Setting point label placement properties

There are four separate placement options for point features. You can only choose one:

• Offset labels horizontally around the point—Choose this option if you want to place labels around the points but not on top of them. You can pick a placement pattern that ensures that a given label is only placed in one location with respect to the feature, for example, above and to the right. Or you can pick a pattern that prioritizes several placement options. For example, the Standard Label Engine first tries to place a label above and to the right of the feature. Then, if it can't fit the label, it tries the bottom and to the right.

  The numbers on the placement pattern images illustrate the positions, relative to the feature, that are considered when placing the labels. The point feature is depicted as being in the center of the pattern. One (1) means the first position to try, two (2) the second, and so on. Zero (0) means that this position is not considered at all.

• Place label on top of the point—Choose this option to center the label on top of the point.
• Place label at specified angles—Choose this option to enter a list of proposed angles for your labels. The point's location is used as the pivot point around which the text is rotated. The Standard Label Engine tries to place all labels using this list. As each feature is labeled, the first angle in the list is tried first. If there's a conflict, subsequent angles in the list are tried until the label is placed successfully.
• Place label at an angle specified by a field—Choose this option if you have an attribute in your layer that specifies the angle to rotate each label. The point's location is used as the pivot point around which the text is rotated. This option gives you control over label angles on a feature-by-feature basis. Angles should be specified in degrees.

  You can specify a rotation style—Geographic or Arithmetic—to control how the angles in the field are interpreted by the Standard Label Engine and also whether the angles are placed along the angle or perpendicular to it.

1. Open the Label Manager by clicking the Label Manager button on the Labeling toolbar.
2. Click a label class in the Label Classes list.
3. Click the placement options you want from the Placement Properties box.

Optionally, click Properties to see the complete set of label placement properties.

4. Click OK.

Tip:

When labeling point features, if you are rotating your point feature symbology based on a rotation field, you can choose to rotate your labels using the same field. To do this, choose the option to place the label at an angle specified by a field and choose the same rotation field.