InDesign Secrets of the Layers Panel

One of the lesser-known features of the Layers panel is that it offers a handy way to move items in or out of groups, buttons, and multi-state objects. All you have to do is drag and drop.

Groups
To move an item into a group, click the triangle next to the group to reveal the items within it.





Then locate the item you want to add in the Layers panel, and drag and drop it anywhere under the group heading.



As you drag you'll see a line indicating where the item will go if you release it.



Make sure the line is indented to the same level as the items in the group before you release.



Likewise, you can drag items out of a group by dragging them out from under the group heading in the Layers panel.

Buttons
To move an item into a button, click the triangle next to the currently visible button state (either Normal, Rollover, or Click), then drag the item you want to add under the state name.




Object States
To move an item into a multi-state object, first use the Object States panel to show the state you want to add the object to. Then in the Layers panel click the triangle next to the state name, and drag the item you want to add to that state.