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Posted

Hi,

Sometimes I import an SVG file into Designer or Photo and there are a ton of layers that are created.  Is there a shortcut to select them all so I can group them in the Windows version rather than holding down the shift button and scrolling down?  Sometimes it will lock up Designer if there are too many when I do this in the layers panel.

Thanks!

Posted

Doesn't the "Select" menu show the wanted shortcut in its first menu entry?

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

Posted
27 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Doesn't the "Select" menu show the wanted shortcut in its first menu entry?

That is it!  I was trying to right-click.  One thing I do not understand is that after selecting all layers from the menu and then selecting group from the layer menu, a new group is created at the bottom of the layers panel.  I am not sure if it contains every layer.  When I select layers from the layer panel manually and then right-click the group option, those individual layers disappear and move into the group.

Posted
48 minutes ago, Aftershaft said:

One thing I do not understand is that after selecting all layers from the menu and then selecting group from the layer menu, a new group is created at the bottom of the layers panel.  I am not sure if it contains every layer. 

What don't you understand? The Layers panel shows if this group contains all layers or not: If you collapse this group layer and no other layer is in the panel than the group contains all layers.

With "Select All" hidden layers don't get selected. Those need to get selected manually in the Layers panel or set to visible and selected via command.

53 minutes ago, Aftershaft said:

When I select layers from the layer panel manually and then right-click the group option, those individual layers disappear and move into the group.

When you select "Group" from the menu, the behavior you observe seems to be expected to me. What else did you expect to happen after selecting the "Group" command from the right-click menu?

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

Posted
13 minutes ago, thomaso said:

What don't you understand? The Layers panel shows if this group contains all layers or not: If you collapse this group layer and no other layer is in the panel than the group contains all layers.

With "Select All" hidden layers don't get selected. Those need to get selected manually in the Layers panel or set to visible and selected via command.

When you select "Group" from the menu, the behavior you observe seems to be expected to me. What else did you expect to happen after selecting the "Group" command from the right-click menu?

First two of many layers
Grouped them in the layers menu by right-clicking, the rest of the layers appear below the group.  The layers selected are inside the group now.
Selected all layers using the menu. 
The group appears appear at the bottom of the layers panel and layers still are displayed on top of the group, which appears to also include all layers

layers-step1.jpg

layers-step2.jpg

AllLayersSelectedViaMenu.jpg

GroupAppersAtBottomOfLayersPanel - All other layersStill Listed.jpg

WNetWatcher.exe - Shortcut.lnk Local Disk (C) - Shortcut.lnk

Posted
1 hour ago, Aftershaft said:

The group appears appear at the bottom of the layers panel and layers still are displayed on top of the group, which appears to also include all layers

In Affinity we need to distinguish between "layer" as object in the layout and "Layer" as hierarchical structure element in the Layers panel only. A "Layer" (capital L) has attributes in common with a "Group" (another structuring element) but both are different.

Your last screenshot seems to show all layout objects moved to the "Group", leaving various "Layer" layers, which are quite likely empty and may be deleted without loosing layout data – but you may loose a previous structure of layout elements that may be useful for further editing.

This result depends on the way how layers (objects) get selected: It appears via the command "Select All" only layout elements get selected and grouped if you then group the selection). Whereas a selection inside the Layers panel may also select the parent "Layer" layers (the structure elements) within the Layers panel and include them in a group if the selection gets grouped. The latter does not leave empty Layers but moves all content with their Layers inside the Group.

As far I know in Affinity V2 were some changes regarding methods of selection, thus it appears useful if I (as V1 user) don't comment this topic any more and leave it to a V2 user to avoid confusion or misleading info.

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

Posted

In the same "select all" genre, a shortcut is missing to select all objects on the current level, as shown in the screenshot below. When you embed/group a range of objects and want to select only these sub-objects while working on the sub-elements - meaning you're currently at that sub-level - you have to do it manually with Cmd-click or Shift on the first and last object. While this sounds easy in a simple example, it becomes cumbersome in complex illustrations with hundreds of elements on that level.

image.png.0ee3eeba5708f4a08e527002dfa38ca6.png

Serif, did you foolishly fill the usability specialist role you advertised internally? If so, be transparent with your customers. Continuing without proper UX expertise insults your entire user base.
 
Posted
12 hours ago, Meliora spero said:

In the same "select all" genre, a shortcut is missing to select all objects on the current level, as shown in the screenshot below.

Select one of the objects, then with the Move Tool do a marquee selection of the entire canvas

Does that do what you want?

To save time I am currently using an automated AI to reply to some posts on this forum. If any of "my" posts are wrong or appear to be total b*ll*cks they are the ones generated by the AI. If correct they were probably mine. I apologise for any mistakes made by my AI - I'm sure it will improve with time.

Posted
3 minutes ago, carl123 said:

Select one of the objects, then with the Move Tool do a marquee selection of the entire canvas

Does that do what you want?

