Layers help you do the following:

• Manage complex drawings with many overlapping objects.
• Categorize objects that logically belong together by layer.
• View certain objects in your drawing while hiding others.
• Easily select and edit objects.
• Protect objects from accidental changes.
• Trace from a template on another layer.
• Print certain objects only.

Each drawing has one layer by default. The default name of each layer is Layer1, Layer2, and so forth. Layer1 is the back layer. The number of layers you can use is virtually unlimited (32,767).

Windows Draw lets you do the following with layers:

• Rename the layers.
• Add and delete layers.
• Change the order of layers.
• Display or hide selected layers.
• Specify layers as printable or non-printable.
• Lock layers (so that objects cannot be moved or changed).
• Move objects from one layer to another.
• Edit all the layers at once, or edit one layer at a time.

Layer Manager:
The Layer Manager lists the layers defined for the active drawing and lets you perform layer operations. In the Layer Manager:

The current layer is indicated by an arrowhead  in the Current column before the layer's name. The current layer is the layer on which new objects are placed and the layer being edited, unless the Edit All Layers option is turned on.

The visible setting of a layer is indicated by the box under the bulb icon .  If the box is selected, the layer is displayed. If the box is clear, the layer is hidden.

The print setting of a layer is indicated by the box under the printer icon .  If the box is selected, the layer is printable. If the box is clear, the layer is non-printable.

The lock setting of a layer is indicated by the box under the lock icon . If the box is selected, the layer is locked. If the box is clear, the layer is unlocked.

Besides letting you change the visible, print, and lock properties of layers, the Layer Manager lets you select the current layer; add, delete, and rename layers; change the order of layers; and specify whether you want to edit the current or all layers.

Note: The Layer Manager will not close if you have selected a hidden, locked layer as the current layer. To close the Layer Manager, you must change the current layer to a layer that is not hidden or locked.

Layer tab bar:
At the bottom of each drawing window is a layer tab bar that shows a tab for each layer defined for that drawing. The tabs show the names of the layers and the order in which the layers are arranged. The current layer is indicated by a white tab. When a layer is hidden or locked, the name on that tab is gray.

Scroll arrows appear at the left of the layer tab bar when the tab bar contains more tabs than can be shown at once.

Editing All Layers:
The Layers command also lets you switch between editing the current layer and editing all layers. Editing all layers lets you select, move, and edit all objects in the active drawing, regardless of the layer on which they are located. When editing all layers, you cannot move an object on a lower layer in front of an object on a higher layer.

Note: New objects are always placed on the current layer, even when you are editing all layers.

Tips for using Layers:

• To speed up the redraw of complicated drawings, hide the layers that you are not currently working with.
• To display a shortcut menu that lets you show or hide a layer, click the tab of the layer you want to show or hide with the right mouse button.
• To quickly open the Layer Manager, double-click a layer tab.