You can combine several paths into a single object, called a compound path. Create a compound path when you want to do any of the following:

• Add transparent holes to a path.

• Preserve the transparent holes within some text characters, such as o and e, when you convert characters to editable letterforms using the Create Outlines command. Using the Create Outlines command always results in the creation of compound paths.

• Apply a gradient, or add contents that span multiple paths. Although you can also apply a gradient across multiple objects using the Gradient tool, applying a gradient to a compound path is often a better method because you can later edit the entire gradient by selecting any of the subpaths. With the Gradient tool, later editing requires selecting all of the paths you originally selected.