Is it possible to Hide grouped layers in the layer pulldown?

I'm working with several different drawings from several different people. IE Engineers, architects, and even other people within my company. I'm trying to group all of their layers together and place each person's own drawing into one master drawing. What I want to know is, when I group them together, I can still see every layer in no particular order in the layer pulldown. Is it possible to make it so that they collapse within their folder even in the pulldown?

I'm working with several different drawings from several different people. IE Engineers, architects, and even other people within my company. I'm trying to group all of their layers together and place each person's own drawing into one master drawing. What I want to know is, when I group them together, I can still see every layer in no particular order in the layer pulldown. Is it possible to make it so that they collapse within their folder even in the pulldown?

There isn't a way to do a hierarchy of expanding/collapsing but search the Help File for a very detailed explanation of Property Filters in the Layer Manager. This way you can hide or show certain layers through filters and only the ones you need will show up.

Also, you can use something called "Wild-Card Characters" to really get detailed and use extensive layer control.

I appreciate the reply, but that doesn't particularly help me. I need a way to not have 10000 layers in my layer pulldown, without actually putting everything on 1 layer and purging the rest...

What Tannar said does help. If you open the Layer Manager Dialog and select a created layer filter, when you look at the Layer pulldown, it will only display layers matching the filter.

eg.

I just created a filter that only includes layers matching C-*

If you select the filter (which will only show the matching layers in the Layer Manager), once closed, it will only show the matching layers in the pulldown.

It doesn't do that for me...

I appreciate the reply, but that doesn't particularly help me. I need a way to not have 10000 layers in my layer pulldown, without actually putting everything on 1 layer and purging the rest...

Trust me, this is what you're after. For instance, when I have xref's in my drawings, I used this Wild-Card Character string to rid all of them and show only the active layers in the drawing:

~*|*

This is because every xref layer has a "|" character in it. The "~" Wild-Card Character does not allow any layer with the following character strings to show. Here is the list of Wild-Card Characters in the Help file:

  [font=Courier New][size=2]Character[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Definition[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]# (pound)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any numeric digit[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]@ (at)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any alphabetic character[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]. (period)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any nonalphanumeric character[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]* (asterisk)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any string and can be used anywhere in the search  string[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]? (question mark)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any single character; for example, ?BC matches ABC,  3BC, and so on[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]~ (tilde)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches anything but the pattern; for example; ~*AB*matches  all strings that don't contain AB[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2][ ][/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any one of the characters enclosed; for example,  [AB]C matches AC and BC[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2][~][/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Matches any character not enclosed; for example, [~AB]C  matches XC but not AC[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2][-][/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Specifies a range for a single character; for example,  [A-G]C matches AC, BC, and so on to GC, but not HC[/size][/font]
  [font=Courier New][size=2]` (reverse quote)[/size][/font]
 [font=Courier New][size=2]Reads the next character literally; for example, `~AB  matches ~AB[/size][/font]

It doesn't do that for me...

Then you didn't do it right. Copy/Paste what you put, and show a screenshot of your layers. Or if you can, upload the file so I can take a look at it so we can get you rolling on this.

Ugh, the woes of Layer Manager and the pulldown. I'll stick with the old commandline version...

Command: la
-LAYER
Current layer:  "ALAN"
Enter an option 
[?/Make/Set/New/ON/OFF/Color/Ltype/LWeight/MATerial/Plot/Freeze/Thaw/LOck/Unlock
/stAte]:

It doesn't do that for me...

It should. I even did that in '08 to make sure it worked in that version.

Yeah, I make the groups. I did A- just to get all the anno layers. I select it, and everything still shows up on the pulldown. I can't send you the file, unfortunately. It's sensitive material, so to speak.

Yeah, I make the groups. I did A- just to get all the anno layers. I select it, and everything still shows up on the pulldown. I can't send you the file, unfortunately. It's sensitive material, so to speak.

You forgot the asterisk symbol after the dash. Do that, and then only layers that begin with A- will show up. So don't type A- you need to type A-*

After that be sure to highlight the newly created Properties Filter before clicking the Apply/OK button when you close the Layer Manager dialog box.

Yeah, I make the groups. I did A- just to get all the anno layers. I select it, and everything still shows up on the pulldown. I can't send you the file, unfortunately. It's sensitive material, so to speak.

Sending the drawing wouldn't do any good.

Take a screen shot of it. If you are doing it correctly, it should work.

yeah, i will. i can get them separated in the manager just fine. i just can't get them to be isolated in the pulldown.

You forgot the asterisk symbol after the dash. Do that, and then only layers that begin with A- will show up. So don't type A- you need to type A-*

 

After that be sure to highlight the newly created Properties Filter before clicking the Apply/OK button when you close the Layer Manager dialog box.

yeah, i will. i can get them separated in the manager just fine. i just can't get them to be isolated in the pulldown.

Be sure to read the above.

Ok, fire away.

i clock out in 5 minutes, fyi. may not get back to you til monday. XD

Make sure to select the Property Filter BEFORE clicking Apply/OK.

I'll check back in with you monday. Thank you for helping, or trying to help me. This place is great, I have a feeling i'll be using it quite a bit.

do you think that it doesn't work because I don't have express tools?

1st off, you have Express Tools, they just might be installed. 2nd, the Layer Manager and Property Filters have nothing to do with E.T.'s.

Is this still not working for you?