Setting Up Illustrator

[whitman]

Greetings,

Pre CS3, one could create a startup document that would hold settings such as Pantone Library palette in small list mode; Swatches Palette in list mode; additionally one could remove all unused swatches, graphic styles, brushes, etc and those palettes would stay empty.

I cannot find a way to do these things in CS3. I can create custom workspaces, but they do not hold the adjustments listed above. Am I missing something or did Adobe decide I needed to see all that extra stuff in palettes and the little color boxes in the Pantone Library palette was more helpful than the name of the colors .

Thanks to anyone who responds and especially those that can help me discover how to get back to an uncluttered palette environment.

-Bill-

 

[apepp]

...it is still possible to do in CS3, in fact it is better in how it functions now...

...document profiles are what they are called now as opposed to start up files...

...just create a new document set up with your requirements, save it as .ai and place it in the document profiles folder, on mac this is in application support > adobe > cs3...

...then when you select new file, in the new dialog you get to choose from a pull down list a document profile, select the one you created...

Andrew

 

[apepp]

...on windows they are stored here:

Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Adobe\Illustrator CS3 Settings

Andrew

 

[apepp]

..more here about what can be done:

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb400732&sliceId=1

Andrew

 

[whitman]

Greetings,

Thanks for the hints, unfortunately they do not help the pantone palette or the swatch palette "stick" to small list view. They still come up as color patches, not a list.

I was able to get this far already by just using my old CS2 startup document as a template when I created a new document.

Once the palettes are changed to the small list view by selecting said choice, they will stay that way as long as one does not quit Illustrator. Once Illustrator is quit and re launched, they revert back to the small patch view. At least on my computer, MacBookPro, OSX.4.10 they do.

-Bill-

 

[apepp]

...this is a known issue, however there is a fix for the default list problem, all i the Ai preferences file, until adobe release an update for that...

...the pantone palette issue is can apparently (not tested) be solved via an additional workaround at the bottom of this post...

...to make the "Small List View" permanent in the Swatches Palette, in TextEdit open the prefs file, make sure Illustrator is NOT running:

/User/#####/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator CS3 Settings/Workspaces/AIWSPrefs

Find:
=================================

/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ ShowFindField 0
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ CurrentListStyle 15
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ GroupsListStyle 15
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ PatternListStyle 15
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ GradientListStyle 15
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ ColorListStyle 15
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ ShowAllListStyle 15
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ VisibleKind 0
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ ShowFindField 0
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ CurrentListStyle 15
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ GroupsListStyle 15
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ PatternListStyle 15
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ GradientListStyle 15
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ ColorListStyle 15
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ ShowAllListStyle 15
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ VisibleKind 0
/AdobeSwatch_\ ShowFindField 0
/AdobeSwatch_\ CurrentListStyle 15
/AdobeSwatch_\ GroupsListStyle 15
/AdobeSwatch_\ PatternListStyle 15
/AdobeSwatch_\ GradientListStyle 15
/AdobeSwatch_\ ColorListStyle 15
/AdobeSwatch_\ ShowAllListStyle 15
/AdobeSwatch_\ VisibleKind 0
/AdobeSwatch_\ Visible 0

=================================
and change to:
=================================

/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ ShowFindField 0
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ CurrentListStyle 18
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ GroupsListStyle 18
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ PatternListStyle 18
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ GradientListStyle 18
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ ColorListStyle 18
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ ShowAllListStyle 18
/AdobeStrokeSwatchesPopup\ VisibleKind 0
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ ShowFindField 0
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ CurrentListStyle 18
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ GroupsListStyle 18
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ PatternListStyle 18
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ GradientListStyle 18
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ ColorListStyle 18
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ ShowAllListStyle 18
/AdobeFillSwatchesPopup\ VisibleKind 0
/AdobeSwatch_\ ShowFindField 0
/AdobeSwatch_\ CurrentListStyle 18
/AdobeSwatch_\ GroupsListStyle 18
/AdobeSwatch_\ PatternListStyle 18
/AdobeSwatch_\ GradientListStyle 18
/AdobeSwatch_\ ColorListStyle 18
/AdobeSwatch_\ ShowAllListStyle 18
/AdobeSwatch_\ VisibleKind 1
/AdobeSwatch_\ Visible 1

=================================

15 = Small Thumbnail View
18 = Small List View

VisibleKind 1 and Visible 1 = showing the palette and using the "Small List View". The list view will not work if the palette is not visible. Which is odd since the Swatches Palette is open and docked, but I guess it is not visible.

=================================

if you open the swatch panels you'll need (for example "Pantone Uncoated") then quit Illustrator and go back to the AIWSPrefs file, there will be similar lines of code added for whatever swatch set you've added.

Changing the 15's to 18's for those fixes that issue:

/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ ShowFindField 1
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ CurrentListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ GroupsListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ PatternListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ GradientListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ ColorListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ ShowAllListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ VisibleKind 1
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ uncoated\ Visible 1

Additionally, in all cases, changing the ShowFindField from 0 to 1 adds (by default) the field to quickly find a color (Pantone 293) by typing the number in the field. For the pantones palette to keep you need to lock the Ai preferences file to prevent it changing. SAVE and LOCK (from info window) your AIWSPrefs file. otherwise, it will go back after second time you start CS3.

=================================

Change VisibleKind from 0 to 1

}
/AdobeSwatch_\ DockGroup (AdobeSwatch_)
/AdobeSwatch_\ DockCode 327681
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ ShowFindField 1
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ CurrentListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ GroupsListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ PatternListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ GradientListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ ColorListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ ShowAllListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ VisibleKind 1
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ Visible 1
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ SizeUncnstr {
/v 638
/h 210
}

If you have your own swatch, do the same
}
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ DockGroup (Swatch Library_PANTONE solid coated)
/Swatch\ Library_PANTONE\ solid\ coated\ DockCode 327680
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ ShowFindField 1
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ CurrentListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ GroupsListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ PatternListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ GradientListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ ColorListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ ShowAllListStyle 18
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ VisibleKind 1
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ Visible 1
/Swatch\ Library_\ SGS\ 01_25_08\ SizeUncnstr {
/v 814
/h 210
}

 

[apepp]

...in fact the prefs file you choose to edit may need to be your workspace preference if you have one there...

Andrew

 

[whitman]

Greetings apepp,

Thanks for the pointer to the AIWS prefs file and the way to adjust it. I figured that this was probably the solution (modify a file) but when I looked at the basic workplace file I did not see anything that made sense in regards to what I was trying to do. And, of course I would not have known the appropriate numbers to use such as 15 to 18, 0 to 1, etc. Where did you get this info?
Thanks again.

-Bill-

 

[apepp]

...it is a bit laborious to change the prefs file, but in text edit there is a search feature that can help to locate the lines from all all the others available to change...

...a great resource can be found at adobe:

http://www.adobe.com/support/forums/?ogn=EN_US-gntray_comm_forums

Andrew

 

[apepp]

...there are many code nuts on the adobe site, who have the time (unlike me) to geek through this sort of stuff...

...i'm a second hand geek!!

: )

...my geeking abilities are somewhat limited when it comes to hard coding anything, even a web page with any great finesse or remote appeal!!!

: )

Andrew