Pick freeze layers? can it be done??

[rob2218]

I have a hotlink PLN file linked into another PLN.
What's the best way to "hide (freeze)" selected layers rather than going thru the layer list?
Hiding them "on-screen selection" visually rather than having to syfon them thru the layer list.

[Eduardo Rolon]

What is wrong with selecting the object -> right click -> layers -> Hide?

[rob2218]

ummm......uhhh...ok.
I guess that's how you'd do it but I'd have to "suspend" the hotlink so I can actually select an individual object? is that how you'd do it?
By suspending the hotlink temporarily, selecting the object that is 'INSIDE' that hotlink and then using the "layer hide" command?

is that the correct process???

[Eduardo Rolon]

It is an option.

Another one is defining/saving Layer Combinations to turn those layers on or off.

The correct one is the one that works for you.

[rob2218]

thanks.
I tried the "suspension" of hotlinks and it seemed to work well.
I suppse "thats" why the suspension tool icon works for this particular instance of usability.

I thought about the "layer combination" route but....I'd then need a layer combo for each time I'd want to simply hide one or two layers I'm currently working on...at least the suspension option allows me to end with a "custom" layer combo momentarily at which time I can always set it back to a pre-defined layer combo in my list....

thanks for the suggestion.

[Link]

Alt+G suspends/enables groups.

And if you assign a keyboard shortcut in your Work Environment to the Hide Selections' (Quick Layers) command, you can easily select an element(s) and hit your keyboard shortcut to hide the layer(s).

Cheers,
Link.

[rob2218]

thanks Link.

Although....I've been wondering about the "keyboard short cuts" approach.
We have a few users here in the office that work in Archicad like I do and I find them constantly "hunting at their keyboard" for those same short cuts they programmed into their way of working.

I know, I know, whatever works best for the user and makes his (or her, politically correct) life easier....go for it.

But I've been trying to justify why use "keyboard shortcust" at all? I mean, as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds true here in the Archicad world as well.

Why go thru a contortion of mulitple finger functions, have to look down away from the screen when you can simply 'pick' 1 icon off the screen and have the function be accomplished in less key strokes???

I mean...if for every second you waste looking down, trying to find those dreaded 3 or 4 stroke combinations you can look to an icon on the screen to do the same thing, why do the keyboard route?

I know, I've digressed...but I've thought about this as of late seeing how a small percentage of workers here are adamant about their so called 'efficient' keyboard shotcuts?

[Karl Ottenstein]

rob2218 wrote:
Why go thru a contortion of mulitple finger functions, have to look down away from the screen when you can simply 'pick' 1 icon off the screen and have the function be accomplished in less key strokes??

Everyone should work in whatever way is most efficient for them.

For a lot of people, who touch type rapidly, their eyes never leave the monitor when doing the shortcuts, even the three finger ones. For them, it is an instant thing. Moving the mouse to a button or menu takes time and moves away from the place in the model where you are working.

For others, the toolbar thing or menus might be better. But, just as you've seen people hunting for shortcut keys, I've seen people, sometimes with marginal eyesight, have their eyes wander all of the screen looking for a toolbar.

I had one guy in a class whose hands/fingers were so large that he physically could not press certain key combinations even on a full sized keyboard.

I've seen people who, once the layers dialog or object settings (e.g.) appears on the screen, read through every button as if they've never seen the dialog before. Shortcuts / buttons / etc will never make that person fast and efficient.

So... everyone has to find their own way to their own personal efficiency. 😉

Cheers,
Karl

[rob2218]

Makes sense Karl,
thanks,

[Link]

Karl wrote:
So... everyone has to find their own way to their own personal efficiency. 😉

Nicely put Karl.

It's strange how some people are really rigid when it comes to work environment profiles. Some companies have 'company-wide' profiles and don't allow users to alter them, believing the big guy in the corner with hand-mitts and fingers like dyslexic sausages will use the same profile as the old gal who uses a second screen full of toolbars like her old autocad digitizer.

And all that really happens is that they make their own secret adjustments and wonder why they keep losing them because they're not being saved as profiles.

My policy is to encourage the saving (and continual tweaking) of individual work environment profiles. The most common commands are not allowed to have their shortcuts changed (although they can have shortcuts added to them), just to keep some consistency for on the fly help. But apart from that it's a free for all.

I personally believe that it's quicker to glance at my keyboard for half a second than the mouse travel time to click on an icon (especially if it's on another screen) or heaven forbid, a menu or submenu!

In any case assigning keyboard shortcuts to the most used commands is a huge time saver. 'T' to access settings instead of ctrl/cmd + T for example

My 2 cents.

Cheers,
Link.