idea Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

ZacharyRoy — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 18:35:58 GMT

Context menus/tabs should not differ when editing a single symbol and when editing multiple symbols in the same feature class.

What I think

When developing symbology, it is often useful to be able to edit many symbols at once. The ability too do so increases efficiency, and ensures consistency in the symbology being developed. While developing symbology, it can be deasy to overpopulate the 'styles' workspace with un-finalized versions of various symbols. For this reason, saving to a symbol to a style is not the preferred method.

The Menus

In ArcMap 10.X, the symbol editor was identical when you were editing 1 symbol, and when you were editing multiple symbols. In ArcGIS Pro, when you are editing 1 symbol you have access to the Symbol Tab, the Layers Tab, and the Structure Tab. However, when you are editing multiple symbols (via 'Symbology' pane> 'More' drop down> 'Symbols'> 'Format all symbols') you only have access to the Symbol Tab.

Current Setup

When Editing a Single Symbol (Unique Values)

Available Options

Feature Type	Symbol Tab Options	Layers Tab Options	Structure Tab Options
Point	Scale Based Sizing Appearance Halo	Appearance (for each Symbol Layer) Position (for each Symbol Layer) Rotation (for each Symbol Layer) Offset distance (for each Symbol Layer)	Symbol Layers
Polyline	Scale Based Sizing Appearance Line Width	Appearance (for each Symbol Layer) Offset effect (for each Symbol Layer) Dash effect (for each Symbol Layer) Caps & Join (for each Symbol Layer)	Symbol Layers
Polygon	Scale Based Sizing Appearance	Appearance (for each Symbol Layer) Offset effect (for each Symbol Layer) Dash effect (for each Symbol Layer) Caps & Join (for each Symbol Layer) Pattern (for each Hatched, Gradient, and Picture Symbol Layer)	Symbol Layers

Feature Type

Symbol Tab Options

Layers Tab Options

Structure Tab Options

Point

Scale Based Sizing

Appearance

Halo

Appearance (for each Symbol Layer)

Position (for each Symbol Layer)

Rotation (for each Symbol Layer)

Offset distance (for each Symbol Layer)

Symbol

Layers

Polyline

Scale Based Sizing

Appearance

Line Width

Appearance (for each Symbol Layer)

Offset effect (for each Symbol Layer)

Dash effect (for each Symbol Layer)

Caps & Join (for each Symbol Layer)

Symbol

Layers

Polygon

Scale Based Sizing

Appearance

Appearance (for each Symbol Layer)

Offset effect (for each Symbol Layer)

Dash effect (for each Symbol Layer)

Caps & Join (for each Symbol Layer)

Pattern (for each Hatched, Gradient, and Picture Symbol Layer)

Symbol

Layers

When Editing Multiple Symbols (Unique Values)

Available Options

Feature Type	Symbol Tab Options
Point	Scale Based Sizing Appearance Halo
Polyline	Scale Based Sizing Appearance Line Width
Polygon	Scale Based Sizing Appearance

Feature Type

Symbol Tab Options

Point

Scale Based Sizing

Appearance

Halo

Polyline

Scale Based Sizing

Appearance

Line Width

Polygon

Scale Based Sizing

Appearance

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

AndrewBarker3 — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 00:52:45 GMT

Thanks for taking the time to generate the screenshots. I can't believe we can't change features that are applicable to all currently selected symbols, like border weight. It would also be great to not only be able to set this value but also have the option to bump the current weights up or down. That way, if differing weights are set, they all increment up and stay different sizes relative to each other.

Outline should be accessible regardless of the symbol shape that's applied too.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

PeteJordan — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 13:49:33 GMT

Yep this is annoying to have this not part of Pro as it was in ArcMap. Often I need to do create several mutli-layered symbols that are similar, but a bit different. It would be so much nicer to be able to do this without having to create styles as it used to be like that's for sure. I was originally thinking I was missing something, but then was directed to this post...

