topic Re: Problem with Text formatting tags in annotation class in ArcGIS Pro Questions

Problem with Text formatting tags in annotation class

KaiDb — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:42:42 GMT

I have a file-geodatabase with annotation feature classes where the displayed TextString for the features contains text formatting tags.

Here's an example:

<FNT name = 'Arial' size = '9,41'><CLR cyan= '0' magenta= '0' yellow= '0' black= '153'><ITA>SomeText</ITA></CLR></FNT>

When I view that Annotation feature class in ArcMap (v10.8.1) everything looks fine. However, when I open the same annotation in ArcGIS Pro (3.5) the texts on the map are displayed way to large.
I was able to narrow the problem down to the text-formatting-tags, because in the ArcPro Docs (Text formatting tags—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation) it is stated that "Formatting tags use a period as a decimal separator. They do not use the locale-specific character."

Which would explain why the text is displayed so large in ArcGIS Pro, since the font size of '9,41' is interpreted as '941'.

I can't alter the data and the geodatabase is supposed to work for ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro. Is there any way to make this work?

Re: Problem with Text formatting tags in annotation class

Robert_LeClair — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 14:41:10 GMT

Hmm...a question for you. Was the annotation in use by ArcMap created in ArcMap? And then you added it to Map View in ArcGIS Pro? The Upgrade Dataset GP tool documentation here -Upgrade Dataset (Data Management)—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation - has a chart down towards the bottom about read/write/supported between ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro. I wonder if it's a compatibility issue. My recommendation is you have one annotation feature class for ArcMap and another one for ArcGIS Pro.

Re: Problem with Text formatting tags in annotation class

KaiDb — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:01:08 GMT

Exactly, the annotation was created in ArcMap and when I add that annotation to the ArcGIS Pro Map View the described problem occurs.

I need the data only for displaying in ArcGIS Pro and creating a separate annotation feature class for ArcGIS Pro is unfortunately not an option.

Re: Problem with Text formatting tags in annotation class

KaiDb — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 08:55:05 GMT

This is easily reproducable:
I created an annotation feature class in ArcMap and replaced the value in the "TextString" field with the text-formatting tag I posted earlier:

<FNT name = 'Arial' size = '9,41'><CLR cyan= '0' magenta= '0' yellow= '0' black= '153'><ITA>SomeText</ITA></CLR></FNT>

Saving and importing that map in ArcGIS Pro results in the following.

On the right hand the text in ArcMap and on the left hand the text in ArcGIS pro, displayed with a font size of 941 instead of 9.41.

I was very surprised that I couldn't find anything about this in the forums. There must be a fix for this that doesn't involve creating a new annotation feature class?!

I attached the ArcMap map-package for reproduction purposes.