Layout legend Items (layers) are check-marked but not visible

[Craig_Eissler_Iceman]

Hello, and see screenshot below.

These Layout Legend Items (aka Layers) are check-marked, but they are not turned on (not visible) back in the Layout Map Frame or back in the Map View. ...except for one of them that I am including on the final map.

...So, then, what are these checkmarks indicating?

[jcarlson]

Those checkmarks would indicate whether or not to show the items in the legend, but the legend itself has a setting for only displaying items in the map frame. Do any of your layers fall outside the map frame? I can't think of what else would prevent the items from showing.

[Craig_Eissler_Iceman]

Yes, all layers fall within the Layout Map Frame. What's keeping them from displaying in the Layout Legend is that they re turned OFF (NOT Visible) back in the Map View. So I have the result I want.

However, I'm baffled by the behavior I'm seeing. ...In the Layout, I guess I wouldn't expect any of those layers that are turned OFF would even appear as Layout Legend Items. ...Or if they did appear (like they do) they would be unchecked.

...So I don't know what those check-marked Layout Legend Items (layers) is trying to indicate..?

[jcarlson]

I think you'd want the layout to keep references to all layers in the map. If it simply disappeared from the layout when you checked it off in the map view, you'd have to reconfigure it every time you turned it off and on. The checkboxes in the layout show whether or not to show the legend item regardless of map visibility, because you might want some of them not to show up even though they are turned on in the map.

For instance, I'll be working on a map that has very obvious reference layers, like river areas. They're labelled as rivers and symbolized blue, so having a blue "Rivers" item in the legend feels useless to me. I keep that unchecked in the layout legend element, but then I will turn that layer on and off as I work with the other layers in my map. I want the "don't show this legend item" setting to persist.

[Craig_Eissler_Iceman]

Thanks Josh -- OK I see the point about having them still listed as Legend Item elements in the Layout.

However, I'm still not sure why they default to check-marked in the Layout when they are NOT check-marked (NOT turned on) back on the Map. ...In other words, I would think that whether a Layer was check-marked or not on the Map would directly translate to whether it is or not , by default, in the Layout.

And, maybe that's also confusing to me because I don't see anything change in my Layout Legend whether I leave them check-marked or not. 

[JuliaOlson]

Hi Craig,

When you open the Legend properties in the Element Pane, there is a section called "Synchronize with map" that has an option to toggle "Layer visibility" which I think is what you might be looking for! When you have this property checked on at the Legend level, turning layers on and off in the map will also turn those Legend Items on and off in the Legend itself. 

Here's a link to the help documentation that mentions this functionality Tips and Tricks for Working with Legends in ArcGIS Pro (esri.com).

Hope this helps!

Julia

[Craig_Eissler_Iceman]

Thanks, Julia, but yes, I do know about that synchronicity.

But, my original question and original screenshot may have gotten lost in the thread, so I'll post again:

See below: What do these default check marks indicate?

...they don't seem to have anything to do with Layer Visibility.
...and, I don't see any changes when turned Off (unchecked).

Thanks

[Craig_Eissler_Iceman · Accepted solution]

Through some other dialogs, I think I'm learning that there is no real reason why these Legend Items default to being check marked. The Map On-Off Visibility status takes precedence regardless of the Layout-Legend On-Off Visibility status ...so that's why I think that any Layer that's Off/Unchecked on the Map should indicate the same as a Legend Item.

I just think that would be more intuitive. In other words, I would change the Layout-Legend Item visibility status DEFAULT behavior to reflect the Map visibility status.