Exercise 3: Quick-start guide for configuring the Standard builder to operate from GIS features organized into a geometric network

Complexity:

Beginner

Data Requirement:

ArcGIS Tutorial Data for Desktop

Data Path:

C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics\Schematics_Configuration\GeometricNetwork_Data

Goal:

Configuring a schematic diagram template based on the Standard builder to generate diagrams from a geometric network sample

The Standard builder is the builder to configure to quickly and easily generate schematic diagrams from GIS features that are organized into a geometric network. During this exercise, you are going to learn how to create and configure a schematic diagram template to generate diagrams from the sample ElectricNetwork_Net geometric network. This geometric network is stored in the ElecDemo tutorial geodatabase provided with the Schematics Tutorials data. The configuration is going to be done using the SchematicBuilderSamples schematic dataset created during Exercise 1.

Note:

The workflow detailed below is very similar for configuring the Standard builder to generate schematic diagrams from GIS data organized into a network dataset.

1. Edit the SchematicBuilderSamples schematic dataset stored in the C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics\TutorialSchematicDB geodatabase by browsing to this database using ArcCatalog, right-clicking the dataset, and choosing the Edit menu option .

   Tip:

   To learn about how to edit a schematic dataset using the Schematic Dataset Editor step by step, review Exercise 2: Editing a schematic dataset

Creating a schematic diagram template based on the Standard builder

The first phase consists of creating the schematic diagram template that will be used to generate the diagrams from the geometric network data.

1. Right-click the SchematicBuilderSamples entry in the Dataset Editor tree and click New Schematic Diagram Template.

   A Properties tab for the new schematic diagram template automatically displays in the right side of the Editor window:

   

   This tab contains different parameters with default values. The default schematic builder is the Standard Builder, the one you want to specify for this diagram template, which is going to deal with geometric network data.

2. Type DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork in the Name box.
3. Click OK, since the default values for the other parameters are the ones you need.

   An entry for the DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork diagram template automatically displays in the Dataset Editor tree. Three new tabs—Associations, Layouts, and Rules—display in the right side of the Editor window.

At the end of these steps, the Schematic Dataset Editor displays as follows:

Creating schematic feature classes by importing from feature layers

Schematic diagram templates are designed to generate a particular type of schematic diagram containing a set of expected schematic features. The next phase consists of specifying the schematic feature classes that are expected to be contained in the diagrams based on the DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork diagram template. When a schematic diagram template is used to generate diagrams that are going to be completely or partially based on GIS features, there is a simple function, called Import From Feature Layers, that can be used to quickly create these schematic feature classes. The Import From Feature Layers function works from the feature layers stored in a map document where the GIS features have been added. This function not only creates the schematic feature classes but also sets the default schematic layer properties at the same time so that the schematic features contained in the generated diagrams display in the same way as their related GIS features display in the map document.

1. Right-click the DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork diagram template entry in the Dataset Editor tree and click Import From Feature Layers.

   The Import From Feature Layers dialog box opens:

   

2. Click the Map or Layer File area ellipsis button.

   The Select a map or a layer file to import dialog box opens.

3. Browse to the MapToImport MXD document stored in the C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics\Schematics_Configuration\GeometricNetwork_Data folder and select it.

   This map document contains feature layers related to the ElectricNetwork feature dataset's feature classes. Those GIS feature classes are stored in the C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics\Schematics_In_ArcMap\ElecDemo geodatabase.

   

4. Click Add.

   The Select a map or a layer file to import dialog box closes.

   The Import From Feature Layers dialog box content automatically fills, as in the following screen capture:

   

   All the feature layers in the specified map document's Table Of Contents are listed in the Select the feature layers to import list. The items related to those that are part of the ElectricNetwork_Net geometric network are checked by default.

   Tip:

   Normally, you should always leave all the layers checked in this list. If you do not want one of those layers to be displayed in your schematic diagrams, it is usually best to configure a Node Reduction rule so that network connectivity is properly preserved. See exercise 2 in the Schematics Advanced Configuration Tutorial for more information on Rules.

5. Click OK.

   At the end of the import process, a new schematic feature class displays in Schematic Dataset Editor for each schematic feature layer that was checked in the Select the feature layers to import list.

   

   Expanding the ProtectionDeviceBank, TransformerBank, Primaryline, and SecondaryLine schematic feature class items allows you to note that schematic attributes have been automatically created for these imported schematic feature classes during the process:

   

   These attributes are in relation to the same fields that are used to label or categorize the associated GIS features in the imported map document.

   If you expand the Data Sources entry in the Schematic Dataset Editor tree, you will see that a new schematic data source, ElecDemo, has been automatically added during the process. This data source is the one used to connect to the GIS data contained in the imported map document.

6. Click Save.

   The schematic dataset configuration is now complete for generating diagrams from any selection set or trace result specified in this map document or any other map that contains the same GIS data.

7. Close the Schematic Dataset Editor.

Generating a schematic diagram from the associated GIS features

In this section, you are going to generate your first schematic diagrams based on the newly created DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork diagram template.

1. Start ArcMap.
2. Load the MapToImport MXD document stored in the C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics\Schematics_Configuration\GeometricNetwork_Data folder.
3. Click the Bookmarks drop-down menu on the main menu and click First GIS Features Set.
4. Click the Select By Rectangle button and select a set of GIS features like in the following screen capture:

   

5. Click the Generate New Schematic Diagram button on the Schematic toolbar.

   The New Schematic Diagram dialog box opens:

   

   Since the GIS data displayed in the map comes from the ElecDemo geodatabase, and there happens to already be a schematic dataset in this geodatabase, the GeoSchematic diagram template currently selected comes from this schematic dataset. Since you want to generate a diagram from the new DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork diagram template configured in the new SchematicBuilderSamples schematic dataset, you first need to point to this schematic dataset:
   1. Click the Schematic Dataset or Folder browse button .

