https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idi-p/1119092 <P>A recent bug (detailed <A href="https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-questions/arcgis-pro-2-9-map-series-export-crash/m-p/1117345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</A>) causes any map document with an empty text box to tank the program on export. I'll spare readers the exact curse words used in my exchange with this bug, and simply say that my error log is fuller than ever and my time spent on this project has well exceeded expectations.</P><P>While this will likely be resolved, it makes me wonder why 'null' text boxes stick around anyway. Surely, some use rectangles as placeholders and rulers, but the tiny, accidental ones no larger than a cursor likely have no purpose other than serving as this bug's accomplice and reminders of our own forgetfulness. The current solution to finding extraneous elements like this is a manual hunt up and down the contents tree. I'm not a fan of this tree climbing, so I'm wondering if there can be a "hey, you've got an empty element here" type of scanner or warning thing. Perhaps an icon next to its checkbox - showing that the layer contains nothing. That would be swell.</P> Mon, 22 Nov 2021 01:39:33 GMT wayfaringrob 2021-11-22T01:39:33Z https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idi-p/1119092 <P>A recent bug (detailed <A href="https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-questions/arcgis-pro-2-9-map-series-export-crash/m-p/1117345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</A>) causes any map document with an empty text box to tank the program on export. I'll spare readers the exact curse words used in my exchange with this bug, and simply say that my error log is fuller than ever and my time spent on this project has well exceeded expectations.</P><P>While this will likely be resolved, it makes me wonder why 'null' text boxes stick around anyway. Surely, some use rectangles as placeholders and rulers, but the tiny, accidental ones no larger than a cursor likely have no purpose other than serving as this bug's accomplice and reminders of our own forgetfulness. The current solution to finding extraneous elements like this is a manual hunt up and down the contents tree. I'm not a fan of this tree climbing, so I'm wondering if there can be a "hey, you've got an empty element here" type of scanner or warning thing. Perhaps an icon next to its checkbox - showing that the layer contains nothing. That would be swell.</P> Mon, 22 Nov 2021 01:39:33 GMT https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idi-p/1119092 wayfaringrob 2021-11-22T01:39:33Z https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idc-p/1119169#M17843 <P>Since that bug has to do specifically with empty text elements, filtering the Contents pane to just Text will help a little bit hopefully (less tree climbing I would suspect).</P><P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-inline" image-alt="KoryKramer_0-1637587197071.png" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://community.esri.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/28021i2CB12F18553A2E39/image-size/medium?v=v2&amp;px=400" role="button" title="KoryKramer_0-1637587197071.png" alt="KoryKramer_0-1637587197071.png" /></span></P><P>This idea would take that a step further to allow filtering to just empty elements...</P> Mon, 22 Nov 2021 13:20:40 GMT https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idc-p/1119169#M17843 KoryKramer 2021-11-22T13:20:40Z https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idc-p/1120021#M17895 <P>Nice, I didn't know about that <a href="https://community.esri.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/129401">@KoryKramer</a>&nbsp;</P> Wed, 24 Nov 2021 18:30:52 GMT https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/find-null-elements-in-layout/idc-p/1120021#M17895 wayfaringrob 2021-11-24T18:30:52Z