How many data frames can be added in a single map document?

[surens]

Richard Moussopo​Megan Truett​Scott Dabbs​

[WesMiller]

I'm not sure there is a limit of number of dataframes. I would suppose it would be left up to the user to decide how many would be useful. ArcGIS Help 10.1

[surens]

Thanks for reply, but it would be great if you could inform me what is the maximum number?

[ChrisSmith7]

Are you worried about performance, or are you just wanting to know the theoretical maximum? If I were a betting man, I would guess 2,147,483,647

[ChrisSmith7]

http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/arcobjects-net/componenthelp/index.html#//001200000980000000

Looks like the IMaps2.Count is an integer, so that value should be accurate. You aren't planning on adding more than that, are you? Hah!

[surens]

Thank you for your quick response. yeah i just wanted to have an idea about how many data frames can be added in a single map document.

[ChrisSmith7]

No problem - I think it's safe to say you should be able to add as many as you'd like for a legitimate mapping need, with performance as the wildcard - that's why I mentioned the theoretical maximum vs. reality (performance impact/memory limitations on your machine, etc.). Giving an exact amount for the later wouldn't be possible, I do not believe, as it's very nebulous...

The data you load, what you are doing within the data frames, how much memory your machine has, etc. - there are many parameters that would come into play. But, like for map layers, the physical, theoretical limitation in the Esri code should be 2,147,483,647 - this is the maximum number an integer type supports. All other things aside, this should be your absolute max!