How do you select layers first and not the objects within it?

[workinchris]

When using the Move tool it either selects objects inside layers or groups first but it ignores layers for some reason, I can't find any settings to change this.

I kind of expect it to select the layer first then double clicking it should open and expand that layer to the child objects. I find myself creating groups for single layers as a work around to  make it easier to select and move things.

[Hangman]

Hi @workinchris and welcome to the forums,

AFAIK, there is no way to select a Layer (Captial L) directly on the page/canvas, your only option is to select it in the Layers panel. I'm unsure why the behaviour differs from Groups, I see no logical reason for the difference in behaviour...

59 minutes ago, workinchris said:

I find myself creating groups for single layers as a work around to  make it easier to select and move things.

I'm not sure I follow your logic here, what is the benefit of grouping single layers?

The only reason I'm aware of for using Layers over Groups in Affinity apps is for PDF OCG creation which allows sections of content in a PDF document to be selectively viewed or hidden in PDF Readers, useful for things like maps to show different features or terrain.

I generally stick to Groups since that permits the selection of the group itself by clicking any object within the group on the page/canvas and allows you to select an object within the group by Cmd/Ctrl Clicking it...

[prophet]

In this helpful Spotlight…

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/understanding-groups-and-layers-in-affinity/

it is said…

"compared to groups, they [Layers] give you the freedom to select objects on the page without restriction because the layer’s objects are not grouped. Conversely, if you select a grouped object on your page, this will select the group itself."

Perhaps that sheds some light?

[workinchris]

Thanks! I guess I didn't fully understand the whole philosophy behind how layers and groups are designed. I was basically just treating Layers as nested artwork but they weren't always in a group I was under the impression I should just be able to quick select them and move them easily and I would use groups as a way of organizing things in the layer panel.

1 hour ago, prophet said:

In this helpful Spotlight…

https://affinityspotlight.com/article/understanding-groups-and-layers-in-affinity/

This link does help, I suppose it'll take some getting use to.