topic Re: Layout ruler resolution in ArcGIS Pro Questions

Layout ruler resolution

CaitlinBernier1 — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 00:45:41 GMT

Is there a way to set the interval of the rulers like you could in ArcMap? In ArcGIS Pro, the further zoomed in, the more tic marks on the rulers which may seem better, but it is difficult to see. In ArcMap, there was a setting for the interval of the rulers. If more intervals were needed, the setting could be changed. In Pro, there does not appear such a setting. The use case is this: in the legend of a map, there are descriptions of variable length. Between descriptions, there should be a consistent gap. In ArcMap, the rulers could be set to 0.1 inches and the guides were easy to see and set consistently. In Pro, the additional dozens of tick marks make it difficult to make the guides a consistent gap. If there is no way to do this, please consider it for a future release.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

BarryNorthey — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 01:07:31 GMT

You can set Guides without using the Rulers using Add Guides (right click on any Ruler). Not sure what you are doing with the Legend but you can set the spacing of elements in the Legend element in the Legend pane under Legend Arrangement Options tab --> Spacing

Re: Layout ruler resolution

CaitlinBernier1 — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 17:33:44 GMT

Thanks for your note. The legend is in a geologic map with lengthy rock descriptions that are entered manually so legend tools are not in play for this particular use case. I may in the future try to use Arcade to automate the geo legend, but for now, just having the ability to set the interval on the rulers would solve everything.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

TomBole — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 21:43:34 GMT

Hi Caitlin,

I believe there is an enhancement request for this - ENH-000114737 Add a functionality to set the ruler divisions and units in a Layout in ArcGIS Pro.

Tom

Re: Layout ruler resolution

CaitlinBernier1 — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 22:14:20 GMT

Thank you. I tried searching but I guess I missed that. Thanks for letting me know.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

Aaron_King — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:03:58 GMT

This is critical functionality that needs to be implemented if it is not yet available. Wasting time carefully mousing to get elements located in consistent locations is not acceptable.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

TomBole — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:24:04 GMT

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for the feedback. I'll pass your comment to the team.

You ight not be aware of it, but "mousing" to locate an element is not the only option. You can also set the placement of the element through the Element pane (right-click the element and choose Properties from the context menu).

Though this isn't as efficient as "mousing" it does offer a level of precision that would be hard to replicate manually with a mouse.

Hopefully this workaround helps.

Tom

Re: Layout ruler resolution

Aaron_King — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 20:00:36 GMT

Thanks for the reply Tom, happy to engage on this topic. I promise not to send any more responses after this one, since we both have work to do.

I am aware of that capability. However, this requires opening the properties of each element in a map separately. That is inefficient. The setting placement values in properties thing sounds like a solution in theory, but realistically, you have to go about opening a half dozen (probably more) different element properties and type in the required spacing. You'll type that in, then look at it and think, "nah, that's not it, needs to move a bit left, donnit, wat?", and then open the properties again and guess again. And maybe that's fine if you are only making a few maps, but I make hundreds of maps every year, with many elements in each map, and things need to be consistent and efficient.

The facility of simply placing guides quickly and accurately, so that many elements can be aligned to those guides, without "precision mousing" when making a map, resulting in consistent spacing (and those elements can then be grabbed and moved in unison to a new guide if needed) is far more efficient.

The problem right now is that we cannot place the guides themselves efficiently because of the lack of ability to set the increments of the ruler. So we have to very carefully mouse each guide into place, and the chances that one of the 10 or 15 guides I place is going to be off by a few hundredths of an inch hovers right around 80%. And since its a variable scale on the ruler depending on how zoomed in to the layout you are when placing the guides, you cannot get the same offset from an edge, or an element, unless you are careful to maintain the same zoom level, and even then, since the increments are tiny, you have to mouse very carefully - which takes time and increases the odds of a mistake.

Consistency in the spacing of elements and offsets results in less mental work for the reader. If they are seeing that the spacing between my layout edge and my legend are not the same as the space between the layout edge and the other elements, it introduces yet another variable for them to think about that has nothing to do with the content of the map. It means that my end product is less effective. So, to efficiently produce effective maps, we need a way to quickly, consistently, and without excessive clicking or precision mousing, place guides. If my guides are set to an increment of 1/16th of an inch, it requires very little hunching over and squinting to get my guide to land right where I want it. If they are set to 1/8 inch, its cake. When they are varying from 0.165 inches to 0.0538 inches or whatever, it gives me brain hemorrhoids.

