Complex line to polygon

[JeremyTibbetts1]

Hello,
I have a complex line, which represents a shoreline.
I am trying to turn this line into a polygon.

What I have been trying is, creating an empty polygon FC.
I enter an edit session, target the empty polygon FC, and select all features from the shoreline FC.

Using the topology tool bar, I click the construct features button, and create new polygons using the selected features into the empty polygon FC.

This has worked before, but using a more simple line. The shoreline FC in this case follows the coastline in more detail, and it seems as the above process does not convert this line as easily.

I was wondering if there is a method for converting a more complex line into a polygon.

thanks,

Jeremy

[HardolphWasteneys]

Jeremy,

not sure about "Using the topology tool bar, I click the construct features button, and create new polygons using the selected features into the empty polygon FC." 

There are at least 3 methods that come to mind for creating a polygon from your shoreline polyline: 

1. use the script pair "Write Features to Text File" and "Create Features from Text File" with a simple edit of the text file header from "polyline" to "polygon".  The combo takes the polyline vertices and outputs a new polygon FC with a polygon shape.

2. Use TASK:  Auto-Complete Polygon.
edit a closed single polyline loop out of your shoreline; set up a new polygon FC and make it the Target, change TASK: to Auto-Complete Polygon; 
USING THE SKETCH TOOL right click on the polyline; hit "replace feature" (the edit sketch vertices will be shown and the active point will be at the end of a dangle) then hit F2 or right click again and hit "finish". 
Outputs a polygon in your target polygon FC.

3. use TASK: Cut Polygon Features.  
edit a closed single polyline loop out of your shoreline; create a background polygon in a new FC and set it as TARGET and  TASK: "Cut Polygon Features" and select the polyline with the edit tool;
USING THE SKETCH TOOL right click on the shoreline; hit "Replace Feature"; then F2 or right click again and hit "finish". 
Chops a new polygon out of the background one.

The Cut polygon feature method is described in 9.3 Desktop Help; the others not.

anyway check your geometry first in case you have an error.  This is most likely to happen if you had a multitude of convoluted polyline segments and ran the SMOOTH tool on the line which I have seen create self intersecting loops that cause a glitch in these methods.  You can also just run "Repair Geometry" to check if you suspect anything like that.


Hardolph