Working with Symbols

October 10, 10109

Any object or layer can be used as a symbol.
Create a new symbol from an object or layer, by giving it a name and setting the object Role to Symbol.
Automatically create symbols, by placing them onto a Reference Canvas with the Symbol role.
Edit the content of a symbol, by selecting the Reference Canvas containing the symbol, and using regular object editing tools.
Access and use symbols from menus and lists.
Create new symbols using the Symbols panel.
Save and reuse non-linked symbols (object copies) as presets.

Use a symbol by drag and drop from the Symbols panel.
Create symbolic references to any object, by dragging and dropping from the Layers panel, while holding the Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) key.
Expand selected symbol links, using the Expand Symbol command.
Apply additional shape or image effects to symbols, while still retaining the original editable symbol.
Find and replace objects with symbols, using object styles or other attributes.

Use the Symbols panel to create and manage the collection of symbols in a document.
Reference objects are also listed in the Symbols panel.
Drag and drop symbols from the panel into the document.
Insert symbols into text as a glyph.
Organize symbols into folders.
Assign style activation schemes to symbol folders, to define alternative symbol selections.
Export and reuse symbols using VectorStyler specific symbols library (binary, JSON or XML formats).
Update a collection of symbols from an existing symbols file.

Use Reference Canvases to create and edit objects that are used as symbols.
Define multiple objects as symbols, by setting the role of the canvas containing the objects.
Link to VectorStyler document files containing objects and symbols.
Update symbols from linked documents automatically or manually, as the external document file is changed.
Use Style Activation Groups to automatically select groups of Symbols or Styles.