[REQUEST / SUGGESTION] copy-paste layers

Hey there!

I know I'm not the first one to mention this, but given it's been asked for years without a final answer, I'll ask anyway : is it possible to implement some way to copy layers please?

Once you have created several layouts by duplicating them, and decide that you want a new layer on every single of them... it quickly turns into tedious work. I don't really want to have to destroy every layout, and start duplicating one into several ones again. And it can take a long time to add the new layer with the same name and properties to every single layout that requires it.

Thanks in advance if you're planning on adding this option to C2.

+1 Some way to share layers between layouts has been requested a dozen times and is definitely something we need.

Yeah, it's pretty annoying to have to go into the XML and manually copy layers around.

I block out my levels with just solid blocks. Then when everything plays well, I have to go in and add 6+ layers to each layout, name them, set all the properties, effects etc. It's such a hassle.

Would love to have this feature.

Should we tag someone at Scirra to make sure they see this? Is this what people use to do here?

Kan

Well, Ashley works. Editor requests tend to go a little slower though; apparently it's a lot harder to work with than the engine itself.

Don't global layers mostly solve this?

I was going to say the same thing as Ashley, but global layers have the same problem as global objects - what if you only want this layer in, say, half your layouts? you're stuck. (AFAIK anyway)

Global layers wouldn't work because you'd want different objects on your layers. Right?

Yeah global layers are completely different. Perhaps we could have a way to import layers and their properties from one layout to another? This way you can have unique layers for title screens and such, then for levels you can import layers from the first level. Adding or modifying a layer on all of them would still be a problem though..

Or maybe a new layout property to share layers with other layouts with that enabled. You can then disable it for unique layers or properties.

Kan

Well, Ashley works. Editor requests tend to go a little slower though; apparently it's a lot harder to work with than the engine itself.

I understand that, and I know how much work it must be for three guys, and I'm really impressed by what they've achieved ever since Construct Classic. Now that they are reading this, I want to make sure you guys understand that I never mean to say Construct isn't good enough already. I switched from GameMaker to Clickteam's products, and then from Clickteam to Construct Classic years ago, as I found it was even better than any other game-creation tool. And I think Construct 2 takes it to an even higher level, and is the first game-making software I ever bought. Congratulations on everything you've done, and thank you for creating Construct, and making it the way it is.

what if you only want this layer in, say, half your layouts? you're stuck. (AFAIK anyway)

Global layers wouldn't work because you'd want different objects on your layers. Right?

UberLou and Sqiddster are pointing straight to what I am dealing with too.

Ashley

Yes they do...more so than I thought, now that I look at it. I thought global layers automatically appeared on every layout; didn't realize they were 'opt-in'. Now that I look at them, they basically work like 'include' for layers.

Nonetheless, copy/paste would be handy for cases where you wanted to copy 'template' layers and iterate on them in the editor, without having to resort to events to reposition objects and tweak attributes.

On globals: I still wish the editor handled layer conflicts better. You have to be careful you don't duplicate the name of another layer on another layout, because the editor doesn't rename anything or warn you, it just overrides the non-global layer. For a game with many layouts, this means breaking out notepad++ and trawling for layer names.

Oh, and when I was playing w/ global's, I think I spotted a glitch: If you have a non-global layer on one layout, override it w/ a global layer on another layout, then DELETE the global layer, the local layer still says 'Global, overridden', and prevents you from placing objects on it. If you save the session and reload it, this corrects itself. Can you see this, or should I file a bug report proper?

A problem with global layers is that if you have a bunch of layouts, and then suddenly need to add a new layer (even if it's global) you still have to go through all your layouts and manually add that layer, rename it, and move it to the correct spot.

This shouldn't be a problem if you plan ahead (I usually just duplicate the entire layout then change the event sheet) but for instance I recently updated one of my games to include a company's SKD and I needed a new layer. Had to add it manually to all of them, even though it was global. Being able to copy the layer and its name would have hastened that process tremendously.

i agree, going trough all the layouts adding the layers is very painful

remembering all the properties effects and all that >.>

please, i want to copy paste layers.