Live Effect Workflow
Keep Linestra editable, non-destructive, and integrated with Illustrator undo.
Vexy Linestra is registered as a post Live Effect. The source artwork remains in the document while Illustrator asks the plug-in to regenerate a result for display, output, and expansion.
Applying a New Effect
Select one or more objects and click a fill in the Linestra panel. Illustrator appends the effect using that fill and enables its controls. You can also choose Effect → Vexy → Vexy Linestra.
Updating an Existing Effect
When a selected object already contains Linestra, changing its controls replaces the matching effect's stored parameters automatically rather than stacking another copy.
If a mixed selection contains some objects with Linestra and some without it, existing instances are updated. Apply the effect separately to objects that still need a new instance if the mixed operation does not add it automatically.
Live Slider Preview and Undo
During a slider drag, the plug-in continuously rebuilds a temporary preview. It removes the previous temporary result before drawing the next one, so dragging does not create a long undo history.
On mouse-up, the final value is committed as one undoable action named Vexy Linestra Change. Keyboard and typed-value commits also produce normal Illustrator changes.
Appearance Panel Editing
Select the object and open Window → Appearance. Double-click a row such as Vexy Linestra Wireframe. Illustrator invokes the effect's edit callback, brings its controls forward, and loads that row's parameters.
If an object contains several appearance effects, make sure you double-click the intended Linestra row before editing.
Failure Safety
The renderer creates a complete replacement group before disposing of the temporary input art supplied by Illustrator. If generation fails, it reports an error and avoids leaving a partially built result in place.
Linestra samples a calculated transparent margin outside the source geometry. The margin accounts for mark thickness, spacing, Organic displacement, Dynamic Color sampling, and antialiasing, allowing edge strokes to taper naturally instead of ending at an arbitrary raster boundary. The final fill still applies its own clipping rules.
Removing the Effect
Select the Linestra row in the Appearance panel and delete it. Illustrator restores the appearance produced by the remaining source entries.
When to Expand
Keep the effect live for design revisions, scaling, duplication, and document reuse. Expand only when you need direct node editing, interchange with software that does not have the plug-in, or final production paths.
Read Expand Appearance before converting live work.