Editing in ArcGIS 9.

1
Tips and Tricks
Timothy R Weisenburger ESRI
Robert Siciliano USFWS
 Overview
ƒ Topics
ƒ Productive editing techniques
ƒ Solving feature adjustment problems
ƒ Common asked questions
ƒ Editing coincident features - Topology
ƒ Format
ƒ Each topic followed by a software demonstration,
 Help & helpful things
„ Context Sensitive help
„ On command in pulldown menu
or button on toolbar, click the
What's This ? tool
„ On command in context menu -
highlight command, press Shift +
F1
„ On control in dialog box, click
What's This ? button from top of
the dialog box
„ Editing Documentation
„ Editing in ArcMap book
„ Training Course
„ Data Production and Editing
Techniques
 Productive editing techniques
„ Typical challenges when editing features
„ Sketching efficiently
„ Managing feature selections

„ Controlling feature snapping

 Sketching challenge #1
„ How can you quickly switch from a sketch
tool to another tool and back to the sketch tool
again…

…instead of interrupting your sketch to visit the toolbar?

 Shortcut keys: E, C, X, Z
„ Use the “E” shortcut key
to toggle between the
Sketch tool and the Edit
Tool.
„ Use the “C” shortcut key
to pan
„ Use the “X” shortcut key
to zoom out
„ Use the “Z” shortcut key
to zoom in
To see a list of all the editing shortcut keys, in ArcGIS Desktop help,
on the Index tab enter “shortcuts, for editing in ArcMap”
 Sketching challenge #2
„ How do you ensure that you accurately create
an edit sketch using other feature options?
 Use Sketch tool constraints
„ Constraints -> Sketch Tool context
menu
„ Add sketch segments
„ Parallel
„ Perpendicular
„ At
„ Absolute XY
„ Delta XY
„ With specific
„ Length
„ Direction
„ Direction and Length
„ Distance
„ Deflection angle
„ Tangent curve
 Use the Trace Tool
„ Adds sketch segments by tracing along
selected features

Mitered Beveled Rounded

 Sketching challenge #3
„ How can you use units different than the map
units when you’re specifying distance for a
sketch segment?

Map units are feet but

you need to specify the
length in meters
 Use unit abbr. after distance value
„ Distance units are interpreted from entered value
„ Distance entered is used regardless of map units Unit Abbrev.
Meter m
Kilometer km
Millimeter mm
Foot ft ‘
Mile mi
Nautical
nm
mile
Chain ch
Yard yd
Inch in
Distance Unit - Meter Survey Foot ftUS
Survey
chUS
Chain
Survey Mile miUS
Survey Yard ydUS
Map Units - Feet
 Sketching challenge #4
„ How do I change the radius of a curve that has
already been created?
 Traverse Tool
„ Load sketch into the traverse tool to modify

Steps: NOT available with

• Select Sketch tool ArcView license.
Instead you can use
• Right click feature to change the sketch constraints
• Open Traverse dialog for accurately creating
• Right click in dialog features.
• Choose “Load Traverse From Sketch”
• Modify the radius or parameters of segment
 Selection challenge #1
„ With multiple selectable layers, how can you
modify feature selection by individual layer?
 Use the Selection tab & Attributes dialog
„ Selection tab: right click on layer
to:
„ Zoom to selected features
„ Clear selected features (for that layer
only)
„ Switch selection (for that layer only)
„ Select all (for that layer only)
„ Attributes dialog: right click on
feature
„ Unselect features in
a layer one at a time
„ Can work with multiple
selectable layers
 Selection challenge #2
„ How can you make sure you’re selecting the
right feature from overlapping selectable
layers?

Parcel Zoning
 Use the Select “next” function
„ Select feature, then press the N key
„ Must point to first feature within the Selection
tolerance

Box selected Press N Press N

Selection tolerance
Poly selected Line selected

Use this technique with overlapping features

 Selection challenge #3
„ How can you avoid accidentally moving selected
features?
Selected feature

Gap between features

 Set the Sticky move tolerance
„ Helps avoid accidental movement
„ Prevents feature movement within tolerance

100 pixels
 Snapping challenge #1
„ How can you visualize the snapping
environment while you’re editing?

Snapping to vertex or edge?

Snapping to which layer?
Snapping tolerance?
 Snap agents, tips and a shortcut key
„ Snapping indicator
Snapping
indicator Status bar

Layer name Snap agent type

If snap tips are turned on

„ Snap tips
Snap tip

„ Snapping distance
„ View by depressing "T" shortcut key
 Snapping challenge #2
„ How can you get more control over how features
snap to one another?