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

DanielMatranga — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 18:39:20 GMT

Kory Kramer‌ any update from the Pro team on this request?

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

KoryKramer — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 15:00:17 GMT

I believe they may have started looking into a design for this functionality, but since that isn't complete, development work hasn't started yet. We will update the status when there is higher confidence about the work being scheduled for a release. I realize this is somewhat vague, but that is the update. Hopefully we'll see this in a near-term Pro release (excluding 2.5 which is coming this month).

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

DavidWheelock2 — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 18:17:52 GMT

Any update on when this will be implemented, @KoryKramer.

This hampers many legends that I build, forcing me to spend much time building the legend from scratch, or going back to ArcMap, building the legend there, saving it to a LYR file, and importing the LYR file to Pro.

Using ArcGIS Pro 2.8.1.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

wayfaringrob — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:45:33 GMT

Thank you for so thoroughly laying this out - still no further modification options in Pro 3.0.3 (update: or 3.1). This would be a huge timesaver. I find myself not only manually adjusting each individual symbol class, but doing so over and over whenever a tweak is needed. Styles can only help so much.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

wayfaringrob — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 19:56:38 GMT

Re:

While developing symbology, it can be deasy to overpopulate the 'styles' workspace with un-finalized versions of various symbols. For this reason, saving to a symbol to a style is not the preferred method.

I agree with you, and this would help: Delete style items from style item picker - Esri Community

Though kudos are disabled, it would help if anyone interested would comment on that post and ask that it be re-opened. The reasoning given -- that they have no plans to make things easier -- defeats the purpose of the ideas site.

Enable all customized options when selecting multiple features

MiguelMartinezYordan — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 14:55:42 GMT

When you categorized by unique value, and you select all categorized to customized the symbology (Format all symbols), only a hand full of options are available in the PROPOERTIES tab. Enable all available options.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols - Status changed to: Under Consideration

EdiePunt — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 22:43:37 GMT

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

alfrenjeru — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 12:45:53 GMT

Looking forward to the possibility to edit outline of a polygon, instead of creating a new one. Sometimes I go to ArcMap, create a new polygon style with the desired outline, then import the new style in Pro. It should be made possible in Pro.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

DavidWheelock2 — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 12:50:32 GMT

This is an important ArcMap Equivalence issue. This is not just some new feature that users want.

Why was this not implemented years ago?

This issue should have been placed In Product Plan in 2019 when it was first brought to ESRI's attention.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

EdiePunt — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:31:30 GMT

Hello @alfrenjeru. I wanted to reply re your comment: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/access-all-editing-tabs-when-editing-multiple/idc-p/1488859/highlight/true#M30622

You absolutely can edit the outline of a polygon symbol now. You just need to edit the properties of the stroke symbol layer(s) that are part of the polygon symbol. But yes, this particular idea is about editing multiple symbols at once, and those properties are currently unavailable in a multiselect case, until we address this idea.

Re: Access All Editing Tabs When Editing Multiple Symbols

EdiePunt — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:40:51 GMT

@DavidWheelock2 Thank you for your input in this comment: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/access-all-editing-tabs-when-editing-multiple/idc-p/1488863/highlight/true#M30623

I agree with you that this is important functionality and we are also keen to provide it in ArcGIS Pro. It is not something that we overlooked or were unaware of. As you know, the symbol model in ArcGIS Pro is different than the one used by ArcMap, so the symbol schema is different. There's a lot behind this particular functionality to ensure that it operates properly in all cases.

Add all style options to "Format Multiple Symbols" option in Symbology

RTPL_AU — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:15:52 GMT

Currently when trying to change the symbology for all items in a thematic map you can only change the line width and colour.

Please update Pro so that you can edit all aspects of the style, as you can for a single item.

Re: Add all style options to "Format Multiple Symbols" option in Symbology

AlfredBaldenweck — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 13:00:42 GMT

Please add this.

Current workaround is to save a symbol to a style and use that, but I frequently wish I could just edit them like a single symbol.