      The Select schematic dataset or schematic folder dialog box opens.

   2. Browse and select the TutorialSchematicDB geodatabase you created in C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics during exercise 1.
   3. Double-click this geodatabase and select the SchematicBuilderSamples schematic dataset.

      

   4. Click Add.

      The content of the New Schematic Diagram dialog box automatically fills, as in the following screen capture:

      

      The only schematic diagram template contained in this schematic dataset (DiagramsFromGeometricNetwork) is selected in the Schematic Diagram Template drop-down list.

6. Type FirstDiagram_FromSelection in the Schematic Diagram Name field.

   At the end of this step, the New Schematic Diagram dialog box content displays, as in the following screen capture:

   

7. Click OK.

   The generation process starts, and the newly generated diagram displays in a new data frame, which is automatically added in the map document:

   

Drawing and labeling schematic features using joins

The schematic features contained in the schematic diagram you have just generated display with default schematic layer properties. These default layer properties have been automatically set during the first section of this exercise when you configured your schematic diagram template using the Import From Feature Layer command. They are based on schematic attributes created during the import process so the feature layers composing the schematic diagram layer have the exact same layer properties as those specified for the imported geographic feature layers.

However, since schematic features are standard features, most aspects of each feature layer in the schematic layer can be controlled as any other layer through the Layer Properties dialog box. In particular, when working with data coming from a geometric network as in this exercise, schematic features keep track of the associated real GIS feature's objects, and joins can be configured on the schematic feature layers to get the associated GIS attributes. These GIS attributes can then be used to draw and label schematic features without any specific schematic attribute configuration on the schematic feature class. In this section, you are going to modify the layer properties for the generated schematic diagram by adding a join on some feature layers and using the joined attributes to draw and label the schematic features.

Drawing schematic features according to attribute values coming from the associated GIS features

The following steps explain how to configure a join on the ServiceLocation schematic feature layer to get the attributes from the associated GIS features and use these GIS attribute values to draw the ServiceLocation schematic features accordingly.

1. Right-click the ServiceLocation feature layer under the FirstDiagram_FromSelection schematic layer in the ArcMap table of contents.
2. Choose the Properties menu option.

   The Layer Properties dialog box opens.

3. Click the Joins & Relates tab.
4. Click Add on the Joins section at the left.

   This opens the Join Datadialog box.

   

   1. Choose UOID from the Choose the field in this layer that the join will be based on drop-down list.

      UOID is the field where Schematics stores the objectid of the real feature

   2. Click the browse button next to the Choose the table to join to this layer, or load the table from disk drop-down list.

      The Add dialog box opens.

   3. Navigate to the ElectricNetwork feature dataset stored in the C:\ArcGIS\ArcTutor\Schematics\Schematics_In_ArcMap\ElecDemo geodatabase and select the ServiceLocation feature class.

      The ServiceLocation GIS feature class is associated with the ServiceLocation schematic feature class.

   4. Click the Add button.
   5. Choose OBJECTID from the Choose the field in the table to base the join on drop-down list.

      You have now created a join from the schematic feature class to the real GIS feature class:

      

   6. Click OK.

      The Join Data dialog box closes.

5. You are now going to use one of the joined GIS attributes to draw the ServiceLocation schematic features in your diagram:
   1. Click the Symbology tab.
   2. Click Unique values under Categories in the Show section.
   3. Select ONWHAT from the Value Field drop-down list.

      Note that this field comes from the join with the ServiceLocation GIS feature class. Any GIS attribute on this feature class is now available in the Value Field list.

   4. Click the Add All Values button.

      

   5. Select all the possible values that are displayed next to the Building value and click the Remove button.

      Only the particular Building value is kept.

   6. Set the symbology you want to represent the ServiceLocation schematic features with the Building values and those with the other values.

      

   7. Click Apply and close the Layer Properties dialog box.

   Thanks to the join, the ServiceLocation schematic features now display with specific symbols based on the values of the ONWHAT attribute coming from their associated GIS features:

   

Labeling schematic features according to attribute values coming from the associated GIS features

Now, you are going to use another of the joined GIS attributes for labeling the ServiceLocation schematic features:

1. Right-click the ServiceLocation feature layer under the FirstDiagram_FromSelection schematic layer in the ArcMap table of contents.
2. Choose the Properties menu option.

   The Layer Properties dialog box opens.

3. Click the Labels tab.
4. Check the Label features in this layer check box.
5. Select PhaseCode from the Label Field drop-down list.

   Note that this field comes from the join with the ServiceLocation GIS feature class. Any GIS attribute on this feature class is now available in the Label Field list.

   The Labels tab content should now display as in the following screen capture:

   

6. Click OK.
7. Click Apply and close the Layer Properties dialog box.

   Thanks to the join, the ServiceLocation schematic features now display with labels based on the values of the PhaseCode attribute coming from their associated GIS features.

   

The ServiceLocation schematic features are now labeled and drawn using attribute values coming from their associated schematic features. For now, this customization only impacts the FirstDiagram_FromSelection sample diagram. But, if you want, you can specify the currently configured layer properties as default schematic layer properties for the related diagram template, so any diagram based on this template displays in the same way. This type of configuration is detailed in the section called Creating a layer file to be used as a diagram template default in the first exercise of the advanced configuration tutorial.