Layer comps in Illustrator?

Adobe Photoshop has a nice feature called Layer Comps, which lets you wrap up a set of layer visibility settings and given them a name, so you can switch quickly between different views of a document. This would be really useful in Illustrator - anyone know of a way to accomplish anything like this in Illustrator?

Since Illustrator 10 there is the Variables Palette. In conjunction with the Layers Palette you can set up - among other things - Layer Visibility variables.
It's not exactly the same thing as Photoshop's Layer comps. It's a slightly different approach which, unfortunately, has never been improved since its birthday.

Similar Messages

Updating Layer Comps in Illustrator

I don't use layer comps much cos I remember them working clumsily with Illustrator. I now find myself in a situation where I have to use them. The Layer Comps are made in Photoshop CS6 and imported into Illustrator CS5.
In Illustrator I'm selecting the right comp and getting everything setup how I want it. However I'm finding that when I go back to the PS file and make a change, Illustrator of course asks for the link to be updated and then all my comp variations promptly vanish and all I see is the default comp. I have to go through and individually chose each comp again.
Why is AI not remembering the chosen comps?

Sorry let me explain better.
I have a product that sits on different colored napkins. The colored napkins are all derived from the same one. I then made layer comps showing the product on each differently colored napkin.
I then placed each comp into a file in AI. When the requester box for chossing the layer comps comes up I just select the right one and place. I do not change any of the default settings. Maybe I should??
I saved the AI file and then later had to edit the PS file again. The layer comps were updated and the file saved. I then found that when I went back to my AI file all the comps had changed to one variant – it had not updated each version of the comps. Does that make sense?

Why can't we have a Layer Comps function, like PS?

I want the ability to save Layer Comps in Illustrator because I want to build files that can be output in different states without having to save (and then revise) multiple files that utilize the same basic vectors. In fact, I was very surprised to NOT see this feature as a CS4 update. I really doubt this can be all that difficult for Adobe to implement.

I just tried it out - and can report that it does not work. I have layers which each have four sub-layers. I wanted a view which would turn off visibility of two of the sub-layers, and a view which would turn on all of the sub-layers. I expected it to take into account the absolute current state of all layers at the time of creating the view, and apparently it does not. Because I created the view with all the sub-layers turned on first... and then I proceeded to turn off the two sub-layers of each main layer. After doing this, I saved the second view. When I selected the first view (with everything supposed to be on) it turned on other layers which did not have these sub-layers, but would not turn on the sub-layers I had turned off to make the second view.
I should mention that all the layers I've been dealing with have been locked, but I don't think it should matter. The issue in my case is just one of visibility.
So either it is a bug, or the idea of a View is radically different from the Layer Comp in Photoshop...

Can I place a smart object and specify a layer comp?

I have many buttons, each as a layer comp, in a single file.
I do this because there are many common elements: layers for the button base, shared features, button gloss, etc.
What changes is the icon on the button, and possibly a supporting label.
I want to place these buttons on objects in other files.
So, I'd like to Place the file as a smart object AND SPECIFY THE LAYER COMP for the proper button.
Anybody?
Or maybe there is another approach?
Much obliged!
Dave

I'm on CC on a Mac.
What 21 is talking about is making some sense.
I am able to create new smart object via copy, then create a variation on the original file linked in the parent smart object. Then I save that from illustrator with a different file name. Then I go back to photoshop and replace contents of the new smart object, linking it to the newer illustrator file.
This gets around the problem, but it takes a few more steps than the same thing did it in earlier versions of photoshop.

Nested layers and Layer comps

A couple of things I would like to see is better layer control.
At the moment, I use nested layers the same as I use layer groups in Photoshop. ie I put all the element for the front of a label in a layer called 'Front label'. And this works great, however when I reopen the document, the layer palette looks like a mess because Illustrator has expanded all the layers!!
I would be really useful if the Illustrator could remember the layer state of the layer view.
Since we work in the packaging design industry for a brand which operates in a number of countries. We have the same pack but with different language clusters. It would be great to have a layer comp feature which works like layer comps in Photoshop. And to be able to export the different layer comps as separate files.

