Property Connections for Label Classes
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03-06-2021 06:40 AM
by
jcarlson
On Symbology, I can connect symbol properties to attributes and even expressions. Love it! As someone whose first experience with GIS software was QGIS, I love a good data-defined override.
Perhaps Q spoiled me, though, because I want data-defined overrides everywhere. Labels, it seems, would be an obvious place for this to happen. A label is already linked to the data source, so why not let me base the rotation, offset, etc on some attribute or expression?
Counter-arguments
- Using multiple label classes. Possible, but what if the value I want to change is unique to each feature? I'm not going to make 1000 label classes and define the rotation or size on each.
- Using annotations. Yes, but suppose I'm working with a hosted service from another organization, or I want to keep my work in a shapefile instead of a GDB? An anno FC may be out of the question, or I can't rely on creating a static anno representation of a dynamic layer, and I can't get them feature-linked. And even if I could, I balk at the amount of time I might need to spend tweaking annotation attributes for something that could be a line or two of Arcade.
- Text formatting tags. These are great, but they only address the font. What about the halo, shadow, and callout? The rotation and offset values? There are plenty of other things on a label class's Symbol tab that I'd love to connect to the source feature's attributes.
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