[AD] Symbols problem

[Gear maker]

I don't use symbols very often because I seem to always run into a problem.  Today I figured I'd give them a try in a new project.

 

Can anyone tell me what caused my one symbol to be different from the rest?  My steps were:

1 I created one symbol, sort of the shape of an eyelid.

2. Copied that symbol to create a row, then a second row.  Using cmd C and cmd V

3. Then the two rows were copied many times.  Using cmd J

4. After about 20 rows were created this way I changed one symbol by duplicating (cmd C and cmd V) a layer in the symbol and modifying the original layer to add sort of an eye shape under the eyelid

 

The sync button was never touched during this process.

 

All symbols were modified exactly the same by AD except one in every other row.  For some reason it skipped the duplicate step, but did the modifying step.

 

Would the orange symbol marker show if the layer had been modified?  The file is attached if anyone can figure how this happens I would be most grateful.

 

 

I just copied the missing layer from a good symbol into the defective symbol and AD did add the layer to that symbol without adding it to the rest of the symbols.  The sync button is still highlighted, shouldn't it have affected all symbols?  When I did step 4 above, all symbols were affected. 

 

 

I am so confused!

 

Test.afdesign

[gdenby]

I don't use symbols much, but this has me really stumped. I tried to duplicate what you did, was uncertain if I did it right, but all the duplicates update as expected. I have to think that somewhere along the copy and pasting and subsequent duplicating, there was a glitch.

 

My tries w. the file showed the same as you report. Changes in the odd ones replicate across all the other symbols, but pastes into any one of them do not replicate. I tried making a symbol of one of the odd ones, but none of the other odds changed. So while the layer says "symbol," it does not function correctly. 

 

 

[DWright]

Hi Gear maker,

 

Is it possible for your to take a screen recording of this happening as I have been unable to replicate this following your steps.

[Gear maker]

SWright, I think it was enough of a fluke that it would be improbable to catch it with a recording. 

 

I created one eye then copied it 22 times in step 2 with the problem happening in one of the 22.  I then copied the 23 eyes eleven more times which copied the problem eleven more times.  All I did was to cmd C & cmd V on an eye then drag it to the new position over and over again.  I was just hoping someone could explain what was going on.  Maybe I'm the only one that has a problem with symbols every time I try to use it.

 

My first try with symbols resulted in:

Also why is it that in the Test file when I copied the eyelid from another symbol and pasted it into the problem symbol, with sync enabled, that it didn't copy the eyelid again into all symbols?  That you should be able to reproduce.  In fact if you draw something into any of the copies of the symbol it will be reproduced in all other symbols.  But if you draw something into one of the defective symbols it will not be reproduced.  There is definitely a problem with that symbol.

 

I appreciate your help.

Mike