idea Map Series Page Editing in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

graphics in data driven pages

TiffanyTuro — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:02:00 GMT

I would like to be able to set graphics to show up only on certain pages, not on every page. Currently when you use a graphic or text, it will show up on each page, when I really only want it on page 2, for example.

Re: graphics in data driven pages

ChrisFox — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:13:51 GMT

Thank you for posting your idea. Although this is not possible through the user interface this is possible through Python. Below is a sample script that demonstrates how you can accomplish this:

import arcpy, os

#Create a reference to your map document and the Graphic Element in the map document
#"GraphicElementName" refers to the name of the element in the map document
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(r'C:\Temp\Untitled.mxd')
graphic = arcpy.mapping.ListLayoutElements(mxd, "GRAPHIC_ELEMENT", "GraphicElementName")[0]

#Create a list of the page numbers to include the graphic on
includePicPageList = [2,4]

#Set a location for a temporary pdf used to create the mapbook
tempPDF = r'C:\Temp\Temp.pdf'

#Determine if the Final PDF exists on disk, if it does delete it and then create the PDF
finalPDFPath = r'C:\Temp\Final.pdf'
if os.path.exists(finalPDFPath):
os.remove(finalPDFPath)
finalPDF = arcpy.mapping.PDFDocumentCreate(finalPDFPath)

for pageNum in range (1, 5):
    #Set graphic's postion off the page
    graphic.elementPositionX = -5
    graphic.elementPositionY = -5

    #Move to the approiate page in Data Driven Pages
    mxd.dataDrivenPages.currentPageID = pageNum

    #Determine if the current page is in the list of valid pages to include the graphic
    for includePicPage in includePicPageList:
        if includePicPage == pageNum:
            #If the page is in the page list, set the postion of the graphic to be on the page
            graphic.elementPositionX = 1
            graphic.elementPositionY = 1

#Export the page to the temporary PDF
arcpy.mapping.ExportToPDF(mxd, tempPDF)

    #Append it to the Final PDF and delete the temporary page
    finalPDF.appendPages(tempPDF)
    os.remove(tempPDF)

#Save the pdf and delete the reference to the PDF and Map Document variables
finalPDF.saveAndClose()
del finalPDF, mxd

Data Driven Pages Layouts

KristenPearson — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 14:09:03 GMT

Data driven pages is an amazing tool that helps the user to very quickly produce many different maps based on the same types of data. However, it would be nice to have different layout editing capabilities when producing these many map pages as well. So in theory every new map page would have independent layout options. If changes or edits are made, then they only apply to the current map page in view. For example, my map book contains all of the National Parks within the region of Alaska. All of these parks are different sizes and scales; not so much a 'one size fits all' approach. It would be nice to be able to set some park maps to be portrait orientation and some other maps be landscape orientation. The best example that I can see with another software to describe this is Microsoft Excel and the use of "Sheet" tabs. So in theory all of the maps would still be in the data driven pages map book view, but there would be an option to toggle to the different maps on different tabs (aka "sheet" tabs). Then these maps would be independent enough to have it's own map layout and look.

Another annoyance with the interconnected layouts of the data driven pages maps is the fact that if any map elements are added to one map that it automatically adds to all maps.... If I wanted to see a special text graphic on one specific map then I would add it to other maps as I see fit.

Also, if this independent, interconnected map page issue was fixed then it would also alleviate the need to have to recreate a map once edits are done. (i.e. If you were on page 5 of 20 in a map book, you moved onto page 6, made some edits/additions to the layout, printed map 6, and then wanted to go back to map 4 to reprint the original.....map 4 would now have the map layout of map 6 since that was the last map edits/additions that you did to the map book series.....

