Using the 'funnel' button in the Layer Settings Dialog

TechTip of the Month Contest Winner of February 2004:

Roberto Corona's tip on using the 'funnel' button in the Layer Settings Dialog (ArchiCAD & PlotMaker 8.x)!

"(...)
You know that, in the Layers Setting window, each column header is a button. In ArchiCAD 8.0 I saw an empty button on the right end, that seemed to do nothing. In AC 8.1 there is a funnel icon on it, and it's use is simple and clear: show ONLY the layers with the same extension of the one currently selected."

This is a less-known feature of ArchiCAD/PlotMaker 8.x (but of course you will see its description in the appearing yellow bubble if you right-click on it). If you are using extensions to manage your layers, you can easily have only layers with a certain extension listed in the Options/Layers/Layer Settings... dialog (which can be of tremendous help):

1. Just select a layer with the desired extension, and click on the 'Funnel' button (marked with a red rectangle). The result will appear in the dialog box as in the screenshot below:

   

2. By clicking on the 'Funnel' icon again, the extension filter is turned off - all layers re-appear in the dialog.

Hint: Adding extensions to a layer name is easy: just select the desired layer, and in the lower right box below the layer list, type in the desired extension. This extension will then appear in a few moments in the layer list beside the layer's name...