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What is annotation?
Annotation is one option in ArcGIS for storing text to place on
your maps. With annotation, position, text string, and display
properties are all stored together and are all individually editable.
Adding dynamic labels is the other primary option for storing
text. If the exact position of each piece of text is important, then
you should store your text as annotation. ArcGIS fully supports
two types of annotation: geodatabase annotation and map
document annotation. ArcGIS also supports the display and
conversion of other annotation types including ArcInfo coverage
annotation and CAD annotation, although these types of
annotation cannot be edited.
Labeling is the main alternative to annotation. A labels text and
position are generated dynamically according to a set of
placement rules. To learn more about labeling, see Working with
labels earlier in this chapter.
Although annotation is mainly used to persist pieces of text
placed on or around a map, both geodatabase annotation and
map document annotation also support the storage of graphics,
such as rectangles, circles, and lines, as annotation. To learn more
about graphics, see Working with graphics earlier in this
chapter.
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Geodatabase annotation
When creating new annotation or converting from existing
annotation or labels, you can choose between geodatabase
annotation and map document annotation. Geodatabase
annotation is stored in geodatabase annotation feature classes.
Conversely, map document annotation is stored in annotation
groups in a particular map document. Geodatabase annotation is
preferred if there are many pieces of annotation, if the annotation
needs to be used outside a single map document, or if there will
be several people concurrently editing the annotation.
USING ARCMAP
Geodatabase annotation can be standard annotation or featurelinked annotation. Standard annotation elements are pieces of
geographically placed text that are not formally associated with
features in the geodatabase. For example, you might have a piece
of standard annotation that represents a mountain rangethe
annotation simply marks the general area on the map. Featurelinked annotation is a special type of geodatabase annotation
that is directly linked to the features that are being annotated by a
geodatabase relationship class.
Feature-linked annotation
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If you want to use your text in the current map and in others,
you should store your text as geodatabase annotation in one
or more annotation feature classes.
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USING ARCMAP
Displaying
annotation
You can display all types of
annotation in ArcMap for use in
your maps, including
geodatabase annotation,
coverage, CADand other
preexisting annotation formatsand map document
annotation.
With the exception of the map
document format, annotation is
added to ArcMap as you would
add other data. Annotation
appears with other geographic
data in the ArcMap table of
contents, and you can change
its display properties using the
Layer Properties dialog box as
you would for point, line, and
polygon features.
Annotation is, however,
different from simple point, line,
and polygon features.
Geodatabase annotation
features store their own
symbology, and to make
permanent changes to their
display, you use the ArcMap
editing tools. To learn more, see
Editing in ArcMap.
Likewise, you can change most
display characteristics of
coverage, CAD, SDE 3.x, and
VPF annotation, but these
formats internally store some
display properties that cannot
be changed in ArcMap. See u
WORKING WITH GRAPHICS AND TEXT
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Displaying geodatabase
annotation
Disable substitutions, to
display with the original
(geodatabase-stored)
symbology
Substitute text color, to
display with the original
fonts, font sizes, and so on,
with only color changed
Substitute individual
symbols, to use symbols
different from the original in
the current layer
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Building a Geodatabase to
learn more about loading
preexisting annotation formats
to the geodatabase. By converting your annotation to the
geodatabase, you will have
more flexibility in ArcGIS.
Tip
5. Click OK to finish.
2
3
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5
USING ARCMAP
Using text
formatting tags
Text formatting tags let you
modify the formatting for a
portion of text to create mixedformat text where, for example,
one word in a sentence is
underlined.
Text formatting tags can be
used almost anywhere you see
textwhenever you can specify
both a text string and a text
symbol. You can use tags in
dynamic label expressions,
annotation, legend text, map
titles, and in the values of fields
used to label features. Tags
arent recognized by the table of
contents, Attribute table
window, or Identify Results
window, so tags added to field
values appear unformatted as
raw text in these windows.
See Also
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