Map Series Page Editing

MatthewDondanville1 — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 18:56:46 GMT

Looking for a toggle button to enable label or layout changes on an individual page of a map series. While most data is driven by the attribute table, sometimes a specific page needs an extra arrow or different wording.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

HannesMittergeber1 — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 13:44:30 GMT

Besides it would be useful to place the page number on even and odd pages (different position)

Re: Map Series Page Editing

ThomasWang — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 20:47:07 GMT

Definitely be useful when the extent needs are different for each feature as well.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

SarahParks — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 16:41:45 GMT

Yes, I'm making a 256-page detailed street map book. Despite using all the great tools to automate and adjust labeling, 90 of those pages (with numerous streets on each page) need manual edits, as many street names are overlapping and still unreadable. I could make hundreds of different label classes, and use the x and y position to move the labels, but this would be cumbersome and way more time consuming. Instead I am using callout text boxes (many with leader lines) on each page, then grouping that text and then turning off that grouped text element when I go to work on the next page. This means I will have to turn on and off 90 elements and export all these pages separately, then recombine into a PDF outside of ArcGIS. So adding this feature would be an absolute time (and sanity) saver!

(Also agree with the above 2 comments and have those same problems for the project I am working on).

Re: Map Series Page Editing

ThomasThorsen1 — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 20:23:08 GMT

Some flexibility as described would be nice here, if possible. I know that printing/exporting maps is going by the wayside, but It would be helpful for my current workflow.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

NicholasRolstad2 — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 22:50:37 GMT

Yep. This unfortunately a deal breaker for me. I need to output somewhere between 50-300 maps on a regular basis that are very similar, but a handful will be a wildly different scale and a few need to be manually edited to have 2 dataframes instead of one. Not being able to make changes on the 10% that need them makes the entire workflow useless. Shame.

The way it's implemented now only works for features that are all basically the same size/shape, a single feature that doesn't conform makes the entire map series useless.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

HannahWilson2 — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 21:23:18 GMT

This would be super helpful. For many of my maps, road labels need to be moved or edited - it would be great being able to make these edits and save them to a particular map series page.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

wayfaringrob — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:54:19 GMT

This would also be useful for taking advantage of negative space. Right now map series are really only useful if you're showing very similarly shaped geographies. Otherwise, you have to make your map quite a bit smaller and put all your surrounds off to the side, wasting the space. Some kind of page overrides for individual layout (and map) elements would be very helpful.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

BradCarone — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 18:12:26 GMT

Is there any updates on this or has anyone found a workaround through the UI?

Re: Map Series Page Editing

RichardOHearn — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:32:45 GMT

It is insane that this isn't a simple built-in functionality in ArcGIS Pro at this point. You're telling me that NOBODY at Esri has ever needed some unique elements added to various pages within a map series?! Really??? Not even assigning the first page as a "cover page"?

I have a simple (8) page series based on a line feature layer. However, I want to add a second map frame to page #5 that shows a close-up look at the location, because there is a polygon feature that I need to show. But because I can't now "disconnect" the series or simply assign an element as "unique" or tied to a single page of the series, I have to create a new layout for a single page? C'mon folks, lets bring a little common sense into product development.

Re: Map Series Page Editing

Ebolivar — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:12:40 GMT

All I need to do is add a text box to include a note for about 20 maps in a 55 page map series - each unique to that map. Very very sad that I am finding I can not do this without a significant work around. Hope this option gets added in soon!

Re: Map Series Page Editing

FourCornersMapping — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:22:58 GMT

I made a similar request in another Idea:

I would like to see the ability to dynamically control the visibility of layers and graphics in the Contents pane based on a map series. For instance, say I have a map series with two pages: one with a layer showing antelope habitat and the title graphic "Antelope Habitat"; and one with a layer showing oil and gas well locations and the title graphic "Oil and Gas Wells". After defining a map series, I want to have the habitat layer and Antelope Habitat title toggle on when I am on the antelope map, and off when I move to the oil and gas wells map. Conversely, I'd like to have the well locations layer and Oil and Gas Wells title toggle off when on the antelope map, and on when I am on the oil and gas wells map. I do not want to add a "Page Number" or "Page Name" attribute column to every layer, as is required to dynamically display a layer currently using Page Query. A bonus would be if this functionality could be applied to groups of layers and groups of graphics.

Apparently some functionality was implemented to create a Thematic Map Series. But I don't think that applies to graphics, only layers in the TOC. I hope work continues in this area because I need this ALL THE TIME!