idea mask out contour lines behind contour label in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

mask out contour lines behind contour label

AdamForknall — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:59:46 GMT

When labelling a contour layer (or any line layer using the contour placement method) with labels ON the line, the line is visible behind the numbering (for example through the hole in a zero). When this is applied on a plain background, a halo matching the background colour can be used to block the line out, however this isn't suitable when an image or other non-plain background is used. To overcome this, there should be an option when using the contour placement for labels, which removes the contour line from behind and immediately around the labels. This also shouldn't require the use of annotation for the labels...

.
No Masking 😞

Plain halo 😞

Line feature erased from behind numbers 😄

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

DanelleMalget — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 17:35:43 GMT

I do believe there is an option to do this, but I think it does require annotation as you mention. I agree that it should be possible without having to convert to annotation!

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

EnriqueMaglanque — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 19:16:25 GMT

It would be best if the contour line labels, by default, would overlay and obscure the line beneath them without the need to specify halo.
The user should not be forced to erase line segments just to be ablet to make the labels clear and distinguishable. It is a pity that the lines were digitized in the first place to locate data but will ultimately be removed to make way for the labels).
Besides if you truncate a line to accomodate a specific label size, then when you increase the size of the label, you then again have to re-work and delete more from the lines.

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

FriederikeKafka — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 13:30:23 GMT

Here's the help for masking contour lines: http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//00s50000002v000000

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

AdamForknall — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 01:52:20 GMT

emaglanque:- Yes, my suggestion is to make the 'masking' of the line behind the label to be dynamic, and change when text size, font etc are changed.

F.Kafka:- The link you provided requires annotation to be in place to effect the masking - that's exactly what I'm suggesting should NOT be required.

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

DanielMakridakis — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 18:36:43 GMT

This would be awesome. Halo/ Mask should allow you to select what overlaying features you want to become transparent and what background/baselayer will be used.

When labeling roads in a dense area it can be hard to distinguish the label from the roads without making the label a color that stands out too much or the halo a solid color. It would be nice to set up your labeling with a 1pt halo that all selected layers would become transparent within the 1pt halo so that the changing baselayer colors are always matched making the halo subtle but effective.

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

DanielMakridakis — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 18:39:54 GMT

(continuing from previous comment) And to do this without the need for converting to annotation and creating a masking layer which can be time consuming for road labels in large data drive datasets and more difficult to modify afterwards.

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

RobertBorchert — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 20:15:44 GMT

don't make your contour colors the same color as your contours.

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

Anonymous User — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 23:29:56 GMT

This was an option with ArcInfo workstation version 5 and 6. It was a good idea then and it is overdue for Pro.

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

MikePrzybyla — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 15:45:39 GMT

28 years and they still can't duplicate the workstation command ARCTEXT [LINE FEATURE] [LABEL ITEM] BLANK

Dynamic Label Masking

MattReschke — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:15:35 GMT

Dynamic label masking in ArcGIS Pro would be an awesome feature. Currently, you can convert labels to annotations and use the Feature Outline Masks tool to create masks for your labels. For example, you may want to do this to labeled contour lines. This is a tedious process and it would be much better if you could do it with one or two clicks, within the labeling symbology, as if you were adding a halo to your labels only the halo is transparent and it hides the layers that you specify.

Re: Dynamic Label Masking

MErikReedAugusta — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:50:08 GMT

I would love this. I can make a halo that matches a background color to do this when I have a flat map background, sure.

But I'm frequently working with Aerial imagery as a basemap, and that approach doesn't work.

And even in the flat-background maps, many of them have colored polygons to indicate some special area of interest. Right now, I have to try to figure out some sort of query to split my layers into multiple groups and set the properties for each group to match their respective backgrounds.

Personally, I see two possible approaches:

A list of all (visible?) layers in the map, with checkboxes next to each for whether that layer should be masked by the label halo
A single field for the layer that should be the "base" that the halo cuts to. All intervening layers are masked, and only those above the label's target layer and below the "base" layer are unmasked.

Option 1 would be more useful & dynamic, but Option 2 would be slightly more performant for complicated maps. And I imagine complicated maps would be ones where it's a little more justifiable to force users to take that extra step of one of the more laborious approaches like Annotations, Feature Outline Masks, or just plain exporting to Illustrator, et al., and labeling there.

Re: Dynamic Label Masking

JesseWickizer — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 19:55:39 GMT

There is an existing idea for dynamic masking here that you can add your Kudos to.

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/mask-out-contour-lines-behind-contour-label/idi-p/935391

Re: mask out contour lines behind contour label

Crinoid — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 17:56:56 GMT

Blows my mind that there STILL isn't capability for this. My data changes regularly enough that it's impractical to repeatedly convert labels to annotations for the sake of masking, so I'm stuck with distracting halos on half my maps.