Inkscape

opening a svg file from InkScape

Asked by Majid Moslehi

When I open an svg file from exported from InkScape, it seems that all the objects in the file are in a default layer which has no name. I can ungroup all the objects but it seems that after creating a new layer, I can not move any selected object into the new layer. What is the name of the default layer, and how can I move an object from it into a new layer?

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su_v (suv-lp) said : 		#1

> When I open an svg file from exported from InkScape

In which file format did you export from Inkscape? Saving as 'Plain SVG' doesn't keep layers, layers are turned into regular groups. To keep the layer structure, save as 'Inkscape SVG'.

> I can not move any selected object into the new layer

If you objects are in '<root>' (a level beneath any layer structure), there are two ways to move them into a newly created layer:
a) click on one of the objects to make sure '<root>' is active (watch the layer selector in the status line), select all and use menu 'Layer > Move Selection to the Layer Below'
b) select all, 'Edit > Cut', select the target layer in the layers dialog, 'Edit > Paste in Place'

> What is the name of the default layer

The default name of the first layer is 'Layer 1' (taking from the default template, might be different if you use Inkscape with a different UI language - some of the default templates have been localized and use translated name equivalent to 'Layer 1').

If you want to work with layers, always save the your drawings as 'Inkscape SVG' and only save a copy in a different vector format when you need to e.g. publish, print or use it with other software.

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su_v (suv-lp) said : 		#2

Related reports in the bug tracker:

Bug #444194 in Inkscape: “Layers not saved in plain svg format” (Won't fix)
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/444194>

Bug #488561 in Inkscape: “Object still visible when all layers switched off.”:
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/488561>

Bug #166625 in Inkscape: “root-level items trapped in root after first layer created”
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/166625>

Feature request:

Bug #172222 in Inkscape: “Move direct to specified layer”
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/172222>

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