Straight line diagram templates
There are many properties that are used to create a straight line diagram. Many of these properties are set as part of the Generate Straight Line Diagram wizard, while other properties, such as the symbology used to display the events, is a property of the layer. If you want to generate a new straight line diagram that looks like one you have already created, you can point to an existing .mxd as a template when you use the wizard.
When pointing to a template .mxd, you can use any .mxd with at least two data frames.
There are two types of information that can be part of the template. The first type of information is the standard information that is stored in an .mxd:
- Layout—The layout includes the size and position of each of the data frames; surround elements, such as scale bars and north arrows; and text elements that can be used to label each of the events displayed in the straight line diagram.
- Symbology—This includes the way the events and routes are displayed in the diagram, as well as any labels or hatching that are used.
- Layers—This includes any layers in the base data frame that you may want to display.
The second type of information is the properties that are set when the straight line diagram is created from the Generate Straight Line Diagram wizard. This information is stored in the reference route that is used in the straight line diagram and is only available if the reference route is included in the .mxd you use as a template. This information, which is used to automatically populate default values in the Generate Straight Line Diagram wizard, is as follows:
- Event—The list of events that are in the straight line diagram is stored in the reference route. This allows you to easily select event layers to include in the diagram, even if they are not currently displayed in your map.
- Event Order—The order in which events appear in the straight line diagram, which is stored in the reference route.
- Event Spacing—When using the wizard, you can specify how much space in the diagram is given to various parts of the diagram.