| The Property inspector can be used to set attributes for layers after they're created. To view the Property inspector for a particular layer, select the layer in the Layers panel or click the layer border in the Document window (see Figure 9.12). Click the Property inspector expander button if you don't see all the options. The attributes available within the Layer Property inspector are listed in Table 9.2. Figure 9.12. The Layer Property inspector lets you set layer options.  
Table 9.2. Layer Property Inspector Options | Options | Purpose | | Layer ID | Specifies the name of the layer to use for scripting and as identification in CSS. Every layer must have a unique name, and the name cannot contain any special characters (spaces, hyphens, or periods). | | L and T | Specify the top-left coordinates relative to the top-left corner of the page or to the parent layer if nested. New values may be entered to change as well. | | W and H | Specify the width and height of the layer box. These are the minimum sizes to use for the layer. If the layer's content exceeds the dimensions of the layer, the layer automatically expands to fit, depending on the Overflow setting. | | Z-Index | Specifies a value to use for stacking layers. Layers with higher values for this option are shown in front of layers with lower values. | | Vis | Specifies the initial visibility of the layer. This can be changed with behaviors, such as when creating a pop-out menu. | | Bg Image | Specifies an image to use for the layer background. You can enter a filename directly into the text box or use the Browse button to locate it. | | Bg Color | Uses the color picker to select a background color for the layer. | | Overflow | Specifies what happens if the content of a layer exceeds its dimensions. If Visible, the layer is resized to show all the content. If Hidden, any content exceeding the layer size is clipped. If Scroll, scrollbars are visible at all times in the layer, enabling the user to scroll through the layer's content. If Auto, scrollbars appear only when the content exceeds the layer dimensions. | | Clip | Defines a layer's visible area. This can be used to cut content from the edge of a layer to focus on a specific area. The values represent the distance in pixels from the layer's boundaries, relative to the layer. |
NOTE Remember the rules of inheritance, discussed in Chapter 8, "Writing and Editing HTML, XHTML, and CSS." If the layer has a background color, that color is also applied to any content within the layer unless contradicted by another CSS rule.
To change the attributes of multiple layers simultaneously , press (Shift) [Ctrl] as you select the layers in the Layers panel or the Document window. The Property inspector changes to the Multiple Layers inspector. This inspector offers only a subset of the layer attributes ”L and T, W and H, Vis, Tag, Bg Image, and Bg Color. These changes affect all the selected layers. |
