LAYER Command

Manages layers

	Object Properties toolbar:
	Format menu: Layer
	Command line: layer

The Layer tab of the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box is displayed.

If you enter -layer at the command prompt, LAYER presents options on the command line.

LAYER creates new layers, makes a layer current, sets the color and linetype for designated layers, turns layers on and off, locks or unlocks layers, freezes or thaws layers, and lists defined layers.

The Layer & Linetype Properties Dialog Box

In the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box, you can make a layer current, add new layers to the Layer Name list, delete layers from the Layer Name list, and rename an existing layer. You can change the colors and linetypes of multiple layers. You can turn layers on and off, freeze and thaw layers, and lock and unlock layers globally or by viewport.

Show

Determines which layers are displayed in the layer name list. You can filter layers based on whether they're xref-dependent, or whether they contain objects. You can also filter layers based on their name, state, color, linetype, or whether they're frozen in the current viewport or in new viewports.

• All. Shows all layers in the drawing, including those from xref-dependent drawings.
• All in Use. Shows all layers in use.
• All unused. Shows all unused layers.
• All Xref dependent. Shows all layers that are xref-dependent.
• All not xref dependent. Shows all layers that are not xref-dependent.
• All that pass filter. Shows all layers that match the settings specified in the Set Layer Filters dialog box.
• Set Filter dialog box. Displays the Set Filter dialog box.

Current

Sets the selected layer to be the current layer. The layer name is stored in the CLAYER system variable.

List of Layers

Displays layers and their properties. To modify a property, click on its icon. To quickly select all layers, right-click your pointing device and use the cursor menu.

• On/Off. When a layer is on, it is visible and available for plotting. When a layer is off, it is invisible and excluded from plotting.
• Freeze/Thaw. A frozen layer is invisible and excluded from regeneration and plotting. A thawed layer is visible and available for regeneration and plotting. You can freeze layers in all viewports, in the current viewport, or in new viewports as they are created.
• Freeze in All Viewports. Freezes selected layers in all viewports. You can freeze layers to speed up ZOOM, PAN, and VPOINT; improve object selection performance; and reduce regeneration time for complex drawings. AutoCAD LT does not display, plot, or regenerate objects on frozen layers. Freeze the layers you want to be invisible for long periods. When you thaw a frozen layer, AutoCAD LT regenerates and displays the objects on that layer. If you will be switching between visible and invisible states frequently, use the On/Off setting.
• Freeze in Current Viewport. Freezes selected layers in the current floating viewport. You can freeze or thaw layers in the current floating viewport without affecting layer visibility in other viewports. Frozen layers are invisible; they are not regenerated or plotted. This feature is useful, for example, if you want to create an annotation layer that is visible only in a particular viewport. Thawing restores the layer's visibility.
• Freeze in New Viewports. Freezes selected layers in new floating viewports. For example, freezing the DIMENSIONS layer in all new viewports restricts the display of dimensions on that layer in any newly created floating viewports, but does not affect the DIMENSIONS layer in already existing viewports. If you then create a viewport that requires dimensions, you can override the default setting by changing the current viewport setting.
• Lock/Unlock. A locked layer cannot be edited; an unlocked layer can be edited.
• Color. Changes the color associated with a layer. Clicking the color name displays the Select Color dialog box.
• Linetype. Changes the linetype associated with a layer. Clicking any linetype name displays the Select Linetype dialog box.

New

Creates a new layer. After you choose New, Layer1 is displayed in the list and you can edit it immediately. Once a layer name is activated for editing, you can use the comma key just like the New button to create multiple layers more quickly. If a layer is selected in the layer list when a new layer is created, the new layer inherits the properties of the selected layer (Color, On/Off state, and so forth). To create layers with default settings, make sure that no layers are selected in the list or that a layer with default settings is selected prior to beginning layer creation.

• Delete. Deletes selected layers from the drawing file definition. Only layers that are not referenced in any way can be deleted. Referenced layers include layers 0 and defpoints, layers containing objects, the current layer, and xref-dependent layers. Warning: Be careful about deleting layers if you are working on a drawing in a shared project, or one based on a set of layering standards.

Details

Displays an extension of the dialog box with alternate access to properties and additional settings.

