How to label tick marks (+) in a map with coordinates?

[BogiBjornsson]

Howdy,

I have made a reference grid with crosses on the inside of my map but I only seem to be able to automatically label tick marks that are on the border of the data frame. How can I mark those crosses (+) on the inside of the map with x and y positions? Is it even possible to do it automatically or do I have to input the coordinates as graphics or text in the layout?

Cheers!

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Hey Bogi,

if I got you right, you can use the interior labels for your grids: Data Frame Properties > Grids > Properties > Interior Labels > Show interior grid labels. Here you can choose how often you want the labels will be placed (for instance, every minute or so).

Test it and say if it is what you are looking for. 🙂

[BogiBjornsson]

Hey Bogi,

if I got you right, you can use the interior labels for your grids: Data Frame Properties > Grids > Properties > Interior Labels > Show interior grid labels. Here you can choose how often you want the labels will be placed (for instance, every minute or so).

Test it and say if it is what you are looking for. 🙂

Hi and thanks for the reply but unless I am misunderstanding your directions that's not exactly what I meant. What I meant you can see in the attached image where I have circled the tick mark that I want to label and also what the label should kind of look like (see these all the time on engineering drawings).  :)[ATTACH=CONFIG]11757[/ATTACH]

Cheers!

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Bogi,

Sorry for misleading you in this case. I was thinking that you use the graticules.

Then my question is how do you create this grid of coordinates on borders? What do tick mark mean (where do these come from)? Do you just label some features or is it anything more?

[BogiBjornsson]

Bogi,

Sorry for misleading you in this case. I was thinking that you use the graticules.

Then my question is how do you create this grid of coordinates on borders? What do tick mark mean (where do these come from)? Do you just label some features or is it anything more?

I go into Data Frame Properties -> Grids -> New Grid -> Measured Grid -> Tick marks and Labels

There you can chose to have a cross or what ever for the tick marks and what interval they appear at but problem is you can only seem to be able to label the borders of the map but not the tick marks like I drew it up.

[AlexeyTereshenkov · Accepted solution]

Hi Bogi,

Now I see. I've tested to do what you are doing and it seems that I am able to get the crosses (+) symbols on the map in layout view yet unable to label them with the XY coordinates as you want.

As a quick workaround, I'd try to test the following.

1) Convert the grid layout to graphics (Data Frame Properties -> Grids).

2) Copy and paste graphics to the data view from the layout view (check that the graphics objects have been placed correctly and no shift occured).

3) Convert the graphics to features (right-click the Data Frame and choose Convert Graphics to Features).

3) Calculate the XY coordinates of your crosses (+) point features (can be done from the Field Calculator) and then label your crosses with these attributes.

Check very carefully that the points are on the right place afterwords by creating a new measured grid and controlling that the points are in the center of the cross points (+) of the measured grid.

[BogiBjornsson]

Hi Alexey,

That is a good idea and will definitely work as long as you are careful not to move the data in the frame or zoom in or out after you convert the graphics to features (points). I guess this is the way to do it unless someone else knows a more straightforward way. Thanks for the solution  🙂

Cheers!

[AlexeyTereshenkov]

Bogi,

Have found recently a tool in the Cartography toolbox which you might check.

http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//00700000001n000000

Have not tested it myself, but it looks as it can give you some more options when using the custom grids (like you need).

Cheers,
Alex