Grouping or locking across layers

[Eddie-work-ib]

The simplest example of what I'm having a hard time with is a layout of any kind that includes details that should be optionally hidden. Putting the details on a separate layer is easy enough but I'm unclear about how best to lock their position relative to objects on other layers.

I've found numerous examples of floor plans, network diagrams and flow charts using layers, but I don't see how the layered objects are positionally associated if any part of wither layer is allowed to move.

This is common enough I'm assuming I'm overlooking something so a pointer to the docs or how-to would be appreciated.

Thanks

[0trm]

Layers can't do that link. A group or container is a single cell, and it lives on one layer together with all its children; moving a child to another layer takes it out of the group (How layers work). So there's no way to pin a shape on one layer to a shape on another.

Tags are the tool for this. Keep the details in the same group or container as the object they belong to, so they move with it, and tag them instead of putting them on their own layer:

1. Open View > Tags.
2. Select the detail shapes, click + at the bottom of the Tags panel and type a tag, e.g. details.
3. Click the eye next to details to hide or show them.

Hidden shapes stay in their group, so they keep their position when you move it. Shapes can carry several tags, so you can have more than one level of detail (Tags docs). Checked on draw.io 31.5.3.