Tutorial: Getting started with parcel fabric editing

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup Data Path: \ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Parcel Editing Goal: Become familiar with the parcel fabric editing environment

A parcel fabric is built from either data migration of existing parcel datasets or data entry into an empty parcel fabric. Data migration of existing parcels into a new parcel fabric is the most common method that you will use to build a parcel fabric.

Learn more about data migration into the parcel fabric

Editing the parcel fabric in automatic edit mode

Once a parcel fabric is loaded into ArcMap, you can choose to either directly edit parcels in the map (automatic edit mode) or work with job workflow functionality (manual edit mode).

Before beginning this exercise, make sure that the Parcel Editor toolbar has been added to ArcMap. To load the toolbar, click Customize on the main menu, point to Toolbars, then click Parcel Editor. In this exercise, you will become familiar with editing in automatic edit mode.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap and load the ParcelEditing map document (ParcelEditing.mxd) from the \ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Parcel Editing\ folder.
2. Make sure the map is zoomed to the Parcel Editing Area bookmark. Click Bookmarks > Parcel Editing Area.
You will now set the parcel fabric edit mode.
3. Click the Parcel Editor arrow on the Parcel Editor toolbar and click Options.
4. On the Parcel Editor Options dialog box, choose the Automatic option.
Using this option, parcels are edited directly in the map and each edit is tracked automatically in the job book.
5. Click the Automatically zoom to extent of parcels when editing check box and click OK.

Setting the parcel fabric edit mode

When you open a parcel, the map automatically zooms to the extent of the parcel. If you do not check this option, the map remains at its current zoom extent.

You will now open a parcel in the map.

6. Click Parcel Editor and click Start Editing. Close the Create Features window.
7. Click the Select Parcel Features tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar and click on parcel 142 to select it.

Select a parcel.

8. Right-click the parcel and click Open. You can also double-click the parcel to open it.
The parcel is opened in the map, and curved radial lines are visible. The Parcel Details dialog box also becomes visible.

Open parcel

9. If the Parcel Details dialog box is not visible, click the Parcel Details tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to display the dialog box.
The Parcel Details dialog box shows the attribute information for the open parcel under the Properties tab. The Name, Type, Unclosed, Stated Area, Legal Start Date, Legal End Date, Accuracy, Compiled, and Historical attribute values are editable. The remaining attributes are system attributes maintained internally. The Plan list displays the parcels' associated plan or record of survey. The Template button is unavailable. You can only set feature templates for newly created parcels in the parcel fabric, not for existing parcels.

Parcel Details window

Tip:

The Name, Type, Stated Area, Legal Start Date, Legal End Date, Accuracy, and Compiled attribute values are also editable when the parcel is selected in the map in an edit session. You do not have to open the parcel to edit these attributes.

10. Click the Plan button to open the Plan Directory dialog box. The plan directory lists all available plans or records of survey defined for the current parcel fabric. On the Plan Directory dialog box, you can set a different plan for the parcel or create a new plan. For this exercise, you will not change the parcel's plan. Close the Plan Directory dialog box.
Learn more about the plan directory

Plan Directory

Tip:

If you choose not to work with plans, the system default <map> plan is used for parcels that are not associated with any plans.

Tip:
The Plan Directory dialog box can also be opened from the Parcel Editor menu. When doing so, you can right-click a plan and click Construction to open the construction environment for the plan. In the construction environment, you can paste line work or traverse in construction lines. Parcels can be built from a network of construction lines and joined as new parcels to the parcel fabric.
Learn more about working with parcel construction lines
11. Click the Lines tab on the Parcel Details dialog box.
The parcel traverse lines are displayed with misclose information. You can edit line dimensions or add additional lines such as connection lines.

Parcel traverse grid

12. With the parcel still open, click the Parcel Editor arrow and click Parcel Measurement View to display the parcel using its COGO dimensions, scale, and rotation in the parcel fabric.

Displaying a parcel using parcel measurement view

Notice that the parcel has a 4°19'48" rotation. The parcel's rotation value is displayed in the Rotation attribute field under the Properties tab on the Parcel Details dialog box.
If parcel measurement view is toggled off, the parcel is displayed using its parcel fabric coordinates. Displaying a parcel in parcel measurement view displays a parcel using coordinates derived from its COGO dimensions, scale, and rotation. Displaying the parcel using parcel measurement view displays the true parcel shape according to its current COGO dimensions, scale, and rotation. This command is useful for finding erroneous parcels. Inaccurate or incorrect COGO dimensions will be reflected in the parcel shape when a parcel is displayed using parcel measurement view.

In the case of parcel 142, there are no differences in the parcel shape when the parcel is displayed using its COGO dimensions, but there is a rotation on the parcel.

Learn more about parcel measurement view
13. Toggle off parcel measurement view: click Parcel Editor > Parcel Measurement View.
14. Click the Exit Without Saving command on the Parcel Details dialog box to close the parcel and switch back to the parcel fabric layer.
Now you will open the same parcel, but this time, you will open it in a local coordinate system.
15. Open the Parcel Editor Options dialog box (Parcel Editor > Options) and choose View and edit parcels individually in a local coordinate system. Click OK.
16. Using the Select Parcel Features tool, double-click on parcel 142 to open it.
The parcel is opened in a stand-alone local coordinate data frame instead of the map. Editing parcels in a local coordinate data frame is useful for individual parcel editing and when using the map as a background reference is not necessary.

