LayerLifter

Intro – Layer Contextual Menu

This simple tool offers an alternative method to using the layers palette for moving objects between layers.

It also has an optional feature to nudge all items on the layer throughout the whole document or across the current spread.

Installation

Before you start installing, exit out of InDesign.

Please make sure you have a copy of the APID ToolAssistant plug-in installed. Make sure you install the proper plug-in for your version of InDesign since the plug-ins are mutually incompatible. The Windows CS5.x plug-ins also come with an additional folder with a parenthesised name which needs to be copied along.

If you already have an APID ToolAssistant plug-in installed (e.g. because you use one of our other plug-ins), make sure it is up-to-date.

You will be installing two separate, but related software products: LayerLifter and APID ToolAssistant. LayerLifter will continue to work when the APID ToolAssistant demo expires.

i.e You do NOT need to purchase a license for APID ToolAssistant.

Copy the LayerLifter.spln into the same folder as the APID ToolAssistant plug-in (typically that will be the InDesign Plug-Ins folder). Don’t worry about the icon of the .spln file: it might not be a ‘regular’ icon, and that’s OK.

Usage

First select one or more objects on a spread, and then right-click (Win) or control-click (Mac), and pick a destination layer from the LayerLifter context menu.

There’s also an optional layer shifter feature for people who have purchased an APID ToolAssistant license.

The layer shifter allows you to shift all items on a particular layer – either throughout the whole document, or across the current spread.

You can select either option via API – LayerLifter – Preferences – click the checkbox in front of Drag Attached Layer On All Spreads to get a document-wide layer shift.

Now select any page item that resides on the layer you want to shift, and select API – LayerLifter – Attach To Layer. A small paperclip should appear next to the page item to show it is attached to its layer. When you now shift this page item, it will ‘drag’ its whole layer along. Any other page items on the same layer will shift by the same amount.

Don’t forget to use API – LayerLifter – Detach From Layer to release the page item afterwards.

More Info

For more detailed information on LayerLifter, go to:

https://www.rorohiko.com/wordpress/manuals/layerlifter-manual/