Parcels: Vertex
or
Zoning: Edge
 Snapping tolerance and priority
„ Set snapping tolerance in the Editing
Options dialog
„ Or use the Snap Tolerance tool to
interactively set the tolerance.
You can also:
„ Prioritize layers in the Snapping
Environment dialog
Snap tolerance tool
27 pixels

Remember:
• Press the ‘Spacebar’ to temporarily suspend snapping
• Use the ‘V’ shortcut key to locate where vertices are
 Snapping challenge #3
„ How can you over-ride the snapping
environment?
Snap to vertex, edge
or endpoint of features
irregardless of snapping
environment
OR
Avoid snapping to vertex,
edge or endpoint of features
even though snapping
environment is set
 Snap To Feature
„ Snapping on-the-fly
„ Overrides snap environment
settings
„ Snap to feature geometry
without setting individual snap
agents
„ Snap to midpoint of a line or
polygon boundary
 Snapping challenge #4
„ How can you rotate a selected line feature on one end
point and snap the other end to another feature?
Misaligned street feature Rotated street feature

End point snapped to

another street feature
 Change the Selection Anchor
„ With the Rotate tool
„ Set snapping
environment
„ Select the line feature

„ Press the “S” key

„ Position the selection Auxiliary

Selection Anchor Selection Anchor
anchors
„ Rotate the feature

Snapping point
You can also hold the Ctrl key
down and use the Edit Tool to Pivot point
move selection anchors
Demonstration
 Review
¾ Sketching features using multiple tools and functions
„ Shortcut keys, unit abbreviation

„ Accurate sketch creation using other features

„ Modifying the shape of existing features

¾ Managing feature selections

¾ Selection tab and Attributes dialog

¾ Select “next” function and Sticky move tolerance

¾ Controlling feature snapping

¾ Pixels for Snapping tolerance units

¾ Snap agents, snap tips, “T” key, “V” key

¾ Auxiliary selection anchor

¾ Snap to feature commands, “spacebar” suspends

snapping
 Solving feature
adjustment problems
Feature adjustment challenge #1
„ How can you quickly take a feature that resides in a
non-editable layer and reproduce it in an editable
layer?

CAD drawing
or Coverage

Lot lines layer

 Copy Features Tool
„ Copies both editable and non-editable data
„ Copies data outside of Target layer spatial domain and
pastes into target layer
„ Scales selected features if you drag a box

The target layer must be the same type of layer

(point, line, or polygon) as the one from which
you copied. There is one exception to this rule—
you can copy polygons into a line layer.
Feature adjustment challenge #2
„ What adjustment technique should I use and how do I
get the Adjust command enabled?

Displacement
Source
Links
Destination
 Spatial Adjustment
„ Located on Spatial Adjustment toolbar
„ Commands & Tools to modify coordinate locations of
your data.
Adjustment methods used to:
•Differentially scale, skew, rotate and translate data
•Stretch or warp features
•Moves end vertices of
features in layer to the
ends of adjacent layer
Remember to create the correct
number of links for the
transformation method
Feature adjustment challenge #3
„ How do you adjust multiple layers with the
same set of links?
 Adjusting Multiple Layers
„ To adjust multiple layers:
„ Load layers into ArcMap
„ From Set Adjust Data
„ Specify adjustment layers

„ To reuse links
„ Save to text file
„ Use links menu
„ Save Link File
Feature adjustment challenge #3
„ How can you migrate attribute values from one
feature to another?
 Attribute transfer
„ Interactively transfer attributes between features
„ Match common fields between layers
„ Set source and target layers
„ Specify fields to transfer
„ Option to transfer geometry
Demonstration
 Review

¾ Copy Features Tool

¾ Spatial Adjustment Toolbar
¾ Transformation
¾ Attribute transfer
 What questions do we get asked?
„ How do you change the coordinates of a feature?
„ How do you create and remove donut holes in
polygons?
„ How do you ‘flip’ the direction of a feature?
„ How do you update the attributes of many features?
How do you change the coordinates of a feature?
„ Edit Sketch Properties dialog
„ Highlight a vertex Click
Clickto
to
„ Works with “Parts” of highlight
highlight
multipart features vertex
vertex
„ Context menu options
„ Insert vertices
„ Zoom to vertex
„ Delete
1
„ Can edit X, Y, M,
and Z values 2 0 (start)

