Can't Ungroup

[tracystanley@adobeforums.com]

I've had this problem for some time now.
I can't ungroup objects coming over from Illustrator 8 on OS 9
to Illustrator 10 on OS X.
The files were not grouped in Illust. 8.
I have a co-worker that has this same problem.

It's really frustrating.

Any clue?

[PowerChild@adobeforums.com]

Is there a clipping mask? I've opened files in the past that I didn't think had clipping masks, but for whatever reason, they did. (Generally when the file came from a previous version of Illy, or from another program like FreeHand or CorelDraw.) I deleted the mask, and then was able to ungroup. Other times, when this didn't work, I selected the entire image, and then clicked off of just the mask, coppied, and pasted into a new file. Generally, when I do this, the entire image is then ungrouped. It takes a little playing around. I'd have to see the file to know for sure though.

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

I think PC might be right.

Another possibility: If the image came out of the Symbols Palette you have to click on the chain at bottom of default Palette to "Break Link to Symbol" before being able to edit those paths.

[nilk_narf@adobeforums.com]

Your images might be flattened. In which case, too bad. Lol. :D

[tracystanley@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the feeback.
Releasing the mask works, but I need the mask, we can have 4-10 masks
in one file.
A bit of a pain.
I also opened it in Illustrator CS and it's the same grouped mess.

[LRK@adobeforums.com]

Select each group with the mask and use the crop tool.

[Teri Pettit]

Tracy,

I think what you are noticing is a difference in the way the black selection tool works with respect to clipping groups. This change was introduced in AI 9.

It has always been true, every since AI 5, that the Clipping Mask>Make command creates a "clipping group", that is, a group object with a flag on it that says the clipping masks inside it should clip all the other objects in the same group.

The behavior of the black arrow selection tool with respect to these clipping groups has varied, though. In AI 8 that selection tool ignored clipping groups, and selected through them. Ever since AI 9 it has treated them like other kinds of groups, though.

The reason is that in AI 9 and later you can now attach masks to layers as well as to groups. Since one of the main differences between layers and groups is that groups select as a clump with the black arrow tool, while layers don't, by making the clipping groups select just like other groups, it gives the user the choice of both selection behaviors, in a way that is fully consistent with the rest of the program. If you want your mask-plus-contents to select as a chunk with the black arrow tool, then you use the Clipping Mask>Make command, while if you want them to not select together with their contents, then you use the Make Clipping Mask button on the bottom of the Layers palette.

By the way, most experience AI users do not use the black arrow selection tool for most of their work. It is more powerful to keep the direct select tool as your active selection tool all the time, holding down the Option key when you want to select whole paths, and option-clicking multiple times on the same object to travel up the grouping hierarchy.

[peterpica]

I have a complex InD CS2 cover with a fancy background & multiple images all grouped. I can no longer ungroup to edit the objects (eliminate, add, etc.)

I've searched the forum archives and found no solutions. I also tried exporting to .inx, then reimporting, yet the "ungroup" menu option remains greyed out when I select the group.

Any ideas?

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

The following circumstances will render ungroup inoperable:

1. The group is inline or anchored to a story.

2. The group is pasted inside a page item.

Dave

[peterpica]

Thanks Dave... but neither is applicable to this problem.

I found an archived CD version fortunately and that works fine.

[peterpica]

Bizzarre!

On new documents, now, whenever I group objects, I can't ungroup them!

Also, when I change a PMS color in the pallette, it does not change the color of any previously grouped object that had the previous color.

Strange... and just yesterday I did a complete reinstall of CS2 Suite.

[Bob Levine]

Bye bye prefs.

Bob

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

When things go bump in the night, trash those preferences out of sight!

Dave

[peterpica]

Did as ordered...now the menu bar options for group-ungroup are still greyed out, but the command key combo's work fine.

????