Exercise 3b: Editing annotation features

Complexity: Intermediate Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup Data Path: \ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Editing

About editing annotation features

Now that the labels have been created, you will start an edit session and add the unplaced annotation features to the map. The Unplaced Annotation window lets you view unplaced annotation features in a table that can show all the unplaced annotation in the annotation feature classes on your map. You can filter the table to show annotation for a specific annotation class and choose whether to show annotation for the whole extent of the data or for the current visible extent. You can sort the table alphabetically by the unplaced annotation's text content or annotation class by clicking either the Text or Class column heading.

Placing unplaced annotation features

Prerequisite:

The Exercise3.mxd is open.

Steps:

1. Click the Editor menu on the Editor toolbar and click Start Editing.
2. Click the Editor menu on the Editor toolbar, point to Editing Windows, then click Unplaced Annotation.
3. On the Unplaced Annotation window, check the Draw box to display the unplaced annotation features on the map.
4. Click Search Now. A number of annotation features are listed in the table. If you scroll through the table, you can see there are unplaced annotation features from several annotation classes represented. You can also see some new annotation features outlined in red on the map. You see these unplaced annotation features because the Draw box is checked.
5. Click the Edit Annotation tool on the Editor toolbar.
6. Click the map, press and hold down the Z key, then click and drag a box around the small cluster of unplaced annotation features at the east side of the park. The Z key is the keyboard shortcut to zoom in. To pan to this area, you can press the C key. You can also navigate to the Zion Canyon bookmark.
The Hillshade background layer has a visible scale range; when you zoom in closer than 1:85,000, it is no longer displayed. Setting a visible scale range is also a good idea for annotation feature classes, as they are most useful within the range of scales where they are legible. There is no need to spend time or—especially for multiuser geodatabases—network and database resources drawing annotation features when they cannot be read. You can set a visible scale range for a layer in ArcMap, or you can change the properties of the annotation feature class itself. The second method has the advantage that the annotation feature class will always be drawn within its visible scale range when it is added to a map.
7. Now that you have zoomed in to the cluster of unplaced annotation in the east side of the park, you are ready to start placing the unplaced annotation features. Click Search Now.
8. Right-click Birch Creek in the Text column and click Place Annotation. The Birch Creek annotation feature is placed. It is selected, so it has a blue outline instead of a red outline.

Making annotation follow along the edge of a feature

The annotation feature is straight and placed parallel to a segment of the stream feature. The other stream annotation features curve to follow the streams, so you will make this newly placed annotation feature follow the stream. You can make an annotation feature follow a line feature or the boundary of a polygon feature. The Follow Feature Options dialog box allows you to specify how annotation will behave when it follows a feature.

Steps:

1. With the Edit Annotation tool, right-click the Birch Creek annotation feature, point to Follow, then click Follow Feature Options.
2. For Make annotation, click Curved.
3. For Constrain Placement, click the Side cursor is on button to constrain the placement of the annotation.
4. Type 100 in the Offset from feature text box. The annotation will be offset 100 meters from the stream.
5. Click OK.
6. Move the pointer over the stream feature just south of the Birch Creek annotation feature, right-click, then click Follow This Feature.
The stream feature flashes, and the annotation feature bends to follow the stream. The selected annotation feature follows any line feature that you right-click and tell it to follow using the Edit Annotation tool.
7. Place the pointer over the middle of the Birch Creek annotation feature. The pointer changes to the four-pointed Move Annotation pointer.
8. Drag the Birch Creek annotation feature along the stream feature. Press the L key as you drag the annotation if you need to flip its reading direction.

Stacking and rotating annotation

You have placed an annotation feature and made it follow another feature with the Edit Annotation tool. The Edit Annotation tool also allows you to make other edits to annotation features. Now that you have placed the annotation feature from the StreamsAnno feature class, you will place the other nearby annotation features.

Steps:

1. On the Unplaced Annotation window, click Grotto Springs, then right-click it and click Pan to Annotation.
2. Press the SPACEBAR, which is the keyboard shortcut to place a selected annotation feature. The Grotto Springs annotation feature is placed.
3. Right-click the feature on the map and click Stack. The Grotto Springs annotation feature is split at the space in the text, and the word Grotto is placed above the word Springs.
4. Move the pointer over the middle of the Grotto Springs annotation feature. The pointer will change to the four-pointed Move Annotation pointer. Click the middle of the Grotto Springs annotation feature and drag it toward the southwest so it is between the spring features.
5. On the Unplaced Annotation window, click Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and press the P key, which is the keyboard shortcut to pan to a selected annotation feature.
6. Right-click Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and click Place Annotation.
7. Right-click the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive annotation feature on the map and click Stack.
8. Click the middle of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive annotation feature with the four-pointed Move Annotation pointer and drag it toward the southwest until the south end of the annotation feature is near the intersection with the road that branches off to the east, Highway 9.
9. Move the pointer over the blue, wedge-shaped rotate handle on the northeast corner of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive annotation feature until the pointer becomes the Rotate pointer. Click the corner and drag it counterclockwise until the annotation feature follows the general trend of the road.
10. If you wanted, you could continue to place and edit the annotation features. When you are done, close the Unplaced Annotation window.
11. To continue to the next exercise, click Exercise 3c: Creating new annotation features.

You have placed, moved, stacked, and rotated annotation features with the Edit Annotation tool. Next, you will create new annotation features and edit them.