A couple of things I would like to see is better layer control.
At the moment, I use nested layers the same as I use layer groups in Photoshop. ie I put all the element for the front of a label in a layer called 'Front label'. And this works great, however when I reopen the document, the layer palette looks like a mess because Illustrator has expanded all the layers!!
I would be really useful if the Illustrator could remember the layer state of the layer view.
Since we work in the packaging design industry for a brand which operates in a number of countries. We have the same pack but with different language clusters. It would be great to have a layer comp feature which works like layer comps in Photoshop. And to be able to export the different layer comps as separate files.

Layer Comp

I like the idea using Adobe Bridge also as a font management software. Good. I'd also like to have Bridge be able to view Photoshop Layer Comps directly. I love using Layer Comps and would also like to see the feature in Illustrator. But there's no image viewer software that can view layer comps directly now, and I'd like to see them in Bridge.

> But there's no image viewer software that can view layer comps directly now, and I'd like to see them in Bridge.
And as long as they're adding a viewer, allow it to read PS assests like patterns and brushes so you can manage your collections.

Layers panel - add folders, shortcuts, layer comps

The Layers panel needs a little attention to help us manage a lot of content and changing layer content displays.
The sublayering is less effective than the layer grouping that Photoshop uses.
This is what I would find really helpful in this area:
- Add Folders to the layers panel to help group and control visibility
- Add keyboard shortcuts to some of the more frequently used actions (Add New Layer,.. Group selected layers,..)
This has been mentioned before, but I second the idea: Add a Layer Comps panel.
Thanks.

Several years out now, and still no folders in Illustrator.

Layer Comps New Text option!

Hi,
I am using layer comps so much in my work flow.
Can you please add a feature of having the text option same as we have the visibility, position, fx.
Then say if I have the button i can create the different text options with the layer comps.
Thanks
Muhammad Jamal

Can you please add a feature of having the text option same as we have the visibility, position, fx.
This is a user to user Forum, so you are not really addressing Adobe here, even though some Adobe employees thankfully have been dropping by.

Layer Comps should capture changes to a Linked Smart Object's Layer Comp

Normally, I can move things around or change visibility, and use Layer Comps in my master doc to capture these changes.
However, changing which Layer Comp displays from a Linked Smart Object cannot be captured by Layer Comps in my master doc.
Slightly more information: Sorry it's a little convoluted. I have several Linked Smart Objects inside a master doc, and these Smart Objects contain different Layer Comps. It's awesome that I can easily change which Layer Comp each Smart Object displays. But when I make a change, it cascades across the Layer Comps in my master doc. So my master doc's Layer Comps cannot effectively capture a state.
It would be awesome if Layer Comps were able to capture state changes for the display of Linked Smart Object's Layer Comps. #featurerequest

Photoshop Feature Requests should be posted over at
Photoshop Family Customer Community
But before posting one look around whether one exists already on this issue and add your +1 if it does.

Scripting layer comp property of linked smart object

How can I through script set the layer comp property of a linked smart object?
More generally, how can I access a smart object and manipulate it as a document? I know that I get smart object layers by looking at the kind property, but I don't know what to do with them once I get them. I'd like to be able to cast the layer to a document object I guess. Thoughts, anyone?

Photoshop Feature Requests should be posted over at
Photoshop Family Customer Community
But before posting one look around whether one exists already on this issue and add your +1 if it does.

HOW TO REMOVE HYPHEN IN LAYER COMP EXPORT FILE

HOW TO REMOVE HYPHEN IN LAYER COMP EXPORT FILE IN PNG FORMAT...

I ususally do that type of thing with a state machine... read a token, look for what is next, and if it's the closing token, I don't write it out. You have well defined opening token syntax and closing token syntax, so it should be relatively easy.

How to access the visibility of layer comps in indesign through scripting? [JS][CS5.5]

Hi,
I'm pretty new to scripting in adobe, but I thought this should be a simple one (think again...):
I wanted to go over an array of all the psd-images in a selection or on a page in indesign, and then try to set their layer comp to a specific one (like "Diffuse".
In photoshop I could make an action that would do this for me, but it seems that there are no easy ways in Indesign to do this.
There also seems no way to change the layer comp or layer visibility for multiple selection...
If anyone knows if it is possible at this moment to use layer comps in scripting (and how) or some kind of action for Indesign, I'll try to tackle the rest of the problem myself (and be forever grateful).
If it isn't possible, I how it will be in CS6.
Thanks to anyone interested,
Mattaias
ps: currently trying to solve this in JavaScript for CS5.5.

