How to import both layer filters *and* the layers therein?

[jmldg]

Hello all -

Looking for a little help on how to more easily deal with pages that have x-refs attached.  I'm working on a project now that will be built in three phases, and so there are many layers - lights phase one, lights phase two, etc.  All the layers are neatly organized within the layer manager, each in its own group filter, so I can just turn the phases on and off, and everything behaves orderly.  What I'm trying to do is be able to export that amount of order to the individual pages that are going to be referencing the x-ref.  For instance, on my electrical page, I'd like to be able to turn on and off the phases at will.

Now, I know I can export the layer filter tree, which I've done, so all of my layer group names exist on the electrical page.  But there are no layers within those groups.  All that's there is "walls", for whatever reason.  It took a bit of planning and time to get all the layers in the proper groups in the first place, and I'd really like not to have to do it all over again.  Anyone know how to get all the layers to appear in their proper groups?

The only workaround I can think of is to just save the x-ref with whatever layers I want on (i.e. electrical phase 3) and only *then* attach the x-ref to the page, so the page will just load with the correct layers turned on.  What that doesn't get me, though, is the ability to then turn on and off the various phases.

Any suggestions, more than appreciated.

Thanks,

Liesl

[David_W_Koch · Accepted solution]

You do not say how your layers are named.  If you have a consistent, unique identifier in your layer naming for each phase, instead of setting up a Group Filter, which is "static" and would not adjust to the layer name change when the file is externally referenced, you could use a property filter, which is "dynamic".

For example, the US National CAD Standard has a one-character field at the end for "Status", which can be used to designate a phase.  "1" would be for phase 1, etc.  A property filter of *-1 would gather up all of the phase 1 layers, whether or not they were externally referenced.