When to merge
Detection sometimes splits one symbol across two groups — say the legend's C fitting and the on-drawing C fitting look slightly different and end up as separate templates. Or you've created a manual group with Auto Count Symbol that turns out to be the same as one auto-detection produced.
Merging consolidates them into a single group with the combined marker count, a single label, a single colour, and a single database link.
How to merge
- 1
Identify the source group (the one you want to disappear) and the target group (the one you want to keep).
- 2
On the source group's row in the sidebar, click the merge icon . The icon is greyed out if the group has no markers.
- 3
A menu appears listing every other group of the same type, each showing its label and thumbnail (or an placeholder).
- 4
Pick the target group. The merge runs immediately — no confirmation dialog.
After merging:
- All markers from the source group move into the target group.
- The source group disappears from the sidebar.
- The target group keeps its existing label, colour, and database link.
What carries across, what doesn't
| Property | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Markers | Carried across — every marker from the source now belongs to the target |
| Label | Target wins |
| Colour, opacity, stroke width | Target wins — source's appearance is discarded |
| Database link | Target wins — if the source had a different link, it's lost |
| Group thumbnail (Detection) | Target wins |
So pick the target carefully. If the source had the better label or link, swap them onto the target before merging.
Merge isn't directly undoable — it's a deliberate consolidation. Confirm the target before clicking. If you merge into the wrong group, you'll need to drag markers back out by hand, or restore from a duplicate of the project.
Merging across types
You can't merge groups of different types — a Detection group can't merge into a Unit group, for example. The merge menu only shows groups of the same type as the source.
If you genuinely want to consolidate counts across types (rare), you'd need to:
- Place fresh markers of the target type at the same positions as the source.
- Delete the source group.
This is usually a sign the takeoff structure is wrong and one of the types should have been used throughout from the start.
Merge vs Drag-to-group
Both move markers between groups, but with different scopes:
- Drag — moves one marker (or one selected marker plus whatever sticks with it) to a different group. Source group stays.
- Merge — moves every marker from the source group, then deletes the source group. One action, whole consolidation.
If you only want to move a few markers, drag. If you want the source group gone afterwards, merge.