

I switch between layers often turning them on and off. I will end not not being able to use layers if its constantly automatically expanding every time I click an item on the canvas.

Thanks in advance! (down with a-dobe)

 

 

[carl123]

4 hours ago, kcmoto said:

Is there a way to disable a layer folder from automatically expanding every time I click on an object inside said layer?

In the hamburger menu on the Layers Panel switch off the Auto Scroll option

 

4 hours ago, kcmoto said:

I then end up having to constantly scroll to the top, and collapse the layer folder in order to see the other layer folders below it.

You can also use Layer > Collapse All in Layers Panel to do that

[retrograde]

With the Auto Scroll option off I assigned the F key to jump to the layer of a selected object when I do want to see the layer in the layer panel. Works great and I don't have a jumpy layers panel anymore.

[kcmoto]

Thanks!! The Auto scroll off did the trick!  I like the F key for quick access to selected object in the layers. 

 

[retrograde]

Cool! Yes but it can be any key. I assigned the F key because in my brain I'm basically thinking FIND the layer please. 🙂

[walt.farrell]

On 10/23/2023 at 3:47 PM, kcmoto said:

Example: If I have a single layer folder with 5 boxes, and I select only one of the boxes, the layer "folder" automatically expands to show all 5 boxes in the layer tool box. This becomes a major inconvenience if I have multiple layer folders and each layer folder has 50 or more boxes (or items of any kind) inside it. I then end up having to constantly scroll to the top, and collapse the layer folder in order to see the other layer folders below it.

By the way, you don't need to "scroll to the top" to collapse things. In the Layers panel the hierarchy of the nested items is also shown by a bar down the left edge of the panel. For example, in this screenshot, the selected rectangle is 3 levels deep:

I could click anywhere on the bar that the top red arrow points to to collapse all the children of Layer1's parent. Or I could click anywhere on the bar that the bottom red arrow points to to collapse all the children of Layer1.

[kcmoto]

Oh, ok I see. That's a cool feature. I honestly did not notice those bars at first. I'm definitely going to use that from now on.

 

[R C-R]

11 minutes ago, kcmoto said:

I honestly did not notice those bars at first.

On my Mac the contrast between them & the Layer panel's background is so low that they are almost invisible. Yet another place in the UI where extremely low contrast makes the apps much more difficult than they should be. ☹️

[retrograde]

On 10/24/2023 at 1:47 PM, R C-R said:

On my Mac the contrast between them & the Layer panel's background is so low that they are almost invisible. Yet another place in the UI where extremely low contrast makes the apps much more difficult than they should be. ☹️

Agreed. On my mac there doesn't appear to be any difference in contrast or shade....