Editing schematic diagrams is done within ArcMap.
The Schematic Editor toolbar regroups all the refining tools/commands and the schematic algorithm layouts that can be used to refine and lay out a schematic diagram. All these functions are disabled until an editing session is started on the active schematic diagram; that is, you need to start an edit session on the active diagram before laying it out.
Editing sessions are managed per schematic diagram; that is, when starting an edit session while a schematic diagram is active, the editing session only starts for the active diagram.
Several schematic diagrams can be edited at the same time, even if editing operations only impact the active schematic diagram.
During an editing session, each editing operation is stored in the undo stack and is undoable until the editing session is stopped.
Several editing sessions can be opened at a time on the same schematic diagram, but only the edits made during the first open session can be saved.
Managing editing sessions on schematic diagrams
All the commands that allow managing of editing sessions on schematic diagrams are available from the Schematic Editor toolbar, under the Schematic Editor menu. The following paragraphs detail these editing commands:
Starting an editing session on a schematic diagram
To start an edit session on a schematic diagram, you must proceed as follows:
- Choose the diagram with which you want to work from the Active Diagram drop-down list.
- Click the Schematic Editor drop-down arrow and point to Start Editing Diagram.
The editing session starts. All the tools and commands available from the Schematic Editor toolbar are automatically enabled and stay enabled until this diagram is the active one. The diagram status is locked until the editing session is stopped.
Saving edits made on a schematic diagram
To save edits made on the active schematic diagram, you must proceed as follows:
- Make sure the active diagram is the one for which you want to save edits.
- Click the Schematic Editor drop-down menu.
- Click Save Diagram Edits.
All the edits made on the active schematic diagram since the edit session was opened or last saved are taken into account and saved in the schematic database. If you have used the Remove Schematic Features command , Reduce Nodes command, or Reconnect Schematic Link tool, the impacts on schematic features are saved in the schematic dataset.
Stopping editing on schematic diagrams
The steps below explain how to close the editing session on the active schematic diagram:
- Make sure the active diagram is the one for which you want to stop the editing session.
- Click the Schematic Editor drop-down menu.
- Click Stop Editing Diagram.
If there are any unsaved edits, you are prompted to save or discard edits prior to closing except when no edit can be saved for the active schematic diagram.
Permissions and editions on schematic diagrams
A schematic diagram can be intentionally locked to avoid users changing its layout. It is also automatically locked when an edit session is started on it. When starting an editing session on a schematic diagram that is locked (for example, when it is already being edited by another user), any editing operation can be performed on the diagram, but no edits can be saved.
Learn more about locking/unlocking schematic diagrams
A schematic diagram contained in a geodatabase that is read-only or a schematic diagram for which the user has only read rights can be edited, but no edits can be saved; that is, any editing operation can be performed on the diagram, but the Save Diagram Edits menu is unavailable, preventing the edits from being saved.
Schematic diagrams stored in a pre-10 schematic dataset can be edited, but no edits can be saved. To get full functions to operate on diagrams in a pre-10 schematic dataset, you must migrate this schematic dataset.
Useful keyboard shortcuts when editing schematic diagrams in ArcMap
When editing a schematic diagram, you can use several keyboard shortcuts to work efficiently and perform Schematics editing functions. The following sections list the keyboard shortcuts available for each editing tool and which functions they perform from within that tool.
- Generic keys to execute actions
Keyboard shortcut | Resulting action |
---|---|
COMMA or ? key | Returns to the previous extent |
; key or PERIOD | Advances to the next extent |
PLUS SIGN | Fixed zoom in |
HYPHEN | Fixed zoom out |
INSERT | Full extent |
HOME/END/PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN | Pages map left/right/up/down |
Arrow keys | Scrolls map left/right/up/down |
F3 | Puts the keyboard focus on the table of contents so you can navigate and interact with it |
F5 | Refreshes and redraws the display |
F9 | Suspends or pauses drawing so you can make changes to your map without having the map redraw after each change |
F11 | Activates a selected data frame |
- When any Schematics tool is active
Press and hold | To temporarily activate the following mode |
---|---|
Z | Zoom in mode |
X | Zoom out mode |
C | Pan mode |
B and click | Continuous zoom in and out mode |
B and right-click | Pan mode |
- When the Edit/Move Schematic Feature tool is active
Press and hold | To perform the following action |
---|---|
SHIFT | Add newly selected schematic features to the current selection |
CTRL | Specify the clicked schematic node as a reference node or the vertex nearest to the clicked location on the schematic link as a reference point |
SHIFT+any arrow key | Slowly move the selected schematic features up/down/left/right |
CTRL+any arrow key | Move the selected schematic features up/down/left/right |
- When a schematic vertex or segment editing tool is active
Press and hold | When the following schematic tool is active | To perform the following action |
---|---|---|
ALT | Add Vertex, Move Vertex, or Edit Vertex | Remove the clicked vertex |
CTRL | Move Vertex or Edit Vertex | Move the clicked segment |
SHIFT | Move Segments | Add the clicked segment to the current selection |
- When the Set Schematic Root or Set Schematic End tools are activate
Press and hold | To perform the following action |
---|---|
SHIFT | Add the clicked schematic node to the set of schematic root or end nodes already specified |