Scratchpad cloningtutorial

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Cloning and Tile Clones

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Basics

Clones provide a way dupicating an object, yet keeping the object's style and shape linked so that any changes to the original are reflected in all the clones.

For example, take the following two stars: the one on the left is the original, the one on the right is the clone. Try selecting the original, and changing the amount of corners on the star or the fill color.

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/images/Cloningtutorial_simpleexample.svg

Now both the original and the clone would have changed instantly when you altered the original. Here is the result of adding 5 more corners and changing the fill color to the original:

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/images/Cloningtutorial_simpleexampleresult.svg

If attempts are made to change the clone, it will not work, as the clone is still linked to the original.

Creating a Clone

Creating a new clone is easy. Simply select the object that you wish to clone, and choose Edit > Clone > Create Clone. A new clone will appear above the original in the same position.

Unlinking a Clone

If it is required to sever the link between a clone and an original, the clone can be Unlinked. Simply, select the clone and choose Edit > Clone > Unlink Clone. The is now just a normal object with no link to the original.

Changing the Fill and Stroke of a Clone

It is possible to change the fill and stroke of a clone, so that it differs from the original. This is done by setting the fill or the stroke of the original to "undefined". Setting the fill or stroke to undefined is done in the Fill/Stroke dialog box. The undefined fill/stroke type choice is highlighted below:

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/images/Cloningtutorial_undefinedbutton.svg

If the fill/stroke of an original is set to anything other than undefined, then any clones of that object cannot have their fills/strokes altered.

See an example of this below, where the original is the text at the top, and the clones are the colored text and the shadow. Try changing the contents of the text in the original to see the changes of the clones below it:

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/images/Cloningtutorial_changingcolor.svg