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About Filtering and Sorting the List of Layers

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Beginner
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You can control which layer names are listed in the Layer Properties Manager, and sort them by name or by a property setting.

Sort the Layer List

Once you have created layers, you can sort them by name or other properties. In the Layer Properties Manager, click the column heading to sort layers by the property in that column. Layer names can be sorted in ascending or descending alphanumeric order.

List Layers Using Wild-Card Characters

You can use wild-card characters in the Search box of the Layer Properties Manager to list layers by name. For example, if you enter 02* in the Search box, all layers that begin with the characters 02 are listed.

The following wildcards are available:

Character

Definition

# (pound)

Matches any numeric digit

@ (at)

Matches any alphabetic character

. (period)

Matches any non-alphanumeric character

* (asterisk)

Matches any string and can be used anywhere in the search string

? (question mark)

Matches any single character; for example, ?BC matches ABC, 3BC, and so on

~ (tilde)

Matches anything but the pattern; for example; ~*AB*matches all strings that don't contain AB

[ ]

Matches any one of the characters enclosed; for example, [AB]C matches AC and BC

[~]

Matches any character not enclosed; for example, [~AB]C matches XC but not AC

[-]

Specifies a range for a single character; for example, [A-G]C matches AC, BC, and so on to GC, but not HC

` (reverse quote)

Reads the next character literally; for example, `~AB matches ~AB
Note To find a layer name that contains a wild-card character, precede the character with a reverse quote (`) so that it is not interpreted as a wild-card character.

Filter the Layer List

A layer filter limits the display of layer names in the Layer Properties Manager, and in the Layer control on ribbon and the Layers toolbar. In a large drawing, you can use layer filters to display only the layers that you need.

There are two kinds of layer filters:

  • Layer property filter. Lists the layers that have portions of their names or properties in common. For example, you can define a property filter that lists all layers that include the letters mech and are set to the color red. Layer property filters can include nested layer property filters.
  • Layer group filter. Lists the layers that you assign to the group, regardless of their names or properties. You can add layers to a layer group filter by dragging them from the layer list onto the group filter. Layer group filters can include both nested layer property filters and layer group filters.

There are five predefined filters:

  • All. Lists all the layers in the current drawing.
  • All Used. Lists all the layers on which objects in the current drawing are drawn.
  • Xref. If xrefs are attached to the drawing, lists all the layers being referenced from other drawings.
  • Viewport Overrides. If there are layers with overrides for the current viewport, lists all the layers containing property overrides.
  • Unreconciled New Layers. If new layers were added since the drawing was last opened, saved, reloaded, or plotted, lists all new unreconciled layers. See About Reconciling New Layers for more information.

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