A quick tour of the Grids and Graticules Designer
You define grids and graticules layers in the Grids and Graticules Designer. This tool can create a *.xml file that you can use as input to the Make Grids and Graticules Layer geoprocessing tool.
The Production Cartography toolbar
The Production Cartography toolbar contains grid and graticule management tools.
The Grids and Graticules Designer
You can display the Grids and Graticules Designer window from the Production Cartography toolbar.
You design new or modify existing grids from this window. Once you have finished your grid design, you can either save it to a *.xml file or create a grid and graticule layer by clicking the Create button.
You can reuse and redistribute grid *.xml files. Use the Make Grids and Graticules Layer tool to generate a grid and graticule layer from a grid *.xml file.
Right-clicking within the Grids and Graticules Designer window displays a shortcut (context) menu.
The following options are available on the shortcut menu:
- Refresh—Refreshes the tree view if any changes have happened during your design session.
- Validate—Evaluates the currently selected grid by performing a series of logical checks. Any grid component with a validation error displays with a red icon next to it. Clicking Validate on the component will display the error in the Validation dialog box. Clicking on the component in the Validation dialog box will take you to that component in the Grids and Graticules Designer and display a Properties dialog box.
- Add—Adds the specified grid component under the currently selected component.
- Copy—Copies the currently selected component and all its subcomponents to memory.
- Paste—Appends the grid component(s) previously copied below the currently selected component. The Paste command is only enabled when the currently selected component can receive the components to paste. For example, if an annotation component is copied, it can only be pasted on points or endpoints.
- Order—Controls the order in which components are listed in the tree view and thus created and drawn in ArcMap. Grid components are created in order from the top of the tree view down. Components that are created first are drawn below components that are lower in the grid tree view once drawn in ArcMap. Components can only be moved within the logical structure of a grid (for example, grid lines must be below neatlines), and the table of contents feature layer order is not controlled using these functions.
- Move To Top—Moves the selected component (and its child components) to the top of the logical structure of the grid. This causes the selected components to be created first and drawn below any subsequent components.
- Move To Bottom—Moves the selected component (and its child components) to the bottom of the logical structure of the grid. This causes the selected components to be created last and drawn above any subsequent components.
- Move Up—Moves the selected component (and its child components) up one position in the logical structure of the grid. This causes the selected components to be created before other components and drawn below any subsequent components.
- Move Down—Moves the selected component (and its child components) down one position in the logical structure of the grid. This causes the selected components to be created after other components and drawn above any subsequent components.
- Expand—Expands the view of all components below the one currently selected.
- Collapse—Collapses the view of all components below the one currently selected.
- Remove—Removes the currently selected component from the tree view. This does not delete the associated features in the database or layers or symbols from ArcMap. The features, layers, and symbols are only updated once Create is clicked.
- Rename—Allows the selected component to be renamed. An alternate name can be appended to the default name. When you are finished typing, press ENTER. The name is then appended to the default component name after the tree view is refreshed.
- Select Component—Clears the current selection in ArcMap and selects the grid layer component you chose in the tree view in the map display. This function is useful when you want to visually evaluate the design of grid components.
Grids and graticules properties
Grids have properties to control their context and display. See Grid Properties for more information.