Modifying an address locator's settings

After an address locator is created, you can modify the settings of the locator. See this topic Defining the address locator components for more information about components and matching options in an address locator that you can modify.

Steps:

1. Right-click the address locator you want to modify and click Properties to open the Address Locator Properties dialog box.

   You can also double-click the address locator to open the dialog box.

2. Type a new description in Description text box if you want to provide more information about the locator you created.
3. Check the box next to Store relative path names if you want to specify the paths to the reference data as relative paths in the locator. The locator will store the full paths if the box is unchecked.

   Storing relative path names in an address locator is useful if you want to copy the entire workspace including the reference feature class, tables, and address locators to another workspace. Setting the correct path name to the reference data is essential when you want to rebuild the address locator.

   Learn more about rebuilding address locators

When you geocode a table of addresses using the Geocode Addresses dialog box, the locator searches for the input field names in the table. You can add the names of the fields in your address table to the locator so that the fields will be recognized and selected automatically.
4. To add a default input address field name
   1. Select the input address field in the The field containing: box under the Input Address Fields section, and then click Add. This is the field for which you want to specify the names to search for in your table of addresses.

      The Field Name to Recognize dialog box opens.

   2. In the Field Name to Recognize dialog box, type the name in the Field name text box. This is the name of the field to search for in your table of addresses , then click OK.

      The new field name is added to the is recognized if it is named: box.

   3. Click OK.

   Note:

   The address locator searches for field names in address tables in the order in which they appear in the list in the is recognized if it is named: box. To change the order of the default field names, click a field name in the list and use the Up arrow or Down arrow button to move the name up or down in the list.

5. To specify or change the place name alias table that an address locator uses
   1. Click the Place Name Alias Table button to open the Place Name Alias dialog box.
   2. Click the Browse button next to the Alias Table drop-down menu.
   3. Navigate to the table you want to use for your alias name data, then click Add.
   4. Click the Alias Field drop-down menu and click the field that corresponds to the location or alias name.
   5. Modify the Address Fields if necessary, then click OK to close the Alias Table dialog box.
6. To modify matching options
   1. Drag the Spelling sensitivity slider to the desired setting.
   2. Drag the Minimum candidate score slider to the desired setting.
   3. Drag the Minimum match score slider to the desired setting.

You can also type a value between 0 and 100 in the text box of each option.

7. To specify the intersection connectors
   1. Type the intersection connectors the address locator will recognize in the Intersection Connectors text box.

      Items in the Intersection Connectors text box must be separated by a space (for example, "& AND AT @ |").

8. To specify the output options
   1. For side offset, type the number of units to offset the geocoded location and click the drop-down arrow to select the units that will be used to measure the side offset distance.
   2. For end offset, type the number of units to offset the geocoded location towards the end of the reference line feature and click the drop-down arrow to select the units or percent that will be used to measure the end offset distance.
   3. Check the Match if candidates tie check box to match addresses arbitrarily when two or more candidates on different locations with the same best match score exist.
9. To specify the output fields
   1. Check the X and Y Coordinates check box to write x- and y-coordinates of geocoded features to geocoded feature classes. The x- and y-coordinates are derived based on the address locator's spatial reference, not the geocoded feature class.
   2. Check the Standardized address check box to write standardized addresses to geocoded feature classes if the locator is a pre-ArcGIS 10 locator.

      This option is disabled for locators created in ArcGIS 10.

   3. Check the Reference data ID check box to write the IDs of the reference data features to which addresses were matched to geocoded feature classes.
   4. Check the Percent along check box to write the percent along the reference feature to which the address was matched.

      For example, if the address is located in the middle of the reference feature, the percent along for the address will be 50.

10. Click OK to close the Address Locator Properties dialog box.