Viewing a schematic diagram

The following sections focus on the different ways a schematic diagram can be viewed/generated/opened when working within ArcMap or in the Catalog window.

Viewing schematic diagrams in ArcMap

Visualizing schematic diagrams

There are several ways to view a schematic diagram in ArcMap depending on whether or not the schematic diagram is referenced in the schematic database.

• The Generate New Schematic Diagram command allows you to generate a schematic diagram that is not referenced in the schematic database—that is, it allows you to view a schematic diagram once it has been generated and referenced in the schematic database. This command works in a different way depending on the schematic builder on which the generated schematic diagram is based. Learn about using the Generate New Schematic Diagram command:
  • For Standard builder diagrams built from GIS features organized into a geometric network
  • For Standard builder diagrams entirely build from custom queries
  • For diagrams based on the Network Dataset builder
  • For diagrams based on the XML builder
• The Open Schematic Diagrams command allows you to open a schematic diagram that is already referenced in the schematic database—that is, it allows you to open a schematic diagram that has already been viewed using the Generate New Schematic Diagram command.

  Learn about using the Open Schematic Diagrams command

• The Open Diagram By Diagram Template command can also be used to open a schematic diagram already referenced in the schematic database. It allows you to browse to and select a diagram contained in a schematic dataset or schematic folder, per diagram template.

  Learn about using the Open Diagram By Diagram Template command

• Since schematic diagrams referenced in the schematic database are stored in their related schematic dataset as schematic layers, you can also use the Add Data command on the ArcMap Standard toolbar to add the desired schematic layer to the ArcMap TOC and view the related schematic diagram.

  Learn about using the Add Data command

License:

When using the Generate New Schematic Diagram command, you need an ArcGIS Schematics license. However, to view a schematic diagram using the Open Schematic Diagrams , Open Diagram By Diagram Template , or Add Data command, you only need to have the Schematics extension installed; a Schematics license is not required.

Caution:

Schematics allows you to visualize schematic diagrams stored in pre-10 schematic datasets; that is, no new diagram can be generated in a pre-10 schematic dataset, but existing diagrams can be opened and visualized. If there are containers in these pre-10 schematic diagrams, setting the specific attribute constant ContainerMark on the schematic element classes that implement these containers allows Schematics to correctly read these elements and display them as containers. Note that to get full Schematics functions to operate on diagrams contained in a pre-10 schematic dataset, you must migrate this schematic dataset.

Tip:

• In a single click, you can increase or decrease all the symbol sizes or label sizes in the active schematic diagram when using the Increase Symbol Sizes , Decrease Symbol Sizes , Increase Label Sizes , or Decrease Label Sizes commands located on the Schematic toolbar.
• Right-clicking a schematic layer and clicking Reference Scale > Set Diagram Reference Scale allows you to set the current scale of the data as the reference scale to which all symbol and text sizes used in the schematic diagram will be made relative. This causes the Zoom In and Zoom Out tools to physically zoom in and zoom out relative to this scale reference; that is, the symbols/labels related to the schematic features contained in the schematic diagram are magnified when you use the Zoom In tool and appear smaller when you use the Zoom Out tool. You can think of setting a reference scale as "freezing" the symbol and text sizes used in your diagram so that the way they look at the reference scale is maintained at all scales.

Working with schematic diagrams displayed in viewer windows

Any schematic diagram can be displayed in a viewer window, so you can visualize several diagrams in ArcMap at the same time or work with a schematic diagram and geographic features sidebyside on-screen. A viewer window can be opened for each diagram, but you can also work with the Viewer Windows running mode as the default mode so that each time a diagram is opened or generated, it is automatically displayed in a viewer window without changing the active data frame.

Note:

Any schematic layout algorithm execution or any schematic command triggering or manipulation using any schematic tool (such as Schematics editing or refinement tools) can be done inside a viewer window.

• Activating the Viewer Windows mode

  To activate the Viewer Windows running mode, open the Schematic Options dialog box and click the General tab. Then, check the Automatically open schematic diagrams in a viewer window check box in the Viewer Windows section and click Apply. After enabling this mode, each time a diagram is opened using the Generate New Schematic Diagram , Open Schematic Diagrams , or Open Diagram By Diagram Template command, it is displayed in a viewer window and the active data frame is preserved.

  Tip:

  To deactivate this mode, you only need to uncheck the box in the Viewer Windows section.

• Opening a viewer window for a schematic diagram

  To display a diagram in a viewer window, activate the data frame that contains the diagram, click Windows in the ArcMap menu, then click Viewer.

Viewing schematic diagrams in the Catalog window

Schematic diagrams can also be viewed in the Catalog window. The only condition is that the diagram must be referenced in a schematic dataset—that is, the diagram you want to view must already have been generated (by using the Generate New Schematic Diagram command in ArcMap, for example).

The following steps detail how to view a schematic diagram in the Catalog window:

1. Start ArcCatalog.
2. Browse to the schematic dataset that contains the schematic diagram you want to view.
3. Choose the desired schematic diagram.
4. Click the Preview tab.

   The schematic diagram is displayed in the Preview window.

Note:

Schematics also allows you to preview schematic diagrams stored in pre-10 schematic datasets in the Catalog window. If there are containers in these pre-10 schematic diagrams, setting the specific attribute constant ContainerMark on the schematic element classes that implement these containers allows Schematics to correctly read these elements and display them as containers. Note that to get full Schematics functions to operate on diagrams contained in a pre-10 schematic dataset, you must migrate this schematic dataset.