OOF2: The Manual

The Layer List at the bottom of the Graphics Window contains one line for each Layer in the window. The Layers are listed in the opposite of the order in which they're drawn, so that the layers drawn last are at the top of the list. That is, Layers that are conceptually at the top of the display, obscuring the Layers below them, are listed at the top of the Layer List.

Figure 4.2 indicates the components of the Layer List. Each line corresponds to a single Layer, and is made up of the following columns:

Figure 4.2. The Layer List

Clicking on an entry in the Layer List (but not on one of the buttons in it) selects that Layer for further processing by commands in the Graphics Window's Layer menu and by the Layer Editor. Control-clicking on a selected Layer will deselect it.

To rearrange the order of the Layers in the list, simply click and drag a Layer to its new position, as shown in Figure 4.3. The Layers in the canvas will rearrange themselves accordingly. Dragging a layer invokes the commands OOF.Graphics_n.Layer.Raise.By and OOF.Graphics_n.Layer.Lower.By.

It's often convenient to repeatedly raise and lower a layer to compare it to an adjacent layer. To do this easily, use the keyboard accelerators control-L and control-R, corresponding to the Raise.One_Level and Lower.One_Level in the OOF.Graphics_n.Layer menu.

Figure 4.3. Rearranging Layers

In normal operation, the Layer List actually doesn't show all of the Layers that are being displayed on the Canvas. This is because there are a lot of auxiliary Layers, for showing selections and other decorations, that would just clutter up the list. These Layers are called unlisted layers, and are indicated by a thin horizontal line in the list. The List All Layers command in the Settings menu governs whether or not the auxiliary Layers are listed.