Affinity Designer 2

[ianrobertdouglas]

Sorry, just a quickie. I searched, but couldn't find if this has been answered.

For want of a better phrase, is there a command to release all child objects from selected layers?

You know how we can group objects with Command-G, and we can then ungroup objects with Shift-Command-G?

Basically looking for the equivalent of Shift-Command-G but for layers.

So I have a document with multiple layers. Each layer has an object inside. I want to take all these objects out of their layers.

I don't see a Select Child of Current Layer(s) command. And I cannot "ungroup" / select all the layers and just get rid of the layer organisation but keep the objects, so far as I can see.

TIA

[Pšenda]

1 hour ago, ianrobertdouglas said:

I don't see a Select Child of Current Layer(s) command.

Then Ctrl+X, Delete, Ctrl+V.

[ianrobertdouglas]

4 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

Then Ctrl+X, Delete, Ctrl+V.

Thank you, but Select All on Current Layer only selects one layer if multiple layers are selected.
Select All on Selected Layers would work.

Again, I have multiple layers and I want to remove all nested objects from them and delete the layers.

[Pšenda]

28 minutes ago, ianrobertdouglas said:

Again, I have multiple layers and I want to remove all nested objects from them and delete the layers.

Again, since there is no such specific command (at least as far as I know), you'll have to do the operation on each layer in turn. Alternatively, you can create an macro (such as AutoHotkey).

[ianrobertdouglas]

8 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

since there is no such specific command (at least as far as I know), you'll have to do the operation on each layer in turn

I found a solution.

With multiple layers selected, going to Layer / Convert to Curves will actually convert the layers to groups, which you can ungroup with Command-Shift-G.

[GarryP]

41 minutes ago, ianrobertdouglas said:

I found a solution.

Even if that is a solution for you in this particular case I would not recommend thinking of it as as generalised solution to what you want to do as "Convert To Curves" can have an unwanted destructive effect on some types of layer.

[ianrobertdouglas]

26 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I would not recommend thinking of it as as generalised solution to what you want to do as "Convert To Curves" can have an unwanted destructive effect on some types of layer.

Yes. The function retains nested strokes. But it will convert text to curves, so beware.

[GarryP]

It can also convert Image Layers, and many other types of layer, to (sometimes ‘empty’) curves which could cause you to lose lots of ‘content’ which was in those layers.

[walt.farrell]

7 minutes ago, ianrobertdouglas said:

Yes. The function retains nested strokes. But it will convert text to curves, so beware.

It will convert everything to curves, I think, not just text. Shapes will become curves, too, for example. it is very destructive.

[carl123]

Try this... (works in my test document but I don't know the complexity of yours)

Select all the Layer layers in the Layers Panel
Right-click and select Expand All
Select > Select All
Right-Click any child Layer and select Release

All child layers should be released but the Layer layers will still be there. But they will be empty, so you just ignore them or delete them if you want to

[ianrobertdouglas]

10 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Try this... (works in my test document but I don't know the complexity of yours)

Select all the Layer layers in the Layers Panel
Right-click and select Expand All
Select > Select All
Right-Click any child Layer and select Release

All child layers should be released but the Layer layers will still be there. But they will be empty, so you just ignore them or delete them if you want to

Nice! This works, exactly as you describe.

Thanks!