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Using the layer Manager dialogue box in AutoCAD is as
important as being able to breath in and out. Since
we all visit this dialogue box so often you should know some of the
shortcuts available to make life a little easier when
you're there.
The first tip is how to match all of the attributes of an existing layer,
(Color, Linetype, etc.) when you make a new layer.
Simply highlight the layer
name with the attributes that you want to match in
the Layer Manager dialogue box and then select New. All
of the attributes in the new layer entry will now
match those from the first template layer. Now just
give it a new name.
The layer dialogue box also has some features that allow users to create
multiple layers quite quickly. Highlight a
template layer and pick the New button. Once the new entry is highlighted,
type the new layer name followed by a comma. The
comma is a signifier to AutoCAD that will initialize another new layer
entry. As long as a comma is the last entry
when creating new names, you can continue to make as many new layers
as needed. Once you have finished typing the
new layers, you can then go back and change any of
the other attributes as needed. If you try
and highlight an existing layer and add a comma at the end of the text
string to create a new layer an error message will appear stating the comma
is an illegal character. This only works
when a new layer is prompting for a layer name.
You can also skip down the list of layers quickly by
typing in the first letter of a layer that you want to access. If you
continue to repeat the letter at the command line you will be cycled through
the list of only layers that start with that letter. This also works
in the properties toolbar layer listing. It will also work in all
Microsoft list boxes.
One last reminder. Right click on a layer name to review the options
available. Invert selection is still one of my favorites.
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