Hey cmbbar,
I think the two main things you're probably looking for are global variables, and the "Persist" behavior.
(Those links go to the corresponding C2 manual pages.)
Global variables keep their values between layouts.
The Persist behavior, saves and preserves the state of objects between layouts, such that when you go back to a layout, the persistent objects will be wherever you left them last, instead of resetting to their starting positions.