topic Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar? in Data Management Questions

How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

BenCobbing1 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:58:36 GMT

I need some help locking the Feature Construction Toolbar. Whenever I start to digitise, the Feature Construction Toolbar pops up and, without fail, it manages to appear exactly where I want to place my next vertex. I have tried moving the Toolbar into other areas, but it just jumps back into my View Window when I continue digitising. How can I lock this somewhere outside the View Window while digitising?
Cheers. Ben.

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

CoryMacNeil1 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:33:04 GMT

Hi Ben,

I don't think you can dock the toolbar, it just keeps reappearing. It is meant to be near where you are editing for quick changes in tool usage. The key to getting it out of the way is the hit the TAB key, which moves it to another location on the screen.

I hope this helps.
Cory

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

TimothyHales — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:11:38 GMT

In addition to Cory's suggestion on using the TAB key, pressing SHIFT+TAB hides the toolbar temporarily.

You can also turn off the display of mini toolbars on the General tab of the Editing Options dialog box.

The Feature Construction toolbar

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

Anonymous User — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:10:11 GMT

Thanks Tim. This has been seriously bugging me since switching to 10. Why did ESRI think putting a toolbar in the way of making edits would help? They couldn't leave well enough alone?

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

RhondaGlennon — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:20:36 GMT

Thanks for your feedback. In the next release of ArcGIS, we are looking at making the Feature Construction toolbar more effective and easier to use.

ArcGIS 10.1 is currently in beta, so I would encourage you to apply to join the beta program and let us know what you think: https://betacommunity.esri.com

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

JamalNUMAN — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:37:25 GMT

In addition to Cory's suggestion on using the TAB key, pressing SHIFT+TAB hides the toolbar temporarily.

You can also turn off the display of mini toolbars on the General tab of the Editing Options dialog box.

The Feature Construction toolbar

That's great! i like this answer!

regards

Jamal

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

JamalNUMAN — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:43:15 GMT

Thanks for your feedback. In the next release of ArcGIS, we are looking at making the Feature Construction toolbar more effective and easier to use.

ArcGIS 10.1 is currently in beta, so I would encourage you to apply to join the beta program and let us know what you think: https://betacommunity.esri.com

Hi Rhonda,

when ESRI is releasing ArcGIS 10.1?

How about the very basic features like the ones developed in ET geowizards, ET geotools, Xtools, Maplogic?

why not to include all the very simple basic features? we are struggling each single day of the size of the work around!!!!!

we need an integrated package of ArcGIS!

in each new version, we just find very few new features! although the pages of "ideas" is still full of suggestions!

regards

Jamal

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

AndrewAslesen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:14:34 GMT

Thanks Tim. This has been seriously bugging me since switching to 10. Why did ESRI think putting a toolbar in the way of making edits would help? They couldn't leave well enough alone?

X2, only ESRI could come up with something so annoying that actually can figure out where you want to put your next vertex and then proceed to block you with an annoying, useless mini tool bar that you have to more or delete before you can proceed with your editing! Bravo ESRI, and please continue to find ways to annoy me.

Thanks for helping me figure out how to get rid of that thing!

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

TimothyMills — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:53:05 GMT

Thank you for the answers in this thread, I came very very close to needing to replace my monitor due to dropkick damage.

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

WilliamWillis — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:46:30 GMT

Bravo ESRI, and please continue to find ways to annoy me.

Haha that's true.

Here's another thought, you can add the individual tools from the Feature Construction toolbar onto another existing toolbar that you may have docked. This way you can still have those tools easily accessible but not have that super annoying toolbar popup. Then uncheck the box to display the mini toolbar under the General Tab in the Editing Options dialog box like "thales007" originally posted.

Also, another pop-up that's annoying is the the little selection chip pop-up. Please get out of my way!

