Creating Shapefiles instead of graphics allows greater functionality.

Need to create or add lines, polygons, or points to your view? If so, create shapefiles instead of graphics. Creating shapefiles will allow you to layer or change the drawing order of the data. Also, if the feature is needed for a different ArcView project, you can simply add it as a theme. Graphics can NOT be pasted or placed into a new or different project. Finally, creating shapefiles will allow you to attach attributes to your graphical data. To create a shapefile, simply access the new theme option within the view menu. Next, specify the data type you wish to create (point, line, or polygon), then specify the name of the file and the location where it is to be saved. The new theme will be added to the table of contents and will have a black, dashed line around its check box. The dashed line means that the theme is currently in edit mode. You may now begin to digitize your points, lines, or polygons. Once you have completed the digitizing, choose the “stop editing” option from the theme menu and save your edits.

Using AVLs (ArcView Legends)

Every time you add a particular theme to your view, you go through the vigorous process of making certain features particular colors and portraying other features with particular symbology based on attributes of the data. Creating AVLs will eliminate labor and provide consistency to maps. To create an AVL, add a theme to your view, make the color and symbology changes, then hit the ‘save’ button within the legend editor. The next time you use the same theme, simply open the legend editor, then hit the ‘load’ button. Simply navigate to the location where your file resides, select it, then hit ‘ok’. Make sure you hit the ‘apply’ button so that ArcView will display the changes. The GIS section has created several AVLs which are located in t:\carto\avls. The directory contains AVLs for the following data sets: zoning, streets (road class and snow routes), impervious, council districts, contours, all landuse data sets, soils, and others. If you would like help creating an AVL or would like to suggest a theme that would greatly benefit from an AVL, contact the GIS section.

Press ESC key

When adding a theme to a view, you do not have to wait for ArcView to read the entire directory. For example, if you wanted to add Council Districts to your view, navigate to t:\library\fayette\gis. Once you see the theme appear on the left of the ‘add theme’ dialog box, hit the escape key. ArcView will quit reading the directory and allow you to add the Council Districts.

Load Multiple Themes

When adding multiple themes to a view that are located in the same directory, hold down the shift key, select the themes you want, then select ‘ok.’ Selecting multiple themes by using the shift key prevents you from continually using the ‘add theme’ button.


Hiding Tabular Data (Alias Fields)

Tired of seeing data in a table that you don’t need? Simply activate the table, then choose ‘properties’ from the table menu. By removing the black check mark next to the appropriate field, you will make that field invisible within the table. Removing the check mark does not delete the field. You may also enter an alias for a field to create a more user friendly name if necessary.

Image Zoom In

When working with aerial photographs, first zoom into the area of interest, then turn on the image. Image files are much larger that the standard GIS data sets and take a considerable amount of time to draw within the view. By zooming into the desired area first, you prevent ArcView from drawing needless portions of the photograph.

Click here for an illustration of the next two tips!

Setting the Area of Interest

When accessing data from the BASE library, it is important to define the Area of Interest within the View Properties dialog box. Properly setting the Area of Interest will allow you to pan the county and see the data quickly and efficiently. To do so:

1. from the View menu, select Properties
2. click the Area of Interest button to access the dialog box
3. choose View from the drop-down menu under Set AOI to
4. click OK to close the Area of Interest dialog box and click OK to close the View Properties dialog box

1. from the View menu, select Properties
2. set the map units to feet, then click OK to exit the dialog box. To set the threshold for a particular theme, make the theme active
3. from the Theme menu, select Properties. Select the Display icon situated on the left side of the dialog box, then simply input the desired scale into the white area just left of "Maximum Scale: 1:"