User Defined Symbols - Where on Earth Do they go?

[GarySped]

Made some user defined symbols and saved them- accessible from the User Defined Symbols drop down menu but do not appear in Program User Files>Adobe>Illustrator>Presets>Symbols. I'd like to save them to disc but want to know where they are stored. You can drag copies out of the user defined symbols menu to desktop but that is just a crazy way to do it.

Anyone know where these files hide?

[Lukas Engqvist]

If you want to store a set of symbols in so that you can use them in any document. Create a file with those symbols, wether you have them on the artboard or not is irrelevant, and save the file in the location you specified. The same works for brushes, patterns etc.
It is allways possible to select "other library…" and point to any ai file to access the patterns, brushes, styles or symbols.

If I am missunderstanding please clarify.

Sorry read again, the User defined go under the active users settiings file on the mac it is Users>"loginname">Library>Application Support> Adobe > Illustrator CS3 > Symbols
If you pay attention when saving the User defined you see the path.

(sorry for being too quick to answer at first)

[TORCH511]

On a PC they go:

(CS4)
C:\Documents and Settings\~username~\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS4 Settings\en_US\Symbols

(CS2&3) the path is similar but I can not check for sure but it should be something like

C:\Documents and Settings\~username~\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS3\Symbols


The "Application Data" folder in Documents and Settings is hidden, so you must choose to "View Hidden Files and Folders" from Tools>Folder Options from the Menu Bar

When you save a symbol set, while that is the default directory, you can choose to save it elsewhere that makes a bit more common sense.

[GarySped]

I had suspected they were or might be hidden and while I can save to the desk top (no worries there) it is interesting that some applications in Creative Suite save in the appropriate folder and others do not.

One interesting file is Bevels (if you have more than one version of Illustrator in operation) and you change any bevel settings sometimes they don't apply when you reopen the program. If that is the case go hunt down bevels in an earlier application and that is how to resolve the issue. [Just remove that bevels.ai file from the earlier version application folder.]

My main point was that they did not (the symbols sets when saved) appear automatically in the symbols folder. Not sure they are there as I cannot find a way to unhide them. But moot point :I can save them - just a bit more tediously than necessary.

[Husker]

Gary if they are symbols you are going to be using a lot, I suggest putting them all in one file and saving them to the presets/symbols folder.