How to select an item that isn't on any layer?

Avistew · Postby **Avistew** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 3:42 am

I was trying to delete an item from a page. However I cannot select it. I tried going through all the items in each layer with tab and it wasn't on any layer.

I saw some people answering similar issues by saying the item is in root and I need to access the XML editor. However I don't really know where to look in the XML editor. Other people have suggested to select the item, but it seems the "layer" is locked so I can't do that.

How can I find the item I need (or even just the root layer) in the XML editor?

Thanks.

ragstian · Postby **ragstian** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:08 am

Hi.

Can you post an example file?

If an object is not "selectable" it's normally because it belongs to a group or have a lower z-value than another objject on top of it.

Try selecting all (Ctrl - A) and watch the status line at the bottom of the Inkscape window. It will tell you what's selected.
Try ungrouping repeatedly (Shift Ctrl G)
To select an object at a lower Z-value try holding the ALT key while selecting.

If you have not got too many objects try selecting one and use the TAB key to go on to the next until you get to your "desired" object.

If you click a line in the XML-editor you can see on the screen if the object is selected.

Lazur · Postby **Lazur** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:06 am

Avistew wrote:I was trying to delete an item from a page. However I cannot select it. I tried going through all the items in each layer with tab and it wasn't on any layer.

I saw some people answering similar issues by saying the item is in root and I need to access the XML editor. However I don't really know where to look in the XML editor. Other people have suggested to select the item, but it seems the "layer" is locked so I can't do that.

How can I find the item I need (or even just the root layer) in the XML editor?

Thanks.

All layers are sublayers of the root, so if the root layer was locked all the "sublayers" would be "locked" too.

There is an option to lock and unlock separate objects too, try if it works.
(Under object menu, unlock all objects.)

If you are looking for objects in the root, check for objects above the first layer
-the first layer should look something like
<svg:g id="layer1" inkscape:label="-the name of the layer at the bottom-">

Should be right after <svg:metadata id="metadata1">.

Apart these, the unwanted object could be part of a masked/cloned/clipped/pattern filled object, so it would be easier to tell after seeing the svg.

Avistew · Postby **Avistew** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 7:47 am

Thanks! I tried "unlock all" and it didn't work. I'll join the SVG. It should be easy to see what I'm trying to delete: the svg was too big to attach so I deleted absolutely everything else (unlocked all layers, selected everything and clicked "delete".

ragstian · Postby **ragstian** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:01 am

Hi

Enter the XML editor ( Shift Ctrl X )
Click the line which contains <svg:g id="layer2" inkscape:label="Panels">

You can now ungroup ( Shift Ctrl G ) the objects and work on the different parts.

To see the "content" of the objects shift to outline mode ( Ctrl 5 ) - use the "5" on the numpad to toggle the mode. Press a few times to cycle the view.

tylerdurden · Postby **tylerdurden** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:06 am

I will add to the above, after ungrouping and unclipping, the unlock tool seems to work and objects can be edited.

Lazur · Postby **Lazur** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:24 am

Group object with g8677 id is causing the problem.
It had a sodipodi:insensitive set to true.
If you edit that line out, it works fine.

Meddlers012bis.svg: (33.42 KiB) Downloaded 164 times

tylerdurden · Postby **tylerdurden** » Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:59 pm

Select all in all layers (Ctrl+Alt+A), then Menu:Object>Unlock-All seems to allow full editing (removes the sodipodi:insensitive attribute).

Avistew · Postby **Avistew** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 6:11 am

Thanks, everyone

I still don't know how I got to that point but you've been a great help!

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