4
 Creating & filling donut holes in polygons
„ Creating a Donut hole:
„ Double click on the feature to
modify shape
„ Click on the Sketch tool
„ Right click to ‘Finish Part’
„ Sketch the hole feature
„ Filling the donut hole
„ Add a feature where you want
the hole
„ Select that “Holed” feature
„ Choose Editor menu -> Clip
„ Choose ‘Discard the area that
intersects’ option
 Removing donut holes in polygons
„ Removing a Donut hole:
„ Double click on the feature to modify it’s
shape
„ Open the Sketch Properties

„ Right click on “Donut Hole” part and

choose ‘Delete’
How do you ‘flip’ the direction of a feature?

„ Flip command on the Edit Sketch context

menu
„Double click feature to modify it’s shape
„ Right click shape to open the Sketch context menu
• Developer
„ Click on the Samples ->
‘Flip’ command
• Flip Command
• Bulk flip of selected features
How to update attributes of many features?
„ Batch update of feature attributes
„ Select target features
„ Open attributes window
„ Choose layer
„ Choose target field
„ Type new attribute value

Select Layer

Enter attribute value

for selected features
Demonstration
 Ensuring Coincidence
„ ArcMap topology toolbar
„ Editing Coincident Features
 ArcMap Topology toolbar
„ Contains topology editing tools
Constructing
Constructing features
features Validation
Validation

Topology
Topology to
to edit
edit Editing
Editing coincident
coincident geometry
geometry

„ ArcEditor license required to create and edit a GDB topology

„ Build a map topology
„ Temporary for the edit session
„ For shapefiles, feature classes without a topology
„ Works with ArcView
„ Enables some of the topology editing tools
 Topology tools availability
ArcView
ArcInfo & ArcEditor ArcGIS
ArcGIS
Geodatabase
Map Topology Map Topology
Topology
Topology
Edit Tool 9 9 9
Show
Shared Features 9 9 9
Planarize
Lines 9 9
Construct
Features 9 9
Validate 9
Error
Management 9
• Geoprocessing Integrate tool to snap adjacent features together
• Available to all licenses of ArcGIS
 Moving coincident geometry
„ Topology Edit Tool

„ Selects and modifies edges and nodes

„ Press E to only select edges, and N to only select
nodes
„ Show Shared Features
„ To pull coincident geometries apart
Uncheck
Unchecklayers
layersso
sothey
they
are
arenot
notmodified
modifiedwith
with
the
thecoincident
coincidentgeometry
geometry
 Temporarily splitting edges
„ Why?
„ For snapping to
Select an edge
topology nodes
„ To move a part of an edge
Temporarily split
„ How? the edge
„ By distance
„ From start or end Select and modify
„ By percentage one of the edges

„ Using the selection anchor

All polygons
„ Easily removed are modified
„ Build Topology Cache
„ Merge connected edges Rebuild cache to
remove temporary nodes
 Edge tasks
„ Reshape edge
„ Reshape an edge
with a sketch
„ Modify edge
„ Edit the vertices of an edge in the sketch
 Split/Move Node
„ Temporarily disconnects one node and one edge from
topology
„ Move a polygon boundary without creating slivers
„ S key while dragging node with Topology Edit Tool
Select one node Press S key and snap
These edges don’t
and one edge with node to some other
rubber band
N and E keys part of the polygon

Polygons will be
deleted if you don’t
snap the node to the
edge of the polygon
Demonstration
 Download developer samples
„ Additional developer tools and samples
„ If developer samples installed

„ If not installed –> go online –> download sample

http://arcgisdeveloperonline.esri.com/ArcGISDeveloper/default.asp
 Additional training classes
Virtual Campus course
Creating and Editing Geodatabase Features with
ArcGIS 9
Creating and Editing Linearly Referenced Features with
ArcGIS 9
Creating and Editing Geodatabase Topology with
ArcGIS 9
Instructor – led training
Building Geodatabases II
Creating and Editing Parcels with ArcGIS
Introduction to ArcGIS II
Data Production and Editing Techniques
 Open for Questions

„ ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Engine Demonstration

„ Demos on editing 12:00 Noon
„ Simple and topological editing, attribute updating, snap to layers,
merging, splitting, deleting, vertex and node editing, shared
coincidental edge modifications and much more!

„ The Road Ahead ArcGIS 9.2 – 3:00 PM