Properties

The Properties panel lets you view or change the properties of an object. It can be invoked by selecting an object using the Properties tool under Info (as described on this page), or by editing an object using the Edit object or the Edit group tools under Modify. Note that when a group instance is selected using the Properties or Edit object tools, the instance properties are shown. When a group instance is selected in Edit group, you can view or change the properties of the group itself, or any member of the group. Property changes made using the Edit group can be global (affecting all copies of the group), or local (affecting only the selected instance).

The Properties panel shows all of the properties for the selected object and allows you to change them as needed. For individual objects, the Layer and color properties are always shown. For objects other than text, the line type and thickness are shown. Beyond that, the properties shown depend on the type of object selected. For example, if a rectangle is selected you can also view and modify its Fill, Width and Height properties.

When an object is created, its color, line thickness, and line type default to a special value called By layer. This means that these properties are set to the properties of the active layer. If these properties are given specific values in the Properties panel they override the properties of the Layer.

The Properties tool

The Properties tool allows you to select an object and show its Properties panel. The tool is basically a shortcut to the properties functionality in the Edit object tool.

When an instance of a group is selected, the properties shown are for the instance. To change the properties of group members, use the Edit group tool. Properties for group instances are as follows:

Layer shows Layer property of the instance. This can be changed as desired. Any group members that were drawn using the Unassigned layer will inherit this Layer assignment. Group members that have specific Layer assignments will keep those assignments regardless of the value of the instance's Layer property.

Color shows Color property of the instance. This can be changed as desired. The Color property for an instance defaults to By layer. This means that each of its members will be drawn using the member's Layer or Color properties. If the Color of an instance is set explicitly, all of its members will be drawn using that Color.