Templates and Definition Queries

[MeganBirch]

When you have a definition query applied to a layer and start editing, the template for the layer does not appear in the Create Features window.  And therefore, I can't create a new feature.  I assume this is because any new feature would not meet the query until attributes were added.  I often use defintion queries to reduce the amount of time it takes to refresh, especially when there are a lot of labels on the map.  Does anyone know of a way around this, short of returning to classic editing?

[RhondaGlennon]

You're on the right track with the reasoning behind this behavior. The way to make the new feature meet the definition query is to set the default attribute value on the feature template properties before you create the feature. This way, the feature template will display in the Create Features window and you can create the feature on the map because its attributes satisfy the query.

Scroll down to Feature templates and the table of contents:
http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#/Best_practices_for_using_feature_templ...

Definition queries and feature templates work best if the query is discrete, such as on a certain road type as in the example in the help, and are trickier to satisfy with default attributes when they involve expressions with equalities or system fields.

[MeganBirch]

Rhonda,

Thank you for that information, it was very helpful.  The only thing I would add to it is that you need to make sure that your default value matches the value in the definition query exactly.  When I had a difference in capitalization, the altered template did not appear, but once I fixed that it worked.