topic Re: Changing the layer order in ArcGIS Mapping and Charting Questions

Changing the layer order

BernadetteKilcer — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 17:37:50 GMT

(Newbie here, so please be gentle). I reordered the layers in the TOC. However, the display did not change, putting the new data on top of what was already visible. I know this is probably something simple (aka: stupid), but it has me completely stumped. Help?

Re: Changing the layer order

curtvprice — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:00:11 GMT

I'm assuming this is ArcMap?

Make sure when you are moving layers around you have the TOC in List by Drawing Order view (left most icon at the top of the TOC).

Also annotation gets special handling, so sometimes that comes into play.

Changing a layer's drawing order—Help | ArcGIS Desktop

Also, sometimes you want to refresh the display (F5 or there is a button below the map display window).

Hope this helps.

Re: Changing the layer order

BernadetteKilcer — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:03:23 GMT

Yes, ArcMap. I have list by drawing order selected. I have also selected refresh display and that hasn't helped either.

Re: Changing the layer order

DanPatterson_Retired — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:07:27 GMT

Assumption 1... you can see all layers on the dataframe individually. If not one or more have an undefined or incorrectly defined coordinate system

Now...

Points, then polylines, then polygons (images etc at the bottom)... order from top to bottom in the table of contents

Logically order within the groups.

Drag the layers within the table of contents to do the reordering.

To check, toggle all layers off, then starting at the bottom of the table of contents, toggle each layer on 1 at a time... does it seem right?

Does your procedure differ from that

Re: Changing the layer order

BernadetteKilcer — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:13:22 GMT

I followed your advice. I turned all the layers off and then turned them on one by one from bottom to top. Now image isn't displaying (even though it's on the bottom). When I selected them back on the image (the bottom most layer) showed up, but again no data above it displayed (points, polygons, etc).

Re: Changing the layer order

DanPatterson_Retired — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:21:30 GMT

if you toggle them off and one layer doesn't show... right-click on that layer and select 'zoom to layer' ... if it magically appears, it lacks a correctly defined coordinate system.

If you also just hit the 'zoom to full extent' button.. and everything disappears of you see a couple smudges separated on your screen... put away the cleaner... the data won't display together until you fix the coordinate system reference(s)

Re: Changing the layer order

JayantaPoddar — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 21:23:05 GMT

As rightly pointed by Dan, the Coordinate System of either the Raster or the vector is not correct.

Could you attach screenshots of the Spatial Extent of the layers (Layer Properties > Source tab)?

What is the coordinate system used for both the layers?