• Name. Displays the highlighted layer name, which can be edited. The layer name can include up to 31 characters. Layer names can contain letters, digits, and the special characters dollar sign ($), hyphen (-), and underscore (_). Layer names cannot include blank spaces.
• Color. Displays a list of colors available to apply to the currently selected layer. To assign a color other than those displayed in the list, choose Other.
• Linetype. Displays linetypes available to apply to the currently selected layer. To load additional linetypes, select the Linetype tab, then choose Load.
• Retain Changes to Xref-Dependent Layers. Saves changes to xref-dependent layers. When the drawing is reloaded, the properties currently assigned to xref-dependent layers are retained. This box corresponds to the VISRETAIN system variable.
• On. Turns selected layers on or off. Turned-off layers are regenerated with the drawing but are not displayed or plotted. You can turn layers off rather than freezing layers if you are frequently changing layers from visible to invisible. By turning layers off to make their objects invisible, you avoid regenerating the drawing every time you restore visibility. When you turn a layer on that has been turned off, AutoCAD LT only redraws the objects on that layer.
• Freeze in All Viewports. Freezes selected layers in all viewports. You can freeze layers to speed up ZOOM, PAN, and VPOINT; improve object selection performance; and reduce regeneration time for complex drawings. AutoCAD LT does not display, plot, or regenerate objects on frozen layers. Freeze layers that you want to be invisible for long periods. When you thaw a frozen layer, AutoCAD LT regenerates and displays the objects on that layer. If you are switching between visible and invisible states frequently, use the On/Off setting.
• Freeze in Current Viewport. Freezes selected layers in the current floating viewport. You can freeze or thaw layers in the current floating viewport without affecting layer visibility in other viewports. Frozen layers are invisible; they are not regenerated or plotted. This feature is useful, for example, if you want to create an annotation layer that is visible only in a particular viewport. Thawing restores the layer's visibility.
• Freeze in New Viewports. Freezes selected layers in new floating viewports. For example, freezing the DIMENSIONS layer in all new viewports restricts the display of dimensions on that layer in any newly created floating viewports but does not affect the DIMENSIONS layer in already existing viewports. If you then create a viewport that requires dimensions, you can override the default setting by changing the current viewport setting.
• Lock. Determines whether objects on selected layers can be edited. Locking layers is useful when you want to edit objects that are associated with particular layers but also want to view objects on other layers. While you cannot edit objects on a locked layer, they are still visible if the layer is on and thawed. You can make a locked layer current, and you can add objects to it.

Set Layer Filters Dialog Box

Filter layers based on criteria you select. Filtered layers are displayed in the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box.

Layer Names

Specifies which layers to filter.

On/Off

Specifies whether filtered layers are on, off, or both.

Freeze/Thaw

Specifies whether filtered layers are frozen, thawed, or both.

Current Viewport

Specifies whether filtered layers in the current viewport are frozen, thawed, or both.

New Viewport

Specifies whether filtered layers in the new viewport are frozen, thawed, or both.

Lock/Unlock

Specifies whether filtered layers are locked, unlocked, or both.

Colors

Specifies the layer colors to filter.

Linetypes

Specifies the layer linetypes to filter.

Apply This Filter to the Layer Control in the Object Properties Toolbar

When selected, displays only layers that pass this filter in the layer list box in the Object Properties toolbar. When this option in not selected, all layers are displayed.

Reset

Resets all filters to their default values.

The command line version of LAYER creates new layers, sets the current layer, sets the color and linetype for designated layers, turns layers on and off, locks or unlocks layers, freezes or thaws layers, and lists defined layers.

? / Make / Set / New / ON / OFF / Color/ Ltype / Freeze / Thaw / LOck / Unlock: Enter an option

? List Layers (-LAYER)

Displays a list of the currently defined layers, showing their names, states, color numbers, and linetypes, and whether any are externally dependent.

Layer name(s) to list <*>: Enter a name list or press ENTER

Make (-LAYER)

Creates a layer and makes it current. New objects are placed on the current layer as they are drawn.

New current layer <current>: Enter a name or press ENTER

If no layer exists for the name you enter, AutoCAD LT creates a new layer by that name. That layer is turned on and is assigned color number 7 and the CONTINUOUS linetype. If the layer exists but is turned off, AutoCAD LT turns it on.

Set (-LAYER)

Makes a new layer current but does not create the layer if it doesn't already exist. If the layer exists but is turned off, AutoCAD LT turns it on and makes it current.

New current layer <current>: Enter a name

New (-LAYER)

Creates one or more layers. You can create two or more layers by entering names separated by commas.

New layer name(s): Enter a name list

On (-LAYER)

Makes selected layers visible and available for plotting.

Layer name(s) to turn On: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas

Off (-LAYER)

Makes selected layers invisible and excludes them from plotting.

Layer name(s) to turn Off: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas

Color (-LAYER)

Changes the color associated with a layer.

Color: Enter a color name or a color number(1-255)

AutoCAD LT prompts for layer names to which the color should be applied.

Layer name(s) for color n <current>: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas, or press ENTER

The layers are turned on. To assign a color but turn off the layer, precede the color with a minus sign (-).

Ltype (-LAYER)

Changes the linetype associated with a layer.

Linetype (or ?) <CONTINUOUS>: Enter a currently loaded linetype name, enter ?, or press ENTER

If you enter ?, AutoCAD LT prompts for the linetypes to list.

Linetype(s) to list <*>: Enter a wild-card pattern or press ENTER to list all names in the drawing

If you enter a linetype name or press ENTER, AutoCAD LT prompts for a list of layers to which the linetype should be applied.

Layer name(s) for linetype xxx <current>: Enter a wild-card pattern, a name, or a list of names separated by commas, or press ENTER

Freeze (-LAYER)

Freezes layers, making them invisible and excluding them from regeneration and plotting.

Layer name(s) to Freeze: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas

Thaw (-LAYER)

Thaws frozen layers, making them visible and available for regeneration and plotting.

Layer name(s) to Thaw: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas

Lock (-LAYER)

Locks layers, preventing editing on those layers.

Layer name(s) to Lock: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas

Unlock (-LAYER)

Unlocks selected locked layers, permitting editing on those layers.

Layer name(s) to Unlock: Enter a name or a list of names separated by commas

Related Commands: -LAYER presents options at the command line. COLOR and DDCOLOR set the color for new objects. -LINETYPE and LINETYPE create, load, and set linetypes. VPLAYER sets viewport visibility for new and existing layers.
System Variables: CLAYER stores the name of the current layer.