Layers: Show, Hide & Lock
Clean up a busy lot by hiding the layers you are not working on, and lock the ones you do not want to move by accident.
On a computer. Hiding and locking are done by right-clicking, so they are desktop features. The phone and tablet panels do not have them yet.
What Is a Layer?
A layer is a category, like Sealcoat, Crack Fill, or 4" White Line. Every measurement you draw belongs to one. The Items panel on the right lists them in three groups:
- Area measurements - sealcoat, crack fill, asphalt repair
- Linear measurements - lines, curbs, stop bars
- Count measurements - stalls, ADA spaces, signs
Click the arrow next to a layer name to open it and see the individual measurements inside.
Hide One Measurement
Open the Layer
Click the arrow next to the layer name so you can see the measurements inside it.
Hover the Row
Move your mouse over the measurement. The eye button appears on the right side of the row.
Click the Eye
The measurement disappears from the map. Click the eye again to bring it back.
You will not lose the un-hide button. On a hidden measurement the buttons stay on screen instead of waiting for a hover, so the eye is always there to click when you want the measurement back.
Hide a Whole Layer at Once
There is no eye button on the layer name itself. To hide a whole layer you right-click the layer name. This is the step most people miss.
- Right-click the layer name in the Items panel.
- Choose Hide All. The number beside it is how many measurements it will hide.
- Right-click the same layer again and choose Show All to bring them back.
If some are already hidden, the menu offers Show All instead of Hide All. It only offers Hide All when every measurement in the layer is currently showing. So if a layer is half hidden, your first click reveals everything, and the second click hides it all.
Hiding Does Not Change Your Numbers
Hiding is a view control and nothing more. A hidden measurement is:
- Still counted in the totals at the bottom of the Items panel
- Still in your PDF report
- Still saved on the project
It is simply taken off the map while it is hidden, so nothing under it can be clicked by mistake. To leave a measurement out of the customer-facing proposal, use the Show on customer proposal setting instead - that is a separate control, covered in PDF Reports.
Hiding and Locking Last for This Sitting Only
Reload the page, or come back tomorrow, and everything is showing and unlocked again. Hiding and locking are there to help you work, and they are not saved with the project. Nothing is lost when they reset - your measurements are all still there.
Lock a Layer You Do Not Want to Move
Locking keeps a measurement on the map where you can see it, but stops you dragging its points by accident. This is usually better than hiding when you still need the shape as a visual reference.
Lock a whole layer
Right-click the layer name and choose Lock All. Right-click again and choose Unlock All to release it.
Lock a single measurement
Right-click either the shape on the map or its row in the Items panel, then choose Lock. The same menu unlocks it.
Hidden
Off the map. Cannot be clicked. Still counted.
Locked
On the map. Can be seen and selected. Points will not move.
Why Will My Measurement Points Not Move?
The points on a shape only become draggable when all four of these are true. Work down the list:
The Measurement Is Selected
Click the shape on the map, or its row in the Items panel. Points only appear on a selected shape.
Only One Is Selected
If you have several shapes selected, none of them can be edited. Click one shape on its own, or press Esc to clear the selection and start again.
It Is Not Locked
Right-click the shape and choose Unlock if the menu offers it. A locked shape looks completely normal, which is why this one catches people out.
You Are Not on a Shared Link
A map opened from a share link is read-only on purpose. Open the project from your own dashboard to edit it.
You do not need to pick a layer first. Older guidance said you had to select a layer category before you could edit. That is no longer how it works - selecting the measurement itself is what matters.
Working on a Lot Where Everything Overlaps
Marking a striped lot puts a lot of shapes on top of each other and you end up grabbing the wrong one. Two ways to fix it:
- Lock the layers you are finished with. Right-click each one and choose Lock All. They stay on screen as a reference but cannot be grabbed. This is usually the better option.
- Hide the layers you do not need to see. Right-click and choose Hide All. They come off the map completely, so there is nothing to click by mistake.
When you are done, right-click the layer again and choose Show All or Unlock All.
Count Layers Are the Exception
Hide and lock work on area and linear layers. They are not available on count layers, so Bays (Stalls), ADA Handicap Stalls and the like cannot be hidden or locked - right-clicking one only offers Expand, Collapse and Delete All Items. When you are dropping stall markers, the way to keep the map readable is to hide or lock the area and line layers underneath them and leave the markers on top.
Tips
Delete a Single Point
Right-click a point on a selected shape to remove it. An area keeps at least three points and a line at least two, so the last ones cannot be deleted.
Lock as You Finish Each Layer
Lock a layer the moment you are done with it and it cannot get nudged out of shape while you work on the next one. It stays locked until you reload.
Hold H to Clear the Labels
Hold H to hide every measurement label while you look at the imagery. Let go and they come back.
Empty a Layer
The same right-click menu has Delete All Items. It removes every measurement in that layer, so check the count before you confirm.