Thanks for the information so far, but I've been looking at the links you added and haven't found anything about the scripting of layer comps...
Here is the adjusted sample of your code:
function Main() {
    var mySelection = app.selection;
    for(var n=0;n<mySelection.length;n++){
        if(mySelection[n].graphics.length === 1 && mySelection[n].graphics[0].imageTypeName === "Photoshop"){
            //Do your stuff on the selected frame or on the individual placed PSD file:
            // Adjusted Sample code:
            mySelection[n].images[0].graphicLayerOptions.graphicLayers.itemByName("Heat").currentVisib ility = true;
            alert(mySelection[n].images[0].graphicLayerOptions.graphicLayers.itemByName("Heat").curre ntVisibility);
but what I actually need is more like
mySelection[n].images[0].graphicLayerOptions.graphicLayerComps.itemByName("Heat").currentVisibility = true;
It seems a bit strange (or I am looking on the wrong places) but there is no way to access layer comps in Indesign.
Do I have to change the file in PhotoShop and save to get the result I need? Looks a bit strange that there isn't a more logical way then...
The reason I want to script this, is because when there are 100 PSD's on one page and they should al get the same Layer Comp... you have to do this manually for every image.
I like to use this feature to build texture-atlasses and have a dynamic result, but at this moment it would take at least 10 seconds for every picture... for 3 pages, and that for 7 files (and even more in the future).
If anybody has ever scripted something with LayerComps, please let me know. (and something like recording Actions in photoshop is equally usefull)
Otherwise I guess the Adobe programmers just didn't want to share this feature yet in CS5.5.

Layer Comps To Files - Export error: Could not complete this operation. There are no user slices

I have been using the Export Layer Comps To Files scrips that ships with Adobe Photoshop CS5 for a while and found it very useful, apart from the numbers it automatically adds as a prefix to the layercomp name.
A friend pointed me in the direction of a altered version of this scrips which removes the numbers and only exports the layer comp name, gerat I thought. Not great! After using this successfully for a while the scrip started to throw up errors whenever I attempted to export. Either "No layer comps found" or "Adobe Save for Web & Devices Error: Could not complete this operation. There are no user slices." As I knew there were layercomps for the first error and knew that I had not created any slices for the second error I was pretty miffed. Fortunately I had the foresight to make a copy of the original script from the Photoshop presets library.
I have since deleted the offending script out of my presets folder and copied the original script back in however the error still persists. I constantly receive Adobe Save for Web & Devices Error: Could not complete this operation. There are no user slices. I have searched the forums and around the net to try and find a solution for this problem but none seem to present themselves. I am perplex how this error can persist when the original script is now being used.
If there's is anyone out there who can help me resolve this I'd be most grateful. As I say I've tried to resolve this myself and am pretty computer savvy but this one has defeated me
Thanks in advance

The problem seems to be already solved, but I'm commenting this for future reference.
This has happened to me too and I think I know what causes it.
It happens when you...
1) Do "Save for Web" with the "All User Slices" selected in the dropdown menu "Slices".
(This can only be done with a file that has a user slice)
2) Then try to use the "Layer Comp to Files" script to a file that doesn't have any slices.
To avoid this you need to once open a file that "has" a user slice and save with
the "All Slices" option in the "Slices" menu and then go back to the file you want
to run the script to.
When you run the script, the saved "Slices" option from the previous export seems to
be used and causes an error when there are no user slice.
I also found a fix to the script to avoid this error to come out.
This can be also applied to the fix to "remove the numbers" added to the head of the
exported file names.
The number removal script goes something like this...
var fileNameBody = exportInfo.fileNamePrefix;
if (fileNameBody != "") fileNameBody += "_";
fileNameBody += compRef.name;
this should replace the "Layer Comps to Files.jsx" lines 188-190.
In addition to that, the script below needs to be added below line 818 and line 863.
(This line numbers are those before any alterations to the "Layer Comps to Files.jsx" script)
var idSWsl = charIDToTypeID( "SWsl" );
var idSTsl = charIDToTypeID( "STsl" );
var idSLAl = charIDToTypeID( "SLAl" );
desc4.putEnumerated( idSWsl, idSTsl, idSLAl );
The line right above where the above script should be inserted should read as the following...
desc4.putPath( id44, new File( exportInfo.destination + "/" + fileNameBody + ".png") );
Actually it can be added any where after the "desc4" variable is declared but I specified just
to make it simple.
This sets the "Save for Web" "Slices" settings to "All User Slices".

