Designer: Keep multiple copied layers when pasting into a new document?

[udoboe]

Hello,

You can select several layers in Designer and duplicate them in the same document.

If I select and copy several layers in one document and paste them into a new document, everything is pasted into a single layer.

Is there an option in Designer to keep copied layers when pasting into a new document?

Thank you in advance for any advice and help.

Greetings

udoboe

[udoboe]

Hello again,

 

Sorry, I think I need to clarify my question:

 

I would like to select and copy only a part of the drawing objects contained in two different layers and paste them into a new file.
The two layers and the drawing objects they contain should be retained.

 

I can select and copy two (or more) layers completely and paste them into a new file by locking the layers in the source file. However, I only want to select and copy and paste a part of the respective layers...

 

Greetings

udoboe

[GarryP]

I don’t think you can do what you want to do, unless I’ve not understood your requirements correctly, because a parent layer cannot be selected at the same time as one or more of its child layers.

[udoboe]

Hello,

for a better understanding of my request:

I worked with Adobe Illustrator for years. In this respect, I am of course making comparisons or trying to find a corresponding approach for Affinity Designer. In Adobe Illustrator there was/is the possibility to keep the layers when pasting.

For example:

I always create a drawing in two layers (layer 1 and layer 2).
If I now copy various drawing objects from both layers in Adobe Illustrator and paste them into a new file, then I have the drawing objects in layer 1 and layer 2 again.

 

If the two layers are not yet present in the new file, they are created accordingly.

If the two layers already exist in the new file (because I had already inserted something before), the drawing objects are added to the corresponding layer.

It may be that my previous approach or way of thinking cannot be implemented in Designer?

[GarryP]

I’ve never used Illustrator so I don’t know how it works.

I think it’s probably best for me to leave this for someone else to advise on.

[carl123]

What sort of layers are you trying to copy?

Can you give us a screenshot showing the Layers Panel and indicate on it the layers you want to copy to the new document?

 

[lepr]

4 hours ago, udoboe said:

For example:

I always create a drawing in two layers (layer 1 and layer 2).
If I now copy various drawing objects from both layers in Adobe Illustrator and paste them into a new file, then I have the drawing objects in layer 1 and layer 2 again.

 

If the two layers are not yet present in the new file, they are created accordingly.

If the two layers already exist in the new file (because I had already inserted something before), the drawing objects are added to the corresponding layer.

It may be that my previous approach or way of thinking cannot be implemented in Designer?

 

Affinity currently does not provide that functionality.

(Be aware that many forum members use the word "layer" where you or I would use the word "object", and they use the weird term "Layer layer" where you or I would use just "layer", which can result in misunderstandings.)

[udoboe]

The use of different terms is perhaps due to the fact that I am using the German version of the program?

 

I'll try to illustrate my use case with a simple example.

 

I have two layers (named “Ebene1 BLAU” and “Ebene2 ROT”).
There are several objects in each layer.
I want to select only one part from both layers, copy it and paste it into a new document.

 

--> see picture "test_1.jpg"

 

The structure should be retained, which would look like this according to my ideas.

 

--> see picture "test_2.jpg"

 

[lepr]

11 hours ago, udoboe said:

The use of different terms is perhaps due to the fact that I am using the German version of the program?

No, it’s just the unfortunate convention of many people in the Affinity forum to use the ambiguous term “layer” to refer to everything that can appear in the Layers panel.

As I said, the functionality you ask about is not in Affinity currently.  

[carl123]

On Windows you have an Edit > Paste Special > Scalable Vector Graphics command

This will create a new container Layer when you copy and paste vector (and text) layers from one document to another

But if you copy objects from 2 (or more) container Layers only one container Layer is created in the new document containing all the objects

So best to copy objects from one container Layer at a time to have multiple container Layers in the new document