# Place Marker trait
**URL:** https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280
**Category:** Module Design
**Created:** [June 11, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280 "2023-06-11T12:29:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@drimmer](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/drimmer)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280/1 "2023-06-11T12:29:53Z")
I am using the Place Marker trait to add a status counter on top of a unit counter.
I then want to rotate the Place Marker counter (only) and it is this second part that is causing me grief.
Normally, we handle “rotation” of the place marker counter by using the Layer trait to show a different image for each “rotation”. This is all set up for the counter that I wish to rotate.
The challenge is to have the new place marker counter selected and only it selected before applying the Layer trait key command to rotate.
Any suggestions as to how to accomplish this (without, of course, the user having to right-click the counter)?
Is there a better way to accomplish this?
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@jrwatts](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/jrwatts)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2023, 1:37pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280/2 "2023-06-11T13:37:52Z")
Is there a particular reason you can’t just use the `Keystroke to apply after placement:` setting of Place Marker to tell it to change to the correct layer?
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### Author:  [@uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/uckelman)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280/3 "2023-06-11T14:46:28Z")
The Can Rotate trait exists for handling rotation. I’d recommend using that instead of faking up rotation using Layers.
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### Author:  [@drimmer](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/drimmer)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280/4 "2023-06-11T22:17:35Z")
> Is there a particular reason you can’t just use the `Keystroke to apply after placement:` setting of Place Marker to tell it to change to the correct layer?
Thanks for the response.
Yes. Depending on the situation, the new Marker counter would need to be rotated 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 hexsides. The “Keystroke to apply after placement:” setting only seems to allow a single command (which I cannot figure out how to apply repeatedly). So, yes I can get it to rotate to the first hexside but not to subsequent ones. Is there a way to make this work?
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### Author:  [@drimmer](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/drimmer)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2023, 10:26pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280/5 "2023-06-11T22:26:36Z")
> The Can Rotate trait exists for handling rotation. I’d recommend using that instead of faking up rotation using Layers.
Thanks for the reply. In VASL, we don’t rotate any of our 1/2" counters that I can think of (maybe some guns and SW counters), only the 5/8. For the 1/2" info counters, we try to keep the text facing up. I don’t think users would be happy to see the first VMB counter shown below rotated 180% to the bottom position instead of what they see now which is the last image..
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### Author:  [@jrwatts](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/jrwatts)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2023, 3:40am UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/place-marker-trait/77280/6 "2023-06-12T03:40:21Z")
> [@drimmer](#):
>
> Yes. Depending on the situation, the new Marker counter would need to be rotated 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 hexsides. The “Keystroke to apply after placement:” setting only seems to allow a single command (which I cannot figure out how to apply repeatedly). So, yes I can get it to rotate to the first hexside but not to subsequent ones. Is there a way to make this work?
Set a Global Property to the number of repeats you want (before triggering the Place Marker trait), then have the `Keystroke to apply after placement:` trigger a Trigger Action that repeats that many times.