graphic auto text tool

Question

I can not get this tool to work consistently or reliably (this tool replaces the label tool on the drawing toolbar in ArcMap, it is for labeling in the map/data view, not on the layout).  I have a graphics layer in my map and there are label properties set up for the layers.  Sometimes it will work with one layer in the map but not others (even though they are from the same source with similar label properties), sometimes I can add a few labels and then it will stop working, sometimes it will not work at all.  When it doesn't work it returns “unable to create element” error.  I have read through the documentation and not found any reasons for why it wouldn't work consistently.  Has anyone found any logic to explain when it will work or how to make it work reliably?  Is this a BUG?  I use this tool frequently (or at least did in ArcMap and have been trying to in Pro....) and its very frustrating!   Any answers would be appreciated!

AutoTextError.jpg

JohnDeMartino3 · Answer

This tool is still one of the buggier tools ever created by ESRI.

Some days it works great, other days it won't do a thing.  Today is one of those days.

Robert_LeClair · Answer

So it appears to be intentional based upon this support incident follow up - "When it came to editing the user's text graphics for their map, made sure that "Graphics" tab is selected in ArcGIS Pro and made sure that the layer is enabled in both "List by selection" and "List by editing" sections in the table of contents. As far as editing the text itself, made sure the user went to "graphics" -> "select" -> then make changes in the Element pane. This seemed to solve their issue."

It is strange that this is not in the documentation.  At the bottom lower right of each help page is a link for "Feedback on this topic?" that one can click and provide feedback/correction/insight on the help page.  Maybe this is needed here to clarify the workflows better.

DeborahVeen1 · Answer

A soft reset did not help but my co-worker discovered the logic behind the seeming inconsistency/unreliability - Auto Text tool only works with layers that are checked on under List by Selection.  If you change which layers are selectable it affects which layers can be labeled with this tool!   (labels will not disappear if you make a layer un-selectable, just won't be able to add any new labels using this tool until the layer is made selectable again).

So followup question - is there a reason ESRI intentionally set it up this way in Pro (with use of the tool being dependent on the layer being selectable) or is it a bug?  Because the dependency is not mentioned in the tool documentation, and its not the way the tool worked in ArcMap, and I can certainly see situations where you could want to label a feature without the layer being selectable.