EXPLAYERS command

Opens the Drawing explorer dialog box with Layers selected.

Icon:

Description

Opens the Drawing explorer dialog box with Layers category selected to view and modify layers in the current drawing.

Note: When you open the Drawing explorer - Layers dialog when in paper space, additional columns are displayed: VP Freeze, VP Color, VP Linetype, VP Lineweight, and VP Plot Style, where VP is short for viewport.

Note: By default, these columns match the corresponding model space settings, but viewport layer properties can be set differently for each layout and for each paper space viewport. If the SHOWLAYERUSAGE variable is on, then the Layer Usage icons indicates whether viewport settings for the current layout and paper space viewport are different from model space settings:

: current layer with viewport overrides.
: layer with viewport overrides.
: empty layer with viewport overrides.

Note: If no paper space viewport is active, then the settings apply to entities in the current layout. If a viewport is active, then viewport settings override the BYLAYER properties in the current viewport.

Note: The VP Freeze setting allows you to control the visibility of model space entities in the current viewport. The New setting controls whether a layer is either Frozen or Thawed in the new paper space viewports.

Context Menu Options

New: Create a new layer definition into the drawing. The new layer that is created copies the properties of the currently selected layer.

Delete

Deletes layer definitions from the drawing. The following layer definitions cannot be deleted:

Layer 0
Defpoints
Layers in use
The current layer

Merge to…

Opens the Merge Layers dialog box. Here you can choose a target layer where the selected layers will be merged to.

The following layer definitions cannot be merged:

Layer 0
Defpoints
The current layer

Note: you can only merge layers which are in use. If there aren’t any entities assigned to a layer, the merge option will delete the selected layer.

Remove from group: Removes layers from the group they are assigned to.

Create Group Filter From Selection: Creates a group with the selected layers assigned to it.

Rename

Renames the selected layer.

Following layers can not be renamed:

Layer 0
Defpoints

Select All: Selects all layers.

Invert selection: Deselects the current selection and vice versa.

Remove Viewport Overrides: Removes overrides from properties that were set differently for viewports.

From Selected Layers

For current viewport: removes overrides from the current viewport
For all viewports: removes overrides from all viewports in the drawing

From All layers: Removes the overrides form all layers in the drawing for either the current viewport or all viewports.

Isolate Selected Layers: Dims the entities on all which are not selected. Use the LAYUNISO command to unisolate layers.

Options within the command

Filters: You can think of layer filters as "layer groups," groups of layers that you need to show or turn on-or-off all at once.

New Properties Filter: Creates a new properties filter. Displays the Layer Property Filter dialog box.

New Group Filter: Creates a new group filter.

Layers state

Toggles the layers state of all the layers in the selected group.

On: toggles the layers on.
Off: toggles the layers off.
Thaw: thaws the layers.
Freeze: freezes the layers.
Lock: locks the layers.
Unlock: unlocks the layers.

Isolate layers

Isolates the layers in the selected group.

Current viewport: removes overrides from the current viewport.
All viewports: removes overrides from all viewports in the drawing.

Add layers from selection: In the selected layer group filter, the layers from the selected objects in the drawing are added.

Replace with layers from selection: The layers from the selected group filter are replaced with the layers of the selected objects in the drawing.

Add layers from panel selection: Adds the layers which are selected in the layers panel.

Paste with Layers: Pastes the copied or cut group, including its layers.

Convert to Group: Converts a property filter to a group filter.