Available with Standard or Advanced license.
When entering parcels using the parcel traverse grid, there are several shortcuts and overrides available for you to use:
Shortcuts
When entering bearings using the quadrant bearing format, you can use numbers to specify the quadrant instead of having to type the required letters. This allows you to work solely with the numeric keypad and speeds up the data entry process. The following table lists the numbers that can be used to represent each of the quadrants:
Specifying quadrants
| Quadrants | Keystroke | Use in grid column | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Northeast quadrant (NE) | -1 | Bearing | 45-59-59-1 |
Southeast quadrant (SE) | -2 | Bearing | 45-59-59-2 |
Southwest quadrant (SW) | -3 | Bearing | 45-59-59-3 |
Northwest quadrant (NW) | -4 | Bearing | 45-59-59-4 |
Instead of clicking the drop-down lists (Accuracy, Category) to set parameters, you can use keyboard shortcuts such as F9 or F10 to cycle through the items in the drop-down lists. The following table lists the keyboard shortcuts that can be used to cycle through drop-down lists in the traverse grid:
Drop-down lists
| Drop-down list | Key-stroke | Use in grid column |
|---|---|---|
Cycle through options in Category column | F9 | Category |
Cycle through options in Accuracy column | F10 | Accuracy |
Overrides
Sometimes, curves on a plat or plan do not conform to a single set of curve parameters. There may be cases where you will need to enter a curve using different curve parameters from the parameters you specified for the plan. To view the curve parameters of the current plan in the parcel traverse grid, click Plan, right-click the selected plan in the Plan Directory and click Properties.. Plan units and parameters are set under the Record Format tab of the Plan Properties dialog box. Instead of having to change the curve parameters, you can override the currently set curve parameters in the traverse line entry grid. The following table lists the letters that can be used to override the current plan curve parameters:
Overriding curve parameters
| Override with | Keystroke | Use in grid column | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Tangent bearing | tb or TB | Bearing | 20-1tb (using quadrant bearing) |
Radial bearing | rb or RB | Bearing | 45-4rb (using quadrant bearing) |
Chord bearing | cb or CB | Bearing | 45-4cb (using quadrant bearing) |
Tangent length | t or T | Arc length, Delta, Chord | 25.01t |
Chord length | c or C | Arc length, Delta, Chord | 25.01c |
Arc length | A or a | Arc length, Delta, Chord | 25.01a |
Delta (central angle) | d or D | Arc length, Chord | 90-59-59d |
You can override distance units in the parcel traverse lines grid. The distance units of a new or existing parcel are set at the plan level of the parcel. To view the distance units of the current plan in the parcel traverse grid, click Plan, right-click the selected plan in the Plan Directory and click Properties..Plan units and parameters are set under the Record Format tab of the Plan Properties dialog box.
Distance units can be overridden in the Distance, Radius and ArcLength fields on theLines tab of the Parcel Details dialog box.
| Override with | Keystroke | Example |
|---|---|---|
Meters | m or M | 25m |
Millimeters | mm or MM | 25mm |
Centimeters | cm or CM | 25cm |
Kilometers | km or KM | 25km |
Feet | ft or FT | 25ft |
Yards | yd or YD | 25yd |
Inches | in or IN | 25in |
Miles | mi or MI | 25mi |
Chains | ch or CH | 25ch |
Links | lk or LK | 25lk |
Rods | rd or RD | 25rd |
SurveyFeet | ftus or FTUS | 25ftus |
SurveyYards | ydus or YDUS | 25ydus |
SurveyMiles | mius or MIUS | 25mius |
SurveyChains | chus or CHUS | 25chus |
SurveyLinks | lkus or LKUS | 25lkus |
SurveyRods | rdus or RDUS | 25rdus |
RomanMiles | rmi or RMI | 25rmi |
NauticalMiles | nm or NM | 25nm |
Data entry
Data entry into the parcel traverse grid works best with the numeric keypad and other keys in this vicinity on your keyboard. For example, consider the following sequential courses:
- N45°59'59'"E, 100.00 ft.
- Tangent curve left radius 50 ft., chord length 60 ft.
- Exit curve tangent straight line 50 ft.
With the plan units set to feet; quadrant bearing; and degrees, minutes, and seconds and the curve entry set to radius and chord, the keystrokes are as follows:
- 45.5959-1 ENTER 100 ENTER
- * ENTER DELETE ENTER -50 ENTER 60 ENTER
- ENTER 50 ENTER
Notice the following:
- You can enter the quadrant for the bearing by typing a hyphen (-) and the number of the quadrant.
- The asterisk (*) can be used to indicate a tangent to the previous course.
- A circular curve is defined by deleting values in the Distance field and pressing ENTER.
- The surveyor's convention of using a negative radius is used for a curve to the left.
- The default value placed for you into the bearing field is always the exit tangent bearing, making it easy to exit a circular curve with a tangent straight line.
- A negative sign (-) is placed before the radius if a curve is turning to the left.
