arcgis desktop productivity tips and tricks€¦ · improving your productivity • arcgis desktop...
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ArcGIS Desktop: Productivity Tips and Tricks
Improving your productivity
• ArcGIS Desktop is the tool for creating maps, managing data, and performing GIS analysis
– Your productivity is important– Sometimes it’s the little things that
make our day
. . . Making your GIS workflow more productive
Tips and tricks• Short Cuts• Fewer Clicks• Navigation• Faster• Tables
Agenda
• Exploring ArcGIS Desktop tips and tricks:– Making and sharing maps– Data management workflows– Improving the ArcMap workflow– Tips for ArcMap drawing and performance
• Additional resources and help
Time-saving tips for making and sharing maps
• Symbology tips and tricks– Symbols and the style manager
• Labeling– Maplex
• Sharing map tips– Exporting to PDF
• ArcGIS Online
Managing styles and symbols
• Style Manager
• How will colors and symbols appear from my printers?– Developer Samples:
• Style Dump and Style Search• KB Article 21180
• Symbol documentation– ArcGIS Symbol Library– Online Documentation Library
(http://support.esri.com)
Naming tip for symbols and feature class
• If the name of your feature class matches the name of a symbol, ArcMap will use that symbol
Classification tip: Match values to symbols
• Use an attribute to set symbology• Create your own symbols (personal or custom Style file)
– Name symbols using attribute values
Symbol levels
• Control draw, symbol order, join/merge rules• Via layer properties > Symbology tab > Advanced
Labeling your data
• Use the Label Manager• Label features in one layer in
differently– Label Classes
• Improve label display performance– Lock labels– Pause labeling– View unplaced labels
• Convert labels to annotationfor better display performance and static placement
– In the geodatabase
label manager
lock labels
view unplaced labels
Pause labeling
Maplex labeling rules help save time
• ArcMap Labeling Extension– Sophisticated label placement rules– Many improvements with ArcGIS 9.3
• Helps eliminate the need for annotation editing– Fixed placement positioning for polygons– Street address labeling– Contour labeling– Street placement improvements– Boundary labeling repetition– Strike and dip maps
Formatting fields
• Do a simple calculation with formatting
Sharing maps and layers tips and tricks
• Use Relative paths– Layer files retain relative path information, too– Once enabled, becomes the default option
• UNC paths– Create in ArcCatalog– Not tied to mapped drive
Creating map books
• DS Map Series developer sample– Free!– Popular ArcMap tool
• Production Line Tool Set for ArcGIS (PLTS)
Exporting a map to PDF
• Popular map sharing format• Many recent improvements
– Turn layers on or off using the Adobe Acrobat layer controls
– Embed georeferencing information and attributes
• Tip: Make sure to embed fonts in the PDF
• Helpful KB Doc
Political
Relief
Topographic
Physical
Streets
Imagery
Data Appliances
Data Delivery
Resource Centers
Tasks
ArcGIS OnlineGIS Content and Services for ArcGIS Users
User GeneratedContent
Data workflow tips
• Common data management tricks and shortcuts
• Working with Excel best practices
• Working with coordinate systems
• ArcCatalog tricks
Working with Excel Files
• Direct read in ArcGIS Desktop– May need to format in Excel though!
• Read-only• Non-Object ID tables
Additional tips and help for working with Excel files:
• Desktop Help/Online Help• Knowledge base:
http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.techarticles.articleShow&d=35482http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.techarticles.articleShow&d=20147
http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.techarticles.articleShow&d=35482http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.techarticles.articleShow&d=20147
Coordinate systems and projection on the fly
• Always define the coordinate system for data– Define Projection Tool– ArcCatalog > Right click data >
Properties
• First layer added to map’s data frame assigns projection
– Data frame > Properties > Coordinate System tab
– Layers added to map will project on the fly to this coordinate space
– Change coordinate system or “Clear” to stop projection on the fly
ArcCatalog Coordinate Systems tip
• Organize the Coordinate Systems connection– Have your “favorite” coordinate systems appear at the top of lists!– Copy/Paste to “root” level in ArcCatalog
ArcCatalog data connection tips
• Drag & drop folders on the Catalog tree to create connections• Rename your data connections to be more meaningful
Create data faster: Converting graphics to features
• Draw a graphic or text with drawing tools • Assign name property to graphic element
– Name becomes feature attribute• Convert to shapefile or geodatabase feature class
– New at 9.3
Improving the ArcMap workflow
• Navigating around your maps• Working with graphics• HTML popup tool• Other shortcuts and hotkeys
Navigating the map
• Many tricks to save time– Bookmarks– Viewer Windows– Scale Control– Shortcut keys
http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/arcgis-desktop-tips.pdf
Time saving zooms
• Zoom to scale– Pick from list– Type in a scale e.g. 1:1200 or 1 in = 100 ft– Improvements at 9.3
• Layers Overview
• Zoom to Full Extent – Data frame properties
Bookmarks and My Places
• Bookmarks– Save or Load between data frames and maps– Many improvements with ArcGIS 9.3
• My Places– Create and use between map documents
Bookmarks My PlacesStorage Map document External fileAccess Single map document Any supporting applicationContents Spatial extents Locations, addresses,
features, spatial extentsDefine Manually Manually, address locator,
local/service based data
HTML Popup tool
• New with ArcGIS 9.3– New “Identify tool”
• Layer properties– Customizable with HTML
• Tools toolbar tool
Shortcuts and hotkeys
• Search Help:– “Keyboard shortcuts”
• Brochure:– http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/arcgis-desktop-tips.pdf
Table window shortcuts
Shortcut ActionDouble-click a field name Sort field.Ctrl + Shift + U Remove field sorting.Ctrl + double-click a field name (or Ctrl + H)
Turn off field.
Ctrl + Shift + double-click a field name
Hide a field. This field will still appear in dialog boxes that list fields, but this saves space in the table window.
Ctrl + right-click a field name (or Ctrl + Shift + N)
Switch between showing field names and field aliases.
Shift + double-click a field name (or Ctrl + Shift + S)
Open the Advanced Table Sorting dialog box.
Ctrl + Shift + A Resize the fields automatically.
Tips for ArcMap drawing and performance
• ArcMap application-level settings• Map performance tips• Optimization tips
ArcMap Application level tips
• Make newly added layers visible by default: OFF
• Return to last used location: (new at 9.3)
• C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Utilities\AdvancedArcMapSettings.exe
– Lots of default registry settings– Associated Help document
Map performance
• Online Help > Search tab:– ‘Optimizing map content for performance’ – ‘Optimizing map symbols for performance’– ‘Optimizing map text and labels for performance’– ‘Performance tuning for displaying raster data’
• Detect complex map sample– http://edn.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=codeExch.sampleDetail&pg=/arcobje
cts/9.1/Samples/Cartography/Printing_and_Exporting/DetectComplexOutput/DetectComplexOutput.htm
Calculating ArcMap display performance
• Script: MxdPerfStat (search in ArcScripts)• Calculate where display performance can be improved
– Enter map, scales, and x/y coordinate– Returned XML file with draw times and recommendations for each
scale
Additional resources and help
• Resource Centers• Whitepapers• Training
http://resources.esri.com
Supporting and Building the ArcGIS Community
Online Maps and Globe Services
Now• Online Help• Developer SDK’s• Blogs and Forums• Code Galleries• Knowledge Base• Software Updates• Videos
Future• Metadata Catalog of GIS Services
CommunityResources
ESRI
ESRI Resource Centers
ArcGIS additional resources
• Use Online Help– Updates more frequently
• What’s New in 9.3 PDF Guide