Formating Legend Labels for Symbology by Quantities
January 22, 2009 by Timothy
Filed under ArcGIS, Cartography, GIS Tips
ArcMap legend labels always seem to come out in an undesired format and always need adjustments. For layers that are symbolized based upon quantity there is an easy way to change the number format. (If you are not sure how to symbolize by quantity, read ArcMap Symbology by Quantity.) When symbolizing quantities that need format adjustments, you can edit each label individually or use the built in format option. To use this option:
1. Open Layer Properties for desired layer.
2. Symbolize layer based upon quantity.
3. Left Click the Label Heading.
Notice the number of decimal places.
4. Choose Format Labels…
5. Make desired changes.
*Note: You can change number type such as currency, direction, percentage, rate, fraction, angle, etc. There is also the ability to round and set alignment. Also notice the additional options available.
6. Click Ok.
Results are shown and updated in the legend. Notice that only one decimal place is now shown. Remember that this is also updated in the legend.
ArcMap Annotation Properties
January 4, 2009 by Timothy
Filed under ArcGIS, Cartography, GIS Tips
Map annotation that is created either through the annotation tool or by creating annotation by converting dynamic labels can be edited further beyond just the font and placement.
For example if you change the scale of the annotation, it will not adjust. You can delete the annotation and recreate it. However, there is an easier way!
To change the reference scale of map annotation:
1. Right click on the data frame in the Table of Contents.
2. Choose Properties…
3. Go to the Annotation Group tab.
Notice that this is the where annotation is managed when you convert it from labels to be stored in the map. Annotation that is created manually through the annotation tool is also managed here.
Under this tab you can turn annotation on and off.
4. Highlight the annotation group to be changed.
5. Click Properties…
6. Change the reference scale to the proper setting.
Under properties you can change:
- annotation name
- associated layer
- reference scale
- visibility scale
7. Click OK to confirm changes.
The reference scale has now been updated to the correct scale, and the annotation shows correctly.
Related Books
Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: Basics of ArcView, Arceditor, and Arcinfo
Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS
Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users
Create ArcMap Annotation
January 4, 2009 by Timothy
Filed under ArcGIS, Cartography, GIS Tips
Annotation is a valuable resource for creating labels. Annotation can be created in two ways: either manually through the labeling tool or by converting the dynamic labels into annotation. The later is a big time saver when creating a lot of labels.
When creating labels through conversion, you are given the option to save the annotation in a geodatabase or the map document. If you will be using the annotation in another map project then use the geodatabase option. Otherwise, saving in the map would be fine. When you convert to annotation, the labels are created at the current scale.
1. Set desired font and layout.
2. Turn on labels.
3. Right click on layer to have labels converted.
4. Set annotation settings.
5. Select storage type and which features to create annotation for.
Notice the reference scale on the top right. This is the scale at which the annotation will be view correctly. Learn how to change this in the ArcMap Annotation Properties.
6. Click Convert.
The labels have now been converted to annotation. You can select the text and change its location along with other properties as well.
One thing to note with annotation is that if you change the scale, the annotation does not adjust. You can delete the annotation and recreate it using the previous steps. However, there is an easier way by following the steps in the ArcMap Annotation Properties post! You can also learn how to turn on/off map annotation without having to delete it.
Related Books