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

NickBos — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:07:09 GMT

Maybe I've more patience than most, but will say that I ended up on this thread due to a couple of my personnel complaining about the same issue that many here have. But at least for me for the most part I'm content with the tool. With a bit of self educating of how the interface works and what options are available I have since got my personnel to work better with the interface and the two of them now seem content (for the time being). I do believe that this tool could and should be further enhanced though. For example allow option to enable the toolbar to be locked in place wherever the user places it on the canvas in essance disabling the auto float option or even if they dock it to the dockable space. If lockable then enable an option right on the toolbar so my users don't have to go looking to hard to find how to lock. Also would be nice for an option to increase a buffer not allowing the toolbar to exist within that buffer.

There have been a few times over my near 24 years of esri software that I was surely frustrated with the esri development team, but I likewise have to say that their record speaks for itself over that long haul that they do listen to their users and I've seen dramatic impressive changes over the years. By the way, I'm not nor have I ever been a esri employee, rather just a user.

Nick

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

RhondaGlennon — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:31:56 GMT

Thanks, Nick. I am happy to report that these suggestions are part of ArcGIS 10.1. For example, you can move the toolbar farther away or you can dock it. Thanks to everyone for providing feedback.

Here is the beta documentation for what's new in ArcGIS 10.1 (see the section on Feature Construction toolbar enhancements):
http://resourcesbeta.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#/What_s_new_for_editing/016w0000002v000000/

The Feature Construction toolbar is turned off by default and no longer appears automatically while sketching. However, you can display it temporarily if you want to access a command on it. When the toolbar is visible, you can move it and it retains its position relative to the sketch each time you click the map. This is helpful since the toolbar sometimes is positioned where you want to place the next vertex.

If you want to display the Feature Construction toolbar only when you need it, you can press the TAB key to show it temporarily. For example, to create a parallel segment, press the TAB to display the Feature Construction toolbar, click Constrain Parallel, and close it or press TAB again to hide the toolbar.

If you want the Feature Construction toolbar to appear anytime you are sketching, you need to enable it on the Editing Options dialog box. Click the Editor menu and click Options. On the General tab, check Show feature construction toolbar.

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

DavidCakalic — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:29:40 GMT

X2, only ESRI could come up with something so annoying that actually can figure out where you want to put your next vertex and then proceed to block you with an annoying, useless mini tool bar that you have to more or delete before you can proceed with your editing! Bravo ESRI, and please continue to find ways to annoy me.

Classic!

I just started ranting about this to my coworkers and HAD to see if anyone else had complained too. Who designs this stuff? Seriously? What's worse is it ALLOWS you to drag it out of the way, or onto another monitor, but flies right into your face on the next vertex collection. Did anyone test this?

This is even funnier because the above echoes my thoughts on crashing... I've even included this on several of the crash reports recently; figuring they might want to start advertising it as a feature:

o ArcGis not crashing enough for you? Upgrade now to get our new Built-in-Crash system! More crashes than ever before!

�?� We don�??t save�?� so you have to!!!
�?� New predictive crash system: not only picks the most inconvenient time to crash like before, but much hard work has gone into figuring out when you are about to reach for that �??Save Edits�?? button and tries to crash just before that event happens.

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

JosephKlem — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:14:52 GMT

Thanks for your feedback. In the next release of ArcGIS, we are looking at making the Feature Construction toolbar more effective and easier to use.

ArcGIS 10.1 is currently in beta, so I would encourage you to apply to join the beta program and let us know what you think: https://betacommunity.esri.com

So of course this will be a free update to those who paid the substantial sum to acquire this software, cause of course the ability to dock a toolbar should run a couple grand why not.

Re: How to Lock the Feature Construction Toolbar?

KatharinaDubach — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:01:15 GMT

You can also turn off the display of mini toolbars on the General tab of the Editing Options dialog box.

Thank God I've found this thread, or my computer, monitors, mouse and everything might have gone right out the window! Seems like docking the feature construction toolbar and then turning mini toolbars off does the trick for me, it stays docked, at least for the moment.

Quite obviously, those people designing new features (or should I call them annoyances?) for ESRI never actually work with any kind of data. They must think "Ha, wouldn't it be handy to have that toolbar jumping in your face every time you click somewhere?" Guys, just try to imagine writing a letter by hand while your toddler daughter tries to put a big dictionary right in the middle of your page after every word you write... Sounds like great fun to me, very productive, plus you're sure to score 100% on calligraphy...