What's new for page layouts and data frames in ArcGIS 10

Data Driven Pages

Data Driven Pages give you the ability to generate multiple pages by taking a single layout and iterating over a set of map extents. The extents are defined by the features in an index feature layer. This can be any feature layer, point, line, or polygon. Attributes from the index layer can be used to define page names, page numbers, scale, rotation angle, and coordinate system. Print and export now includes the ability to print your data-driven pages and export to a multipage PDF document. Geoprocessing tools are provided to automate the generation of an index layer, either as a rectangular grid or as a strip map, following a linear feature. Geoprocessing tools are also provided to calculate coordinate system information, such as central meridians and UTM zones; to populate neighboring page fields; and to calculate the true north rotation angle for each feature in the index layer.

Learn more about Data Driven Pages

Dynamic text

The layout text element has been enhanced to recognize dynamic tags for system properties such as date or time; map properties, such as document path or date saved; data frame properties, such as coordinate system or rotation angle; and data-driven page properties, such as page number or page name. Common Dynamic Text properties are available through the Insert menu, and additional tags are available for more properties and formatting options and can be simply entered in a layout text element.

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Data frame options

Several data frame property enhancements have been made to support data-driven page workflows. The Extent Rectangle has been updated to the Extent Indicator. In overview diagrams, in addition to the simple rectangular geometry, the Extent Indicator can use the shape of your data-driven page index feature to highlight the current page extent.

Learn more about using extent indicators

Clip to Shape has a new option to allow you to exclude individual layers. This allows you to only clip the layers you specify while the excluded layers will continue to draw over the entire extent. Clip to Shape also includes a new option for clipping the data frame grids to the extent of your feature. Grid features are clipped to the extent, and grid labels follow the outer extent of the feature.

Learn more about clipping the Data Frame

New data frame extent options make it possible to synchronize the extent of additional data frames with the extent of a data frame setup with data-driven pages. This makes it possible to have overview diagrams or adjoining page diagrams that follow the extent of the data-driven pages. This makes it possible to have multiple data frames that maintain a synchronized extent, so you can set up maps with more than one data frame—one with imagery, for example, and one with vector data—and the extent can be set to the current extent in both data frames simultaneously.

Learn more about customizing your map extent