Line categories
Line categories are defined internally and are used to represent parcel structure. For example, if a series of boundary category lines form a closed loop, a parcel is created. A closed loop of connection category lines does not create a parcel. Line categories are also interpreted by the parcel fabric adjustment, for example, Road Frontages can be constrained to be collinear.
The following line categories are available in the parcel traverse grid:
- Boundary (line category 0)
Used for the boundary of any closed loop parcel or unclosed parcel in the parcel fabric.
In a fabric least-squares adjustment, the accuracy category of a Boundary is the same as the parcel accuracy category, unless otherwise specified. If no parcel accuracy category is specified, a default accuracy level of 4 is used.
- Dependent (line category 1)
Used for lines that are dependent on parcel boundary lines, for example, easement lines. Dependent lines are part of the parcel, but do not define the boundaries of parcels; that is, a closed loop of dependent lines will not create a parcel.
Dependent lines can optionally participate in a fabric least-squares adjustment, in which case they are treated in the same way as Boundary lines.
- Precise Connection (line category 2)
Used for lines that connect a parcel point to a control point. Precise connections should start at the parcel point and end at the control point and should never start at the control point, that is, be oriented in the reverse direction.
- In a fabric least-squares adjustment, precise connections automatically have an accuracy category that is one level higher than the parcel accuracy category. For example, if the parcel accuracy category is 3, precise connections will have an accuracy category of 2.
- Connection (line category 3)
Used for lines that connect parcel points. Connection lines are used to add connectivity to the parcel fabric to form a network that can be adjusted in a fabric least-squares adjustment. For example, connection lines are used to connect isolated blocks of parcels. Connection lines are part of the parcels sharing the points to which the connection line connects. Connection lines do not define the boundaries of parcels; that is, a closed loop of connection lines will not create a parcel.
In a fabric least-squares adjustment the accuracy category of connection lines is the same as the parcel accuracy category unless otherwise specified.
- Radial (Line category 4)
Used for lines that radiate out from the end points of curves to the center points of curves. Radial lines are automatically generated and maintained for curved boundaries. Radial lines are only displayed when a parcel is opened.
In a fabric least-squares adjustment the accuracy category of radial lines is the same as the parcel accuracy category unless otherwise specified. For very long radial lines, an accuracy category of 7 (excluded) is recommended. This is because adjustments to long, flat curved boundaries can result in larger shifts in the curve's center points, causing the radial lines to become outliers in an adjustment.
- Road Frontage (Line category 5)
Used for the boundaries of parcels that lie adjacent to roads or right-of-ways. When creating a new parcel, you could use the Road Frontage category instead of using the Boundary category for parcel lines that lie along roads.
In a parcel fabric adjustment, the accuracy category of road frontages is the same as the parcel accuracy category unless otherwise specified. Road frontages can also be constrained to be collinear in the adjustment.
- Origin Connection (Line category 6)
Used for lines that connect a point of beginning to the starting point of a parcel. When creating a new parcel, an origin connection line is always entered first, then the remaining traverse lines of the parcel are entered.
In a fabric least-squares adjustment the accuracy category of origin connection lines is the same as the parcel accuracy category unless otherwise specified.
- Part Connector (Category 7)
Used lines that connect the parts and/or rings of a multipart or donut parcel. Part connection lines are automatically generated when multipart or donut parcels are migrated to a parcel fabric. When creating a multipart or donut parcel, part connection lines are used to connect parts and/or rings.
In a fabric least-squares adjustment the accuracy category of part connection lines is the same as the parcel accuracy category unless otherwise specified.
Curves greater than 180 degrees
To enter curves with a central angle that is greater than 180°, the plan's curve parameters need to be set to Radius and Central Angle. The central angle of the curve is entered into the Delta field on the traverse grid. If the curve is turning left, a negative sign (-) is placed before the central angle.
If the majority of the plan's curves work with different curve parameters, you can enter a delta or central angle by overriding either the Arc length or Chord fields. See the Overriding plan's curve parameters table above.
Undo/redo
Click Undo or Redo on the Standard toolbar to undo or redo data entry changes to the parcel traverse grid. You can undo or redo the edit of any field in the traverse grid as well as undo or redo the addition of a traverse course.
Reusing data
You can reuse data that has already been typed by holding the SHIFT key down and clicking on a previously entered traverse line using the construction tool mouse pointer.
Assume that there is a fourth course in addition to the three sequential courses listed above:
- N45°59'59'"E, 100.00 ft.
- Tangent curve left radius 50 ft., chord length 60 ft.
- Exit curve tangent straight line 50 ft.
- S45°59'59"W 100 ft.
This course is the same length as the first course, but its bearing is 180 degrees different from the first course.
To add this fourth course, ensure focus is in the bearing field (already the case if there has been no mouse or key activity since the last time you pressed ENTER):
- Hold down the SHIFT key and click the first line's course in the map. If you click the line closer to its from-point end, you get a bearing 180 degrees different from the first typed bearing. Notice the following:
- The first line's bearing is automatically added to the grid for you.
- The distance field now has focus.
- Hold down the SHIFT key and click the same line again. The first line's distance is automatically added to the grid for you.
