Configuring the Network Analyst environment

Before you begin working with ArcGIS Network Analyst, you need to enable the extension. Also, it is helpful to set up the main Network Analyst user interface components in ArcGIS Desktop or at least know how to set up them up so you can access them when necessary. This topic steps you through the following:

• Enabling the Network Analyst extension in ArcMap and ArcCatalog
• Displaying the Network Analyst toolbar
• Displaying the Network Analyst window
• Accessing Network Analyst geoprocessing tools

Enabling the Network Analyst extension in ArcMap

Before you can work with ArcGIS Network Analyst in ArcMap, you must enable the extension. The same is true for ArcCatalog; thus, if you use Network Analyst with both ArcCatalog and ArcMap, you need to enable the extension twice. Enabling the Network Analyst extension does not cause relevant user interface components to appear automatically but enables the Network Analyst functionality and tools so that you can work with them.

Steps:

1. Start either ArcMap or ArcCatalog.
   • Start ArcMap by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcMap 10.
   • Start ArcCatalog by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcCatalog 10.
2. Click Customize > Extensions.

   The Extensions dialog box opens.

3. Check the Network Analyst check box.

   If Network Analyst is not listed, it's not installed. If you don't have a license for installing the Network Analyst extension, you can either purchase one or use a temporary evaluation version.

4. Click Close.

The Network Analyst extension is enabled for either ArcMap or ArcCatalog, depending on the program you started in the first step. You might want to repeat these steps to enable the extension in the other program as well.

Displaying the Network Analyst toolbar in ArcMap

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcMap 10.
2. Click Customize > Toolbars > Network Analyst.

   The Network Analyst toolbar is added to ArcMap.

Displaying the Network Analyst window in ArcMap

If you perform network analyses, such as route and service area analyses, the Network Analyst window is useful since it serves as a place to access the objects, classes, and properties of active network analysis layers. However, if you only work with network datasets and their source features, it isn't necessary to show the Network Analyst window.

Steps:

1. On the Network Analyst toolbar, click the Show/Hide Network Analyst Window button .

   The dockable Network Analyst window opens.

You can dock the window on any side of ArcMap and even dock it on top of other dockable windows, like the table of contents or Search window.

Accessing geoprocessing tools for the Network Analyst extension

You can access the geoprocessing tools for Network Analyst through the Search window. The steps below show how to access tools in ArcMap; the steps are the same for ArcCatalog, except for step 1.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcMap 10.
2. On the menu bar, click Geoprocessing > Search For Tools.

   The dockable Search window opens with the Tools category selected.

   

3. You can either type the name of the tool in the search box and press ENTER or you can click Network Analyst Tools to access the toolsets and tools that it contains.

   In the following graphic, the Analysis toolset was accessed by clicking Network Analyst Tools > Analysis.