Symbology change based on scale

Question

Is there a way to have a feature's symbol change based on the scale of the map?

For example, at 1:250,000 I would prefer for my sewer main layer to be symbolized on main-type only, but when the user adjusts the scale to say 1:10,000, it would be great if the direction of flow would be added to the symbol (but not before).

The only work around I have found to adjusting symbol detail is to add the layer in more than one time and adjust the symbol with scale ranges. This gets the job done, but is a bit messy in the TOC. Can Symbol Level drawing be used to control this?

Nicholas_I_Seigal · Answer

I have submitted this as a feature request as have many others.

The multiple-layers approach really doesn't work well for some of my use cases. I want, for example, a polygon layer that turns to points as the scale gets small (zoomed out). The hitch is, I want the user to be able to select polygons and have the selection switch to the points as they zoom out. This would be for a Esri JS API web app, so manually synchronizing the selections between two layers and toggling visibility based on scale is possible, but tedious.

Any better ideas folks?

RobertBorchert · Answer

I have been wanting this for YEARS.  The best method I have found so far is to use the multiple layers.

What I also want to see (and I have put it in the suggestion box multiple times) is to have a way to query the current scale and return it as a value.  Such that I can have a scale field in the feature class table and have individual features turn on or off and various scales.

i.e. I have feature  A and B.  I want feature a to be visible all scales and B only visible when zoomed in to 1:24,000 or less.  so the definition query would be something like.  scale <=  MapScale.

Now I know there has to be a way to return current map scale.  after all it is constantly visible in an ArcMAP session.The multiple layer approach certainly gets the job done well enough. I was just hoping to simplify the map product for other end users. Maybe this will be an improvement in the future!

Thanks for the reply rfairhur24.

AngelynSnyder · Answer

The multiple layer approach certainly gets the job done well enough. I was just hoping to simplify the map product for other end users. Maybe this will be an improvement in the future!

Thanks for the reply rfairhur24.