Using concatenated route identifiers

Route identifiers (IDs) can be made up of a single field in the route table or several fields. When you create an LRS Network, you need to understand how your business tables are going to reference routes. Your route table must have a record for every unique route ID, which can mean a record for every unique combination of fields that might make up a route ID.

These records do not have to be unique in the route table as only the first instance of the ID encountered will be used, but each unique combination that makes up a route ID must be included. See Creating LRS Networks for more information about creating LRS Networks in the advanced linear referencing system (ALRS).

Because the Roads And Highways Editing tools must insert values into fields in the route table to create a new route record, there are certain rules you must follow when creating concatenated route ID fields.

• Concatenated route IDs can either use a field separator or not, but all route IDs within a network must follow the same convention.
• Some LRS Networks may have concatenated fields with separators, and other LRS Networks may have concatenated fields without.
• If you do not use field separators, all fields making up concatenated route IDs must be fixed-length text fields.
• The total length of your route IDs, with separators and empty spaces, in fixed-length text fields may not exceed the field used to store route IDs in your calibration point feature class.
• When populating fixed-length text fields without a field separator, you must enter enough characters to fill the field, even if they are spaces.

Tip:

The decision on whether to use a field separator in route IDs depends on how routes are referenced in business tables. Field separators are commonly used when combining fields of different types to add context to the route name. Hyphens (-) or underscores (_) are commonly used when combining information such as highway type, route number, and travel direction (for example, NY-85-W).

Be aware that some references to highways may include their own separator within the field itself (for example, I-790 versus I790). Roads and Highways does not support the use of field separators that also occur in field values. To avoid possible data errors, be sure to use field separators that do not already appear within the attributes themselves.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap and set up your editing environment to start editing LRS Networks that use concatenated route IDs.
2. Set your target LRS Network layer on the Roads And Highways Editing toolbar.
3. Set your Activity Type to Create Route. Click here to learn more about creating a new route.
4. Select a redline feature if applicable.
5. Select a source geometry feature.
6. Click the Apply button .

   The Create Route dialog box appears. If the Route ID text box is not properly populated, you will see a field error next to the text box.
7. Set an effective date on the Create Route dialog box.
8. Click the browse button next to the Route ID text box.

   The RouteId dialog box displays showing the fields that have been configured to construct route IDs. The dialog box will be slightly different depending on whether a field separator is used.

   RouteId dialog box when a field separator is used

   RouteId dialog box when no field separator is used

9. Populate the route ID field text boxes.

   When a field separator is used	Enter a value into each field that makes up the route ID.
   When no field separator is used	Enter a value into each route ID field, ensuring each text box is completely filled, even if it is necessary to add leading or trailing spaces.

   When you begin adding numbers to the route ID field text boxes, you will see the numbers to the right of the text boxes begin to count up. If you try to leave the text box before the field is completely filled, you will see a field error marker.
10. Click OK.
11. Finish completing the Create Route dialog box and click OK to complete the route.