BUG: FatalError when exporting layer comps to pdf file in PhotoShop CS6

I've been starting to use the File -> Scripts -> Layer Comps to... frequently--it is great for sharing files with clients.
When I used File -> Scripts -> Layer Comps to Files (type: pdf, "selected layer comps only" with about 6 of 12 comps selected) today I got the following error:
"FatalError: General Photoshop error occurred. This functionality may not be available in this verison of Photoshop. - <no additional information available>"
The only other notification I get for this document is a missing font upon opening, which I do not imagine would be a problem.
I am on the latest version of PhotoShop CS6 as confirmed by my CreativeCloud app.
My MacBook Pro is pretty generously outfitted and updated: OS 10.9 (latest update), 16GB RAM, over 100GB free HD space, 1GB VRAM.
I haven't had a chance to do repeated tests to get it to fail like this again as I'm on a deadline so I had it do the same process but exporting ALL layer comps and I removed the unwanted pages in Acrobat Pro.

So I've found a bit in the script that I think might be it (below). Can I remove that whole bit? Or would changing the 4 to a 0 do the trick (I tried and it didn't do anything)... Sorry, but I'm not a coder so don't really know if I'm barking up the wrong tree or not.
Thanks
for ( compsIndex = 0; compsIndex < compsCount; compsIndex++ ) {
                var compRef = docRef.layerComps[ compsIndex ];
                if (exportInfo.selectionOnly && !compRef.selected) continue; // selected only
                compRef.apply();
                var duppedDocument = app.activeDocument.duplicate();
                var fileNameBody = exportInfo.fileNamePrefix;
                fileNameBody += "_" + zeroSuppress(compsIndex, 4);
                fileNameBody += "_" + compRef.name;
                if (null != compRef.comment)    fileNameBody += "_" + compRef.comment;
                fileNameBody = fileNameBody.replace(/[:\/\\*\?\"\<\>\|\\\r\\\n]/g, "_"); // '/\:*?"<>|\r\n' -> '_'
                if (fileNameBody.length > 120) fileNameBody = fileNameBody.substring(0,120);
                saveFile(duppedDocument, fileNameBody, exportInfo);
                duppedDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);

Layer Comp to Files in CC 2014 is SLLLLOOOOOWWWWW

I updated to CC 2014 from CC when it first was announced but today was the first time I have had to export out my site design via the Layer Comps to File Script that I have loved to use for years. It has saved me so much time when I am working on sites with 20-40 pages. That being said I was startled by the slow speed I noticed instantly with CC 2014.
So I figured I'd do a little test:
My Machine:
15" Macbook Pro running Mac OS 10.8.5
2.6GHZ intel Core i7
16GB 1600mhz DD3
256GB SSD
Using the same 287MB PSD with 24 Layer comps - here are the times to save out each layer comp as a JPG at 8 quality using the script.
CC: 31 Seconds
CC 2014: 3 minutes and 7 Seconds
All my performance settings are identical between the two so I have no idea how it can be a 2.5min difference. I almost feel like I should just default back to CC at this point.
Has any one experience this same thing, or have any clue why CC 2014 it is going so slow compared to CC?
EDIT:
After chatting with a fellow designer, we came to the hunch that it might be do to the new Smart Object Layer comps feature in 2014. Even though I am not using the functionality in my PSD, I would guess PS needs to make that YES/NO check on each and every smart object through out my PSD. I would guess I have 20 or so smart objects. Which I would assume would slow down the process a bit, and when you have 24 times instances of making multiple checks it could add up quickly...
Thanks!

Mine don't even work.

Layer comps in Illustrator?

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