Exercise 7: Create layers for your geodatabase data

Complexity:

Beginner

Data Requirement:

ArcGIS Tutorial Data for Desktop

Goal:

Create layer files from feature classes.

To make browsing for and symbolizing data more convenient, you can create layers from your geodatabase data and use these layers in ArcMap. Most of the layers you need have been created for you; they are stored in the Layers folder in your tutorial directory. In this exercise, you will create new layers for the Laterals and the LateralsAnno feature classes.

Create Laterals layer

1. Start ArcCatalog.
2. Connect to the Montgomery geodatabase in the BuildingGeodatabases tutorial folder.
3. Right-click the Laterals feature class in the Water feature dataset and click Create Layer.

   This opens the Save Layer As dialog box, in which you designate the location and name of the layer file.

4. Browse to the Layers folder under your tutorial directory and type Water Laterals for the name of the new layer.
5. Click Save.

   The new layer is created.

You will modify the properties of the layer to add symbology.

6. Open the Layers folder in the Catalog tree, right-click Water Laterals layer, then click Properties.

   The Layer Properties dialog box opens.

You can use the Layer Properties dialog box to modify many aspects of a layer, such as its visible scale and transparency. In this case, you will modify its symbology.

7. Click the Symbology tab.

By default, the Unique values classification based on the subtype field is used to symbolize the layer. This is the setting you want, but you must modify the symbology of each subtype.

8. Double-click the colored line next to Hydrant laterals.

   The Symbol Selector dialog box appears.

You will use this dialog box to set the symbol properties for the laterals.

9. Click the Color drop-down arrow and click a purple patch on the color palette to make the line purple.
10. Type 1.5 in the Width text box to increase the line width.
11. Click OK.
12. Repeat steps 8 through 10 for the Fire laterals, making the symbol a red line with a width of 1.5.
13. Repeat steps 8 through 10 for the Service laterals, making the symbol a dark blue line with a width of 1.5.
14. Click OK to close the Layer Properties dialog box.

Your Water Laterals layer is complete.

You can now create the annotation layer for the water laterals.

Create Lateral Diameter layer

1. Right-click the LateralsAnno feature class in the Water feature dataset and click Create Layer.
2. Navigate to the Layers folder and type Water lateral diameter annotation for the name of the new layer.
3. Click Save.

The new annotation layer is created. Since this layer points to an annotation feature class, the symbology is a property of the annotation, so it does not have to be set in the layer.

Set a visible scale range for the layer

Annotation features are most useful within a fairly narrow range of map scales in which they are legible. It is often helpful to set a minimum and maximum scale within which annotation feature classes will be drawn. You can make this visible scale range a property of the annotation feature class itself or set it as a property of a layer that points to the annotation feature class. For large annotation feature classes and in multiuser environments, the former approach is best, as it is the most effective way to prevent large numbers of annotation features from being needlessly requested from the server.

For this exercise, assume that users of this feature class will usually add the layer you have created rather than adding the annotation feature class directly.

1. In the Catalog tree, right-click the Water lateral diameter annotation.lyr and click Properties.

   The Layer Properties dialog box opens.

2. Click the General tab.
3. Click the Don’t show layer when zoomed button, type 2500 in the Out beyond: text box.
4. Click OK.

Tip:

To set the scale range for an annotation feature class, right-click the annotation feature class in ArcCatalog, click Properties, and click the Annotation Classes tab. You can set a separate scale range for each annotation class in the annotation feature class. Click the Scale Range button to set the minimum and maximum visible scales.

Now you will create a topology.