Named groups are the most flexible method for grouping elements. Named groups can include elements from the active file and those from directly attached references.

As well as individual named groups, you can create a hierarchy of them by adding "child" named groups to a "parent". When you have a hierarchy, manipulating the "parent" named group will include any attached "child" named groups. You can add and drop elements from individual named groups (including those that are part of a hierarchy), as well as manipulate the elements within each named group (again, including those that are part of a hierarchy).

When you select elements from a reference to be included in a named group, they are not copied into the master file. Elements from references are just referred to (pointed to) by the named group element in the master file. When you detach a reference that includes elements selected in a named group, the count of elements for the named group does not decrease in the Named Groups dialog until you close and reopen it. If you inadvertently detach a reference having elements that are part of a named group, only "undoing" the detachment will return the members to the named group. Simply reattaching the reference will not return the members to the named group, as there is no way for the product to recognize that the file once was attached.

When you attach members to a named group, the Member Type setting lets you define the way that other members of the named group are affected when a member is manipulated or selected. This is done via Change Propagation settings. These are set to defaults, automatically, when you select Member Type as either Active or Passive. Alternatively, you can define the settings manually by selecting Custom as the Member Type.

Each member has three Change Propagation settings that define when a member can propagate changes To other members, can have changes propagated From other members, and can propagate changes To other groups.

In each case, the Change Propagation options are:

• Group Lock — only when Graphic Group Lock is on.
• Never — propagation never occurs.
• Always — propagation always occurs.

Another setting, Selectable, which can be turned on or off in the Named Groups dialog, overrides the above settings when Graphic Group lock is on and members are chosen with the Element Selection tool. If Selectable is on, then all members of the named group will be selected. If it is off, the change propagation settings apply.