Multiple layer line symbology and dashing - Pro 3.6.2

[KeithAddison1]

I have a line symbology made of 5 different symbol layers. (ie the line symbol is a composite made of 5 smaller lines)  I need to make part of it dashed, but when I do the 5 different symbol layers are not synchronized to start and end in the same place, so they look like this:

Past workaround to this is to make the underlying line feature itself consist of multiple segments, in other words do the dashing in the feature geometry and not in the symbology.  I keep thinking there has to be a less tedious and more elegant way, anyone know of one?

[gisadministrator_lpud · Accepted solution]

I don't know if this is helpful. I was curious about your question. I asked Esri AI Chatbot and the advice it gave me said: 

This happens because in a multilayer line symbol, each stroke symbol layer can effectively compute its dash pattern placement independently along the line geometry. If the layers have separate dash settings (or separate dash effects), their dash “phase” can differ—so one layer’s dash may start slightly earlier/later than another, and they won’t match at the same start/end positions.

Here are some steps you can try (typical fix):

1. Open the symbol’s Format Line Symbol pane.
2. Go to Properties > Structure.
3. Add your Dashes as a Global effect (instead of applying dashes separately on each stroke layer).
4. Remove any per-layer dash/dash effects from the individual stroke layers to avoid double-dashing.

Because global effects impact all symbol layers, this keeps the dashed geometry consistent across the composite symbol. Reference: Symbol geometry logic—ArcGIS Pro

If you share whether the 5 layers are all stroke layers (or include marker layers), I can suggest the best place to control synchronization for that exact setup.

I also tried to mimic your example as best I could and learned a bit actually. This is what I got for my result! I hope this was applicable (see attachment).

[KeithAddison1]

That works, thanks!