topic Re: transparency and labels, a real problem in ArcGIS Viewer for Flex Questions

transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:49:11 GMT

Original User: alnesbit

Hello all,

My head is spinning trying to figure this one out, I hope someone can help.

I have a polygon feature class that I need to have 60% transparency. But I also need it to have labels. I really need it to be just like in ArcMap and I'm not sure that's possible. So, these are the options that I see and none of them work.

1) put the school districts polygon feature class as a layer within a dynamic map service and set the alpha to 0.6. Put that map service below the other Parcels/city limits dynamic map service that has alpha = 1. Problem: the labels for the school districts are also 60% transparent and below the parcel lines, so you can't read them.

2) put the school districts in its own map service. Make the map service dynamic. Put it above the parcels/city limits map service. Problem: Now you can see the labels for the school districts just fine, but you can't see the road names and city limits labels from the other map service because the school districts are on top.

3) put the school districts polygons within the same map service as the parcels/city limits. Problem: I can't make the school districts transparent without everything being transparent, but the labels are all readable.

4) make two different layers of the school districts. One is for the polygon symbology and the other is (no symbology) just the labels. Add those two map services into the website. Problem: now if you turn off the school districts you still have the labels appearing. This will confuse most website users.

5) Make annotation for the school district names. Problem: not sure what scale to pick and I want them to dynamically scale like labels do when you zoom in/out. And also, you will have the school district names appearing when you turn off the polygons, just like in Problem 4.

ahhh, does anyone have any ideas? I did read something that said if I compiled myself from code instead of using the compiled version of the flex viewer and I set the output to png32, then I could recreate like from ArcMap. not sure that's true but I'm just using the compiled version for now anyway.

Appreciate it,

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

DasaPaddock — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:35:00 GMT

If you're using the precompiled Viewer, then I suggest waiting until the next release when you'll be able to set the imageformat of the dynamic layer to png32. If you also publish your service as an optimized msd, then the image from the server will have its transparency intact.

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:58:45 GMT

Original User: alnesbit

Ok, thank you. I'm VERY glad to hear the next release will solve this issue. Hopefully.

Thank you,

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

ChadHall — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:44:34 GMT

Dasa,

Any idea when the next version will come out? I saw on another thread about how the decisions are made but no mention about when it'll be available. I have this issue along with extending the scale LODs that I'm waiting on the new version to help/fix.

Thanks,
Chad

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:29:50 GMT

Original User: bjorn

Version 2.2 was released today 🙂

It includes support for configuring imageformat and lods.

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:52:48 GMT

Original User: alnesbit

Beautiful! Solves the problem, thank you!

ONE NOTE: The image in the new Legend widget for my point symbol is not png32, even though I put that as my output for my layer. I can tell because it has an "ugly white" border around the point showing up on your nice black transparent widget background. 🙂

Thanks,

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:53:46 GMT

Original User: alnesbit

Ahem...I need to retract my "solves the problem" statement a bit. I'm using ArcServer 9.3. I have this in my config file: <layer label="GIS Data" type="dynamic" visible="true" alpha="1" imageformat="png32"

And I'm getting very odd behavior. It seems to be returning png32 sometimes, but not all the time. When I zoom in and out on annotation it places white borders around some of the features at some scales and on other features at other scales.

My points still have a white border.

I'm wondering if this is because I'm using ArcServer 9.3, not 10. I tried this exact same thing on an ArcGIS Server 10 and it looks fine.

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

RobertScheitlin__GISP — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:53:01 GMT

Andrea,

Is this a 9.3 or 9.3.1 server? Are you sure you published an MSD or was it just an MXD?

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:54:38 GMT

Original User: alnesbit

9.3. As far as I can tell they didn't have MSD available at 9.3, so it's an mxd.

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

RobertScheitlin__GISP — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:57:47 GMT

Andrea,

Yep MSDs where introduced at 9.3.1. Here is a link about transparency with ArcGIS Server:

http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=34082

Re: transparency and labels, a real problem

Anonymous User — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:20:16 GMT

Original User: alnesbit

Robert,

Thank you for the article. I think the key sentence in that document is "ArcGIS Server 9.3.1 optimized map services have been enhanced to generate output images of PNG32 type." This sentence tells me that at 9.3 it is not possible to output png32. So that's the answer to the question.

Thank you for your help!