Map Series export to multiple PDFs not maintaining map extent constraints

Question

I am attempting to export a series of 200 individual PDF maps using the Map Series Export to Multiple PDFs option in ArcGIS Pro 2.5.0. The layout contains two map frames with different base maps that show the same index feature but at different scales.

Frame A is fixed at a 1:5000 scale and contains the index layer used to define the map series and frame B is set to a 1:40000 scale. The extent for frame B is set using a map frame constraint that links frame B to frame A and the index layer using a linked map frame center and a margin set to achieve the 1:40000 desired scale for frame B.

When attempting to export the map series to individual PDFs, the extents are maintained for the first 2-20 exported maps and then at some point the extent for frame B changes to a different value for the rest of the maps. I have tried running the export from the Share -> Export Layout toolbar and using basic arcpy scripting within a Jupyter notebook and have the same issue with both methods.

How can I get the exported map series PDFs to maintain the fixed extents for each map frame?

My question is similar to Multiple Map Frame for Map Series , but I would like to be able to have fixed extents in both map frames that are centered on each index feature.

As an FYI Here's the arcypy code I'm using to export the map series:

p = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject("CURRENT")
l = p.listLayouts("Prelim")[0]
if not l.mapSeries is None:
 ms = l.mapSeries
 if ms.enabled:
    for pageNum in range(1, ms.pageCount + 1):
       ms.currentPageNumber = pageNum
       print("Exporting {0}".format(ms.pageRow.FieldID))
        pageName = ms.pageRow.FieldID
        l.exportToPDF(os.path.join(exportDirectory, f"Prelim_{ms.pageRow.FieldID}.pdf"))

ZacharyUhlmann1 · Answer

Andrea did you ever find a solution?  I'm up to date with ArcPro (version 2.8 I believe).  I am using rectangular extent boxes that I custom sized using a script that took awhile (should have used points and referenced a col for scales like you!).  But I have 20 rectangular indices with a total of 7 different sizes.  And no matter how I set my margins in the Map Sheets settings in my Layout I get varying buffer sizes per sheet.  I set a 0 buffer in multiple values units --> points, inches, percent, etc. yet my margins change from sheet to sheet.

Did you find a solution?

Here are two sheets to show what happens with different size rectangles (same exact lenght:width ration).  In this case ~1:1000 and 1:1,500 respectively.

NOTICE the ORANGE box.  Those are my indices.

Thanks - Zach

AndreaKrzystan1 · Answer

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your response. Based just on the name of that bug, this could be the same issue I'm having, but I will look into following up with ESRI Support to see if that's the case.

There doesn't seem to be a pattern in which index features trigger the change in the scale for frame B. The index features are a simple 5 m buffer of a point feature class, so all the index features are the same size/shape. Nothing seems out of order with the attributes for any of the index features either as I was able to export these maps using the same index layer but with Data Driven Pages in ArcGIS Desktop 10.6 without issue.

After doing a few more test runs, it seems that the issue may be related to the value used in the Margin field in the map frame constraint Display Options settings for frame B and an inconsistency in how that translates to the corresponding Scale value under the map constraint Display Options -> Location Settings depending on which map page I use to define the initial Margin value.

Thanks again,

Andrea

TomBole · Answer

Hi Andrea,

You may be running into BUG-000133166 Map frames in an ArcGIS Pro 2.6 map series project do not maintain the correct extents when exported to layouts. A fix for this issue will be in the 2.7 release.

However, without knowing the exact details of your workflow, the spatial reference of the maps & data, and the geometries of the the index features, it would only be a guess that your issue is the same.

You state:

When attempting to export the map series to individual PDFs, the extents are maintained for the first 2-20 exported maps and then at some point the extent for frame B changes to a different value for the rest of the maps.

I'm assuming that page 1 is ok and that page 21 is when the results are incorrect and that results 21-200 are always incorrect.  Is this consistent? Is there something "special" about the index feature for page 21? Is it an odd shape compared to the other index features?  Where does it lie within the spatial reference of your map? Is it at the edge?  If you export to a single PDF do you get the same results. Do pages 21-200 give incorrect results?  What is the difference between the index features that give you good results and those that do not?

This is just the start of the troubleshooting process and may help you discover a workaround.  This sounds like a bug.  Can you contact Esri Support? They are better equipped to handle troubleshooting steps and gather bug data. They can be contacted at https://support.esri.com/en/contact-tech-support.

Thanks,

Tom