I'd love to see this fixed. It was in ARCMap, and the loss has impacted my productivity.

All the best,

Re: Layout ruler resolution

BarryNorthey — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 20:51:35 GMT

In the meantime can you not specify exactly where you want Guides to be placed without visually mousing using Add Guides?

For example, I want a vertical Guide placed at exactly 3 1/16 inches (3.0625 inches).

Re: Layout ruler resolution

CaitlinBernier1 — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 21:02:20 GMT

Hi BarryNorthey,

That doesn't work when the location of the spacing changes for every text box. My need is for a geologic map plate that has a box and variable length description of the rock type in the legend. I need the spacing between descriptions to be the same but the length of the description changes every time so there is no set location for the next legend entry. The way it worked in ArcMap was much more efficient.

Thank you,

Caitlin

Re: Layout ruler resolution

ErikBreedon — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:00:24 GMT

Is there a way to find ENH-000114737 and other enhancement requests?

Re: Layout ruler resolution

TomBole — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:18:45 GMT

You should be able to find it through esri support (https://support.esri.com/en) and searching on the number. I tried this and did not get a result (you may have as well).

@KoryKramer - ENH-000114737 is a valid number and one I can find through internal esri systems, but cannot find through the Support search. Can you help? Thanks.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

KoryKramer — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 17:24:35 GMT

Currently enhancement requests are not published to the support site, but I know that is a project for the future. For now, you either need to call tech support to be added as a "+1" to the ENH, or, you could submit an idea in the ArcGIS Pro idea exchange, and cite that you're looking for this functionality, and that it is already logged as ENH-000114737. Then we can link the ENH and Idea up on the backend and keep the community apprised of status updates through the idea. cc @AmeliaBradshaw

Re: Layout ruler resolution

Sean_Wray — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 16:26:32 GMT

Yes you can do this, HOWEVER, it is so much easier and faster to be able to click on the ruler when looking visually at the tic marks. Doing it visually one does not have to know and numeric value at all. Being able to set ruler increments at 1/4 or 1/8 or 1/16 and then just clicking is 1000% faster than any other way.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

Aaron_King — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:05:32 GMT

Sorry to reply so long after the post. I just happened to see this. Of course you can do as you mentioned and manually specify the spacing of a guide or even a set of guides by typing in the location or offset in that dialog box. That is a useful function for certain applications. To be clear, I did not post my original post because I did not know how to place a guide. I was posting it because the efficiency and effectiveness of being able to set the ruler increment, as we could do in ARC Map, was not implemented in ARCPro, and I think that is a mistake.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

Brian_Wilson — Thu, 02 May 2024 22:39:25 GMT

In 3.2.2 there is no "Add Guides" option. It's called "Add Multiple Guides" I think it's called "Add Guides" in 3.3?

Re: Layout ruler resolution

BarryNorthey — Thu, 02 May 2024 22:54:05 GMT

You are correct. I posted a screen shot of what you see when Add Multiple Guides is clicked.

Re: Layout ruler resolution

DavidDurst — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 23:34:35 GMT

@TomBole& @KoryKramer Any news if the enhancement request ENH-000114737 has gone anywhere? Below I included a screenshot from ArcMap 10.8.2 showing exactly what I'm looking for, and I suspect what the OP is looking for too. I would add that an increment of 0.01" would be beneficial too. I'm looking to recreate a layout from an AutoCAD titleblock in an engineering style. See the second screenshot for the look and feel I'm going for. If it's not exact to 0.01", I'll use a different technique or different software.

Thanks!

-David

Re: Layout ruler resolution

TomBole — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:22:42 GMT

@DavidDurst - ENH-000114737 was addressed with version 3.3. The help topic Set up a layout has been updated to account for this change. Here is the relevant information.

To customize the ruler, complete the following steps:

Right-click a ruler and click Ruler Properties.
The Ruler Properties dialog box appears.

Select a unit from the Units drop-down list.
Use the Smallest interval box to set the smallest interval the ruler displays.
Setting the smallest interval doesn't mean that only that interval is shown on the ruler. As you zoom in and out, the ruler updates to reflect intervals appropriate to the zoom level. Adjusting the smallest interval means the ruler never shows a value smaller than what is set.

Here is a screenshot of the dialog.

Hope this helps,

Tom

Re: Layout ruler resolution

DavidDurst — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:23:57 GMT

That's great, Tom. Thanks for the quick response.

-David