A quick tour of parcel editing in the parcel fabric

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Parcel Editor toolbar

The Parcel Editor toolbar contains the tools and menu commands needed to access and work with your parcel fabric, for example, the Select Parcel Features tool, the Parcel Explorer window, the Parcel Details window, and the Maintain control points dialog box. Other commonly used parcel editing tools and commands, such as the Job Book command and Create Connection Line tool, are also available on the Parcel Editor menu and toolbar. You can also start and stop an edit session from the Parcel Editor toolbar. The Parcel Editor toolbar is required to edit parcels in a parcel fabric in ArcMap.

Parcel Editor toolbar

Parcel Editor Options dialog box

The Parcel Editor Options dialog box is used to set parcel fabric editing options such as the type of edit mode, the parcel view, and snapping and joining tolerances. You can choose to edit parcels directly in the map in automatic mode, or you can choose to edit parcels in parcel fabric jobs in manual mode. If editing in manual (jobs) mode, you are using job-workflow commands and functionality to edit your parcel fabric.

Parcel Editor Options dialog box

Parcel Details window

The Parcel Details dialog box is used when editing and creating parcels. The Parcel Details dialog box can be opened by clicking the Parcel Details button on the Parcel Editor toolbar. Parcel polygon attributes of a selected or opened parcel are displayed under the Properties tab of the Parcel Details window. Under the Properties tab, you can also specify the parcel's related plan or record of survey. Parcel polygon feature templates can also be set for new parcels. The Lines tab displays parcel traverse and misclose information. When a parcel is open for editing or when a new parcel is being created, several parcel editing commands become available on the Parcel Details dialog box such as COGO commands and Build parcels (from line work) commands.

Parcel Details dialog box

Parcel Explorer window

The Parcel Explorer window can be opened by clicking the Parcel Explorer window button on the Parcel Editor toolbar. The Parcel Explorer window lists selected parcels by their plan or record of survey name. If you are working in a fabric job, all parcels are grouped by their plan or record of survey name in the open job. If the current parcel fabric has unjoined parcels, these parcels are listed under Unjoined Parcels. You can select and right-click parcels either in the map or in the Parcel Explorer window to access various parcel editing commands and tools.

Parcel Explorer window

Select Parcel Features tool

The Select Parcel Features tool can be accessed from the Parcel Editor toolbar. You use this tool to select and interact with parcels in the parcel fabric. For example, click the Select Parcel Features button and right-click a parcel to open it and access various editing tools. Use the Select Parcel Features tool to drag a box to select multiple parcels that can be modified in a fabric adjustment or opened in a fabric job if you choose to work with job-workflow functionality.

The Plan Directory dialog box

The Plan Directory dialog box can be accessed from the Parcel Editor menu on the Parcel Editor toolbar. The Plan Directory dialog box can also be accessed from the Parcel Details window when editing parcels. In the Plan Directory dialog box, you can find a list of all available plans existing in the parcel fabric. A plan or record of survey, which is prepared by a surveyor, is the legal recorded document that defines and describes a parcel or parcels. Plan information is stored in the nonspatial plans table of the parcel fabric. You can create a new plan from the Plan Directory dialog box, or you can migrate plan information into the parcel fabric when migrating parcels. If no plan exists or you choose not to work with plans, a default system map plan is used when editing parcels.

Plan Directory dialog box

Job Book dialog box

The Job Book dialog box tracks and displays edits to parcels in the parcel fabric. If editing parcels directly in the map in automatic mode, mini jobs are saved and tracked for each edit in the job book. Each edit or mini job is date and time stamped. You can zoom to the extent of each edit or mini job. If editing parcels in fabric jobs in manual mode, the fabric job is saved and stored in the job book. You can reopen the parcel fabric job and edit the job properties. The Job Book dialog box can be accessed by clicking the Open Parcel Job Book button on the Parcel Editor toolbar.

Job Book dialog box

Parcel editing tools

In an edit session or in an open fabric job, right-click a parcel to open it for attribute and dimension editing. When right-clicking a parcel, you can also access commands such as Parcel Division, Construct from parent, and Parcel Remainder.

Data migration

You can build a parcel fabric by migrating existing parcel datasets to a parcel fabric. To migrate existing parcel data, you can do either of the following:

• Use geodatabase topology on existing polygons or lines and migrate the topology to the parcel fabric. This method is useful for migrating sections of parcel data at a time.
• Build a fabric source from your existing parcel datasets and migrate the fabric source to the parcel fabric. This method is useful for migrating entire datasets.

When using a geodatabase topology, a geometry-based topology with rules is validated against a subset of lines and/or polygons or optionally points. If there are no errors, the data can be migrated directly into the parcel fabric. The Load A Topology To A Parcel Fabric geoprocessing tool in the Parcel Fabric toolbox can be used to migrate a geodatabase topology to a parcel fabric.