Annotation as type feature doesn't show up

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Hello all,

Here's a new one for you. I'm trying to list my annotation as a type="feature" in my config.xml file instead of a type="dynamic". I'm doing this because my text and symbols have ugly white backgrounds around them and it was suggested that using type=feature would make the ugly white disappear. See forum: http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/17194-symbols-have-white-outline

Does anyone know why an annotation feature class can't be listed as type="feature"? I get black rectangles instead of text.

thank you again,

[Anonymous User]

Original User: bjorn

Andrea, I don't think using a FeatureLayer is necessarily the real solution for avoiding the "ugly white backgrounds".

However, in regards to the topic of this thread.... Annotation Layer are special layers in a Map Service, and the FeatureLayer doesn't currently take advantage of that "special-ness".  What happens is that the Annotation Layer returns polygons of where the annotation is supposed to be.  To make it work, it is possible to query the annotation layer, then change the geometry to points (instead of the returned extents) and display them in a graphicslayer as TextSymbols with the textAttribute set to the default display field.

Again, while this might answer your question about FeatureLayer using Annotation Layers, I don't think it is the solution to your original problem.

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Bjorn,

Thank you for the response. Yeah, I thought it was turning the anno into polygons. Same as if you do your export wrong from a geodatabase you get polygons.

Well, I guess the real solution is to use Flash Builder and compile from code so I can change it to PNG32. I will try to get into that. Until then, I will just have to try your solution or just leave the annotation as is. Not sure if other people have had this issue yet, but honestly the annotation isn't even very readable on the flex 2.1 site. Could be other variables I suppose. I didn't create the annotation so not sure what it's true history is.

Appreciate your help,