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Is there any way to show the extent of the view of the map frame (layout) on the map view?

ClaudioCarrasco

Hi everyone,

Is there any way to show the extent of the map frame (layout) within the map view in ArcGIS Pro 3.4? Or alternatively, to determine the coordinates of the vertices of the rectangle shown in the map frame? (Not just the center of the view.)

Regards!

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Accepted answers

Robert_LeClair

It's a little clunky but yes. In the Layout View, right-click the Map Frame and choose properties. In the Map Frame Pane under Display Options->Location Settings, click Extent... In the Map Frame Extent, in the Get Extent From: box, click "Current Visible Extent." On the right side of the Map Frame Extent pane, you'll see Selected extent. You can click the dropdown for the appropriate Display Units - Spatial Reference (units), Map Display (Decimal Degrees) or Degrees. Click the Copy all Extent Values button to copy to the clipboard and paste into Notepad. Back in the Map View, you can create a new polygon feature class for the rectangle. Create a new polygon feature using the top, left, bottom, right coordinates with a right-click Absolute X, Y, Z for each vertex of the sketch. You'll do this 4 times to create each vertex. Double-click to end the sketch and now you have a rectangle in the map frame of the layout extent. I tested this and it works.

All comments

Robert_LeClair

CarsonMorton

I have a polygon feature layer as well. But I activate the map frame and draw a rectangle. Definitely not as accurate, but my purposes don't require it to be.

AlfredBaldenweck

I have a tool that will do it as well; dm me and I can send it to you. (Currently investigating a bug in it so not willing to share it here-- there's a failure with certain types of curved map frames, but a rectangle is fine).

StephenKCA

There's a gotcha that means this solution will not work when followed exactly as described, at least when the view frame has a coordinate system that isn't squared on latitude and longitude.

The right of the Map Frame Extent pane displays decimal degrees no matter what you have set the dropdown for Display Units to. These coordinates will correctly define the bottom left and top right corners. (Confusingly, the user interface lists the values in the order Top, Left, Right, Bottom. This suggests, at least to me, that the first two values defined the top left corner. They don't. The first and third values are one coordinate pair, and the second and fourth the other.)

The problem is that knowing the bottom-left and top-right coordinates in decimal degrees doesn't imply that you can find the top-left and bottom-right by transposing the northing and easting values. If you do you'll end up with a rectangle as defined in decimal degrees but not in your CRS.

The way you can make this solution work is to follow the directions for getting the coordinates, then in the Create Features pane select Rectangle. From the control that pops up select Horizontal/Grid Aligned but unselect Square.

Then right-click and define the bottom left corner (using the Left and Bottom coordinates) and right-click and define the top right corner (using the Right and Top coordinates). The created rectangle will be square in the CRS for the view frame. And you've bought yourself having to enter two coordinates instead of four 😁.

StephenKCA

Following up what I wrote: There is a way to get the coordinates in your CRS from the Map Frame Extent dialogue but it's a bit hidden if you have more than a few layers. As of Pro version 3.5.2 there is a drop down in the bottom right corner of the dialogue, while the coordinates are top right. You need to drag the dialogue window to the very top of the screen to see the drop down, and in Windows if the taskbar is visible the drop down will still be half hidden. (Red arrow inserted below.)

Fixing this so the drop down is right below the coordinates is logged as BUG-000178161: In ArcGIS Pro, the "Display Units" dialog box for the Map Frame Extent will become hidden when the project contains a large number of layers in the Contents Pane.

Woosh_AP

This is really clunky. Can this be upgraded to a feature request?

Robert_LeClair

FYI - BUG-000178161 was fixed at ArcGIS Pro 3.6.

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