You are here: Home > Users > Fun Stuff > EQ Lessons > Previous Lesson List > Adding Blocks to your User Libraries

EQ Lessons: Adding Blocks to your User Libraries

by Erin Miller

If you like to draw your own blocks or share blocks with friends, maybe you'd like to have these blocks easily available to use in any project. All you have to do is save the blocks to your User Libraries:

How to save blocks in the User Libraries:

1. Click on the link below to download three new blocks to be used in this lesson. Click here to Download Blocks
2. Click Open or Save at the prompt. Make sure you save a copy of this project in your My EQ5 - PJ5 folder. (The PJ5 folder is typically in: My Computer - C drive - My Documents - My EQ5 - PJ5.)
3. Open the project. Close the Sketchbook.
4. Click LIBRARIES — Add Blocks.
5. Click User Libraries then click on its + sign.
6. Click the + sign next to the first Library book.

   Notice how the icons are different for the libraries and styles. The blue books contain the pages. The pages contain the information.

7. Click on a Style page, and look under "Current Library Style," and you'll see "No blocks to display" (unless you've already added blocks to this Style.)

8. Click on the block you want to add to the Library, and then click Copy. Now your new block should appear under "Current Library Style."
9. Click the Save Library button to save your changes to the Style. You'll then see a message saying, "Your blocks have been saved in the library!" Click OK.
10. Continue copying the other two blocks to the Styles in your Libraries. Always remember to save the Style before working on another Style, or you will lose what you have just put into that Style.
11. Click Close when you're done. (If you didn't save your Library Style, you'll see a message saying "You have changed the current library style. Do you want to save the library and make your changes permanent?" Click the Yes button.)

Tips for Saving Blocks in the User Libraries:

• You cannot put two copies of the same block under one Style. If you do, you'll receive a message saying "This block is already in the current library style!"
• If the blocks you save have fabric prints in them, you'll be saving the blocks, but not the prints. When you get the blocks from the Library, you'll need to recolor them.
• To delete a block from the Library, refer to page 139 in Chapter 9 of the EQ5 Design Cookbook.

How to Rename Library Styles:

1. Go to the LIBRARIES menu, and click Add Blocks.
2. Click on a Style. The name will become highlighted
3. Click on the Style name again, and a box will form around it.
4. Type in a new name for the Style (up to 32 characters), and the old name will disappear as you type.
5. Click Save Library.
   • If the Style has blocks in it there will be a message saying, "Your blocks have been saved in the library!" You've saved your new library name.
   • If the Style does not have blocks in it there will be a message saying, "There are not items in this style. Rewrite?" Click Yes. Now you'll get a message saying, "Your blocks have been saved in the library!" You've saved your new library name.
6. Click Close when you are finished renaming the Library and Style.

A Tip for Renaming Library Styles:

1. If you name your Style a word that would alphabetically fall behind the word "Style," look for it under all the other Style names. If you name your Style "Winter Day," for example, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the list, beneath the last Style, to see it.
2. To keep your styles in an order you specify, try putting numbers in front of the name. Example: 01 Nine Patch, 02 Alphabet Blocks, 03 Teddy Bears, 04 Baby Blocks.