a simple system option would hide the Xref layers by default whenever a drawing is opened.

[Wish List System]

Summary: Xref Invert filter, persistent system setting.

Description: every drawing I open I have to open the Layers dialog, click Xref and tick Invert Filter -- this is the only way we can hide the plethora of layers from our layers list, which should never show up in the properties dialog as they aren't alterable within the current drawing anyway.

a simple system option would hide the Xref layers by default whenever a drawing is opened.

Product & Feature: AutoCAD

Submitted: Wed, 16 Nov 2011

[jaberwok]

but the display of xref layers IS alterable in the current drawing.

[krzystoff]

but the display of xref layers IS alterable in the current drawing.

the display of Xref layers is alterable as you say,
however if you take a grown-up look at the Layer list in the Properties Palette, you would notice that it displays both layers in the current drawing as well as any Xref layers, which is entirely redundant -- there is no way to turn layers on/off or freeze/thaw layers within the Properties palette, (that is only possible from the Ribbon or the Command Line);
also, if you select a drawing element, you cannot change it to an Xref layer, obviously, and selecting an Xref will not allow you to see which layer an Xref element is on, only the insertion layer -- therefore displaying the list of Xref layers there serves no purpose to anyone, at anytime, but makes the Layer list needlessly long.

this is a greater problem if you use a lot of Xrefs, particularly consultants drawings -- many of our surveyors and engineers provide us drawings which we must Xref with several hundred layers in each. while we work with only ~50 layers (x the number of our own Xrefs), once you add a half-dozen consultants' drawings, you can easily top 1,000 Layers in one file -- that doesn't help anyone.
thus our standard office approach has long been, for every drawing we open -- open the Layers dialog, select 'Xref' from the filter tree, check the Invert Filters box and close the dialog again. this only takes a few seconds each time but it's tedious, annoying and it shouldn't need to be that way. the only time we need to view the Xref layers can be done by simply switching to that file, freezing thawing layers can be done far more easily with LAYFRZ than hunting through the Layer list anyway.

all it would take is for Autodesk to put those to two things into a Config Option or System Variable, so it's set persistently for all drawings.

[nestly]

Current Layer Filter is retained in the drawing, however "Invert Filter" is not. This is a good wish, however the same thing can be achieved if the user adds a "NoXref" filter that does not need to be inverted.

[BlackBox]

the display of Xref layers is alterable as you say,
however if you take a grown-up look at the Layer list in the Properties Palette, you would notice that it displays both layers in the current drawing as well as any Xref layers, which is entirely redundant -- there is no way to turn layers on/off or freeze/thaw layers within the Properties palette, (that is only possible from the Ribbon or the Command Line);

Firstly, I am curious to know how you define what it means to "take a grown up look at the Layer list in the Properties Palette?" Otherwise, some might mistake this statement as being disrespectful, or even rude.

By definition, layers that reside within the Active Document's Layers Collection, and those which reside within the XREF's Layers Collection are not the same (even if they have the same name), thus they are mutually exclusive, and _cannot_ be redundant... With exception to how AutoCAD handles layers Zero (0), and Defpoints which are reserved.

You are correct that one cannot manipulate layers via the Properties Palette; however, you neglect to realize (or at least failed to mention in your post) that this is due to the Properties Palette displaying the selected entity's Properties, and not those of the Layers Collection Object. To better understand the purpose of the Properties Palette, see the PROPERTIES Command.

In addition to the Ribbon Control, and Command Line (i.e., the -LAYER Command), one can also manipulate Layer Properties via the LayerPalette (LAYERDLGMODE = 1), the ClassicLayer Dialog (LAYERDLGMODE = 0), or via code (AutoLISP Dictionary, Visual LISP Layer Collection... Lets not forget about the layer-state* functions... or .NET Layer Table Record, be it by CommandMethod Method, or LispFunction Method, etc.).

also, if you select a drawing element, you cannot change it to an Xref layer, obviously, and selecting an Xref will not allow you to see which layer an Xref element is on, only the insertion layer -- therefore displaying the list of Xref layers there serves no purpose to anyone, at anytime, but makes the Layer list needlessly long.

You are correct that one cannot change an entity to reside within an externally referenced layer (at least not without using ObjectDBX to programmatically open the external reference, and copy the entity to the external reference, save, close the DbxDoc, then reload the external reference, and delete the entity from the ActiveDocument Object), as the aptly named reference is in deed external to the Active Document.

The complexity of an XREF can be a factor, but what's wrong with the XLIST (Express Tools) Command, or nentsel and nentselp functions for querying information about an entity within the XREF?

Typically, one only loads XREFs to reference additional information... Which serves a range of purposes, to anyone who attaches, or overlays an XREF, and makes the layer list only as long as the user has instructed. If you need to reference the information contained within the XREF, then you require the layers. If you only require the information contained within specific layers, then consider the VISRETAIN system variable in combination with LAYERSTATE Command (not to mention the PURGE, and WBLOCK Commands).

this is a greater problem if you use a lot of Xrefs, particularly consultants drawings -- many of our surveyors and engineers provide us drawings which we must Xref with several hundred layers in each. while we work with only ~50 layers (x the number of our own Xrefs), once you add a half-dozen consultants' drawings, you can easily top 1,000 Layers in one file -- that doesn't help anyone.

This is an internal CAD Standards problem, and not one that should be addressed by Autodesk... I dislike how we work with heffalumps and woozles, but that doesn't mean it is Autodesk's responsibility to make platform changes, when simply implementing smarter internal best practices, and standards at my place of work is possible and would better allow me the flexibility I need to yield the desired outcome.

thus our standard office approach has long been, for every drawing we open -- open the Layers dialog, select 'Xref' from the filter tree, check the Invert Filters box and close the dialog again. this only takes a few seconds each time but it's tedious, annoying and it shouldn't need to be that way. the only time we need to view the Xref layers can be done by simply switching to that file, freezing thawing layers can be done far more easily with LAYFRZ than hunting through the Layer list anyway.

all it would take is for Autodesk to put those to two things into a Config Option or System Variable, so it's set persistently for all drawings.

You can always do this manually as well, never mind the VISRETAIN system variable mentioned above, but why not simply employ a Visual LISP Reactor to automagically unload all XREFs at drawing close?

Cheers, kris.treagus394596!

HTH

[jaberwok]

Current Layer Filter is retained in the drawing, however "Invert Filter" is not. This is a good wish, however the same thing can be achieved if the user adds a "NoXref" filter that does not need to be inverted.

My emphasis.

This is IMO an eminently sensible solution.