Appending data into the traverse grid
When creating a new parcel, you can click Load Cadastral XML 
on the Parcel Details dialog box to append a parcel traverse from a cadastral xml file into the Lines grid. The load cadastral xml functionality appends a single set of parcel traverse lines. Any populated line attributes saved with the cadastral xml file are also appended into corresponding attributes in the Lines grid.
A new parcel must be created first before you can click the Load Cadastral XML button to load parcel traverse lines. Only traverse lines and their attributes are loaded into the Lines grid. With the exception of the StatedArea, Rotation, Scale and MiscloseDistance attributes, the parcels plan, template and other attributes such as Accuracy are not loaded . This information must still be defined when you create the new parcel. Since the StatedArea Rotation, Scale and MiscloseDistance attributes are derived from the parcel traverse, these attributes are populated when loading traverse lines from cadastral xml file.
To load and join one or many complete parcels from a cadastral xml file, click Append File on the Parcel Editor menu.
Parcel misclose
Parcel boundaries are defined by COGO (bearing, distance, radius, arclength) dimensions typically derived from raw survey measurements. Often, these dimensions do not accurately close the parcel polygon. That is, if you compute around the parcel boundary using the dimensions, you will not return to the exact coordinates of the starting point. The difference between the starting and closing coordinates of the parcel is referred to as the parcel misclose and is a measure of the accuracy of the parcel dimensions. The smaller the misclose, the more accurate the parcel dimensions. Larger miscloses indicate blunders in the original survey measurements or data entry.
A misclose ratio and a misclose distance is stored for each parcel in the parcel fabric. The misclose distance is the different between the starting and ending coordinates of the parcel traverse. The misclose ratio is calculated by dividing the misclose distance by the total distance of all lines that participate in the parcel traverse, and then expressing this value in reciprocal form. For a closed parcel, this means the misclose distance is divided by the record values on the lines that define its perimeter. For example:
0.89 (misclose distance) ÷ 2466.05 (perimeter) = 0.00036090
1 ÷ 0.00036090 = 2770.8
Misclose Ratio = 1:2771The misclose distance and misclose ratio for a parcel is stored in the Misclose Distance and Misclose Ratio attributes on the Parcels table. These attributes are also visible under the Properties tab on the Parcel Details dialog box.
Parcels with misclose ratios between 1:1 and 1:1500 should be reviewed and assessed from blunders. Misclose ratios between 1:1500 and 1:100000 are acceptable.
Closing a traverse loop
When entering the last boundary of a traverse loop, the end point of the boundary line automatically snaps to the starting point of the traverse if the end point lies within the tolerance you specified for point matching. To specify a tolerance for point matching, open the Parcel Editor Options dialog box (Parcel Editor > Options) and click the Tolerances tab.
You can also type an asterisk after you have typed the distance value of curve parameter of the last boundary line. The asterisk automatically places the starting point number in the final To point field in the traverse grid. For example, if the final, closed course of a traverse is S42°32'10"E 129.70 ft, you would type the following:
42.3210-2 ENTER 129.7* ENTER.
A parcel traverse in the parcel fabric can be adjusted to eliminate a closure. You can specify which adjustment method to use under the Closure tab on the Parcel Details dialog box. There are three adjustment closure methods that you can choose from:
- The compass adjustment
- The Transit adjustment
- The Crandall adjustment
Once you have completed a closed loop parcel traverse, you can click the View closure button on the Parcel Details dialog box to view the parcel closure graphically in the edit sketch of the parcel.
You can also click the Closure tab to compare the computed traverse dimensions (under Computed Values) against the entered dimensions. The computed dimensions are calculated by applying the adjustment of closure to the entered dimensions using the specified closure method. The difference between the two dimensions can be viewed under the Residual Values column.
The entered dimensions are never altered by the computed dimensions. The computed dimensions reflect the geometry of the parcel after an adjustment of closure has been applied.
Assigning start and end coordinates
Under the Closure tab you can assign a start coordinate to your parcel traverse. If you are creating an unclosed parcel, you can assign an end coordinate to your traverse. Coordinates can be assigned by snapping to existing features on the map or by manually typing in x,y values. To obtain coordinates by snapping to an existing feature, click the button with the mouse cursor and crosshairs and snap to the point or vertex of the feature on the map. To manually type x,y values, click the Edit button.
If you are working with a closed loop parcel traverse, the end coordinates text box and Compute button are not available. The end coordinate is the same as the specified start coordinate. Once the start coordinate is assigned, click the Lines tab to enter your traverse dimensions. The traverse is closed onto the start coordinates based on a tolerance or using an *.
To assign start and end coordinates to an unclosed parcel traverse, set the value of the Unclosed attribute on the Properties tab of the Parcel Details dialog box to True. Once this attribute is set to true, the end coordinates text box and Compute button becomes available. Once the start and end coordinates are assigned, click the Lines tab to enter your traverse dimensions. To close the traverse onto the end coordinate, click Compute. Any misclose between the traverse end point and the assigned end coordinate will be adjusted through the traverse using the specified closure method.