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