Open a parcel in a local coordinate data frame.

17. Click the Exit Without Saving command on the Parcel Details dialog box to close the parcel and switch back to the parcel fabric layer.
18. Click the Parcel Explorer Window tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to open the Parcel Explorer window.
The Parcel Explorer window lists selected parcels by their plan. Parcels that are not yet part of the parcel fabric and unjoined parcels are also listed.
By default, the parcel explorer lists the last parcel that was opened.
19. Using the Select Parcel Features tool, drag a box to select a group of parcels in the map.
The Parcel Explorer window refreshes to display a list of the selected parcels, grouped by their plan.

Parcel Explorer

Tip:

You can right-click parcels either in the map or in the Parcel Explorer window and click Open to open them for editing.

20. Click Parcel Editor > Job Book to open the parcel fabric job book.
The job book displays two jobs for both times that parcel 142 was opened.

Job Book

The job book tracks edits to the parcel fabric. Each time an edit is made—for example, a parcel merge or a parcel attribute edit—the edit is tracked as a mini job on the Job Book dialog box. You can select any mini job, right-click, then click Zoom to Job Parcels to zoom to the parcel that was edited. If you are working in manual mode using fabric jobs, you can create and edit jobs manually and reopen jobs from the Job Book dialog box.
21. Close the Job Book dialog box to complete the exercise in familiarizing yourself with the parcel fabric automatic edit mode.

Editing the parcel fabric in manual edit mode

In this exercise, you will become familiar with editing the parcel fabric in manual edit mode using fabric jobs.

Steps:

1. In ArcMap, make sure the ParcelEditing map document (ParcelEditing.mxd) is open and zoomed to the Parcel Editing Area bookmark.
You will now set the edit mode to manual.
2. Open the Parcel Editor Options dialog box and choose Manual as the edit mode. You can choose to leave View and edit parcels individually in a local coordinate system checked or unchecked. Click OK.
In manual edit mode, parcels are selected and opened in a fabric job for editing. After edits are complete, the job is posted back to the parcel fabric layer.
3. Click the Select Parcel Features tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar and drag a box to select a group of parcels in the map.

Select parcels to open in a job

4. Click the Parcel Editor arrow and click Modify to extract the selected parcels into a job. Notice that job workflow commands are now available on the Parcel Editor menu, for example, Modify, Finish Job, and Create Job.

Job workflow commands

The selected parcels are opened in a job and are available for editing. The surrounding parcels are inactive.

Open selected parcels in a fabric job.

The Parcel Explorer window also becomes active, listing all parcels in the fabric job by their plan.

Parcel explorer

Tip:

Parcels in the parcel explorer can also be displayed with an unlocked icon . This icon indicates that these parcels were previously edited. On a versioned ArcSDE geodatabase, parcels that are displayed with a locked icon are currently being edited in another version or by a different user on the same version. Locked parcels cannot be edited.

Learn more about versioning and edit locks in the parcel fabric
You can now double-click a parcel in either the Parcel Explorer window or in the map to open the parcel for editing. You can also right-click parcels to access commands for parcel division, parcel remainder, and so on.
5. Click Parcel Editor > Finish Job.
The fabric job is saved and posted back to the parcel fabric layer. Any edits made in the job will be updated in the parcel fabric and committed to the geodatabase once the edit session is saved. If the edit session is not saved, the edits posted from the job are lost. You can also click the Undo command on the Standard toolbar to undo the creation of the fabric job.
Tip:

In an open fabric job, you can click the Discard Changes command on the Parcel Editor menu to discard the job. All edits in the job are discarded.

6. Click Parcel Editor > Job Book to open the Job Book dialog box. The job you just created has a description of Modify selected.

Job book

7. Right-click the job and click Properties.
The job creation properties dialog box is displayed and the parcels that are part of the job are colored in blue. If a parcel was edited in the job, it would be colored in red. You can edit the properties of the job in the job creation dialog box. You can also reopen the job for continued editing.

Job properties

Tip:

If you are editing in automatic mode (without using manually created jobs), you can also view the properties of the mini jobs or tracked edits; however, you cannot reopen the edits or mini jobs for editing. You need to be working in manual mode to reopen a job from the Job Book dialog box.

8. Click Cancel on the job creation dialog box to complete the exercise in familiarizing yourself with the parcel fabric manual edit mode and complete the tutorial.

Tip:

Click the Create New Parcel On A New Plan tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to create a new parcel in a new plan. You can also open the Plan Directory dialog box, right-click a plan, then click New Parcel to create a new parcel in an existing plan.

Tip:

Right-click a parcel in the map or in the Parcel Explorer window to access parcel editing commands such as Parcel Division and Parcel Remainder.

Tip:

Right-click a plan on the Plan Directory dialog box to create or paste lines as parcel construction lines. Parcels can be built from a network of construction lines.

Tip:

Click the Maintain Control Points tool on the Parcel Editor toolbar to insert control points into the parcel fabric. Control points can also be imported into the parcel fabric.