I thought so too. But apparently this selection method causes the result shown by the OP, with remaining empty Layer layers outside the group after grouping the selection.

Whereas if I select the Layer layers manually in the Layers panel, then grouping the selection preserves/includes the Layers within the group – which may be a lot more useful than losing the structure created by Layer layers once a selection gets grouped.

macOS 10.14.6 | MacBookPro Retina 15" | Eizo 27" | Affinity V1

Posted
6 minutes ago, thomaso said:

I thought so too. But apparently this selection method causes the result shown by the OP, with remaining empty Layer layers outside the group after grouping the selection.

Not sure what you mean, I was addressing @Meliora spero's post directly above mine not the OP's.

@Meliora spero's post was about selecting just the child layers on a particular sub-level in the document's hierarchy. There was no mention of "empty layers" or "grouping the selection" 

To save time I am currently using an automated AI to reply to some posts on this forum. If any of "my" posts are wrong or appear to be total b*ll*cks they are the ones generated by the AI. If correct they were probably mine. I apologise for any mistakes made by my AI - I'm sure it will improve with time.

Posted
12 hours ago, Meliora spero said:

When you embed/group a range of objects and want to select only these sub-objects while working on the sub-elements - meaning you're currently at that sub-level - you have to do it manually with Cmd-click or Shift on the first and last object.

It's there but not as shortcut.
There's also select same or select object and in conjunction with layer states/tag color it is possible to select on sublevels.
This is of course, granted, after setting it up first by color tagging or naming.
There's one distinction between Layers and groups 
Layer layers are some sort of passthrough container where child objects are regarded as solo objects.
Whereas groups are regarded as one object in the stack.
 

I think Serif wants us to be only creative in finding workarounds to use their tools.

I have an affinity with Jumping through Hoops and over Humps.
Dealing with Speedbumps and finding Work-A-Roundabouts.
I'm getting dizzy from all that spinning and jumping.

Posted
1 hour ago, carl123 said:

Select one of the objects, then with the Move Tool do a marquee selection of the entire canvas

Does that do what you want?

Yes, it appears to be possible with the mouse, but I’m looking for a keyboard shortcut since I use it often and don’t necessarily have all the objects visible at the current zoom level - perhaps even far, far away. So I’m missing a keyboard shortcut that makes it operationally easy and guarantees selecting all elements on the current level. At the very least, this functionality should reliably select everything at that level.

One should also consider that if the iPad gets a “select all on current level” feature with a keyboard shortcut, those of us using a keyboard on the iPad would find it much, much easier to select these elements. Many operations that are easy on a desktop are not quite as easy on an iPad.

Additionally, this feature could be communicated in the menu and documentation, and one could even create a custom keyboard shortcut for it. Workarounds only please the small group of people lucky enough to discover them.

But in any case, thanks for the tip. :)

Serif, did you foolishly fill the usability specialist role you advertised internally? If so, be transparent with your customers. Continuing without proper UX expertise insults your entire user base.
 
Posted
21 hours ago, Meliora spero said:

In the same "select all" genre, a shortcut is missing to select all objects on the current level, as shown in the screenshot below. When you embed/group a range of objects and want to select only these sub-objects while working on the sub-elements - meaning you're currently at that sub-level - you have to do it manually with Cmd-click or Shift on the first and last object. While this sounds easy in a simple example, it becomes cumbersome in complex illustrations with hundreds of elements on that level.

image.png.0ee3eeba5708f4a08e527002dfa38ca6.png

I will do it manually from now on since that is what I am used to.  Thanks!

Posted
9 hours ago, carl123 said:

Select one of the objects, then with the Move Tool do a marquee selection of the entire canvas

Does that do what you want?

It is a SVG file that I am working with, saved as an afdesign V2 file in Windows..  Sorry to not mention that.

All layers are not selected by doing that, for some reason.  I dragged the mouse from the top left of the image to the bottom right.  So I don't see how I could have missed anything.  I will click on the top object in the layers panel on the right, hold shift, then move the slider to the bottom and all layers are selected.  Then right-click and group them and everything is dandy.  One group contains all the layers.

Thanks.  Not worth the trouble just to save a couple of seconds.  I was just curious if there was another way because there are a ton of layers from the SVG.

Posted
6 minutes ago, Aftershaft said:

It is a SVG file that I am working with, saved as an afdesign V2 file in Windows..  Sorry to not mention that.

All layers are not selected by doing that, for some reason.  I dragged the mouse from the top left of the image to the bottom right.  So I don't see how I could have missed anything.  I will click on the top object in the layers panel on the right, hold shift, then move the slider to the bottom and all layers are selected.  Then right-click and group them and everything is dandy.  One group contains all the layers.

Thanks.  Not worth the trouble just to save a couple of seconds.  I was just curious if there was another way because there are a ton of layers from the SVG.

That worked with a different SVG of the front of the Christmas card that I did!  Every object was selected this time. If someone wants the file to mess with let me know 🙂

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