Keeping text horizontal on data driven pages

[MikeWager]

Apologies if this has been posted before, but I could not find it using search.

We are using data driven pages to create a mapbook of a pipeline.  Each cutout is rotated to follow the pipeline.  We are using text in annotation groups to label features along the pipeline.  Some of the text is shared between adjoining sheets that have different rotations.  Is there a way to keep the text horizontal relative to the page when it is exported.  Currently if we rotate the text to be horizontal on one page, it will be slightly rotated in the adjoining page.

Thanks,

Mike Wager

[JeffBarrette]

I'm not sure if annotation groups are the best strategy for strip maps.  Here is an quote from help:

"Map document annotation is stored in map documents in annotation groups within each data frame. Choose map document annotation if you only want to use your text in one particular map."

Two thoughts - 1) use basic labeling with horizontal options. or 2) mask the labels outside of your index polygon.

It would be great if you could include a couple of screenshots.

Thanks,
Jeff

[JustinPreikschas]

I'm not sure if annotation groups are the best strategy for strip maps.  Here is an quote from help:

"Map document annotation is stored in map documents in annotation groups within each data frame. Choose map document annotation if you only want to use your text in one particular map."

Two thoughts - 1) use basic labeling with horizontal options. or 2) mask the labels outside of your index polygon.

It would be great if you could include a couple of screenshots.

Thanks,
Jeff

This is a very frustrating problem for me as well. This worked perfectly in 9.3.1 with DS Mapbook or MapLogic, but no longer works in ArcGIS 10. This has severely impacted our workflow and our team constantly has to go back to an old shared computer still running 9.3.1. I have contacted the support team regarding this but they have classified it as an "enhancement request" rather than a bug... though it worked fine in 9.3.1. Not what you'd expect after dropping a couple hundred thousand on "upgrading" everyone. Just one of several issues we are battling...

Justin

[JeffBarrette]

Justin,

I must be missing something or not understanding the problem correctly.  How is it possible that with DS MapBook or MapLogic that you were able to rotate annotation features for adjacent pages?  Annotation gets rotated like map features, there is not an option to keep annotation horizontal.  Only label features have that option.

Please send screen shots so we can assess the issue.

Jeff

[JustinPreikschas]

Justin,

I must be missing something or not understanding the problem correctly.  How is it possible that with DS MapBook or MapLogic that you were able to rotate annotation features for adjacent pages?  Annotation gets rotated like map features, there is not an option to keep annotation horizontal.  Only label features have that option.

Please send screen shots so we can assess the issue.

Jeff

Sorry, I should have clarified. This only worked properly in 9.3.1 if you stored the annotation in the map, not in a geodatabase. Though it no longer works in 10 even if you store it in the map. Perhaps it was a glitch or bug that made it work before, but it sure was helpful. The labeling engine is not perfect (standard or Maplex), and often has overlapping labels (particularly with callouts) that need to be manually adjusted throughout the map book. The only way to do this that I am aware of is in 9.3.1 using map document annotation.

Thanks,
Justin

[rodneysumruld1]

I'm not sure if annotation groups are the best strategy for strip maps.  Here is an quote from help:

"Map document annotation is stored in map documents in annotation groups within each data frame. Choose map document annotation if you only want to use your text in one particular map."

Two thoughts - 1) use basic labeling with horizontal options. or 2) mask the labels outside of your index polygon.

It would be great if you could include a couple of screenshots.

Thanks,
Jeff

Here are the first (2) pages of this route, at mile marker 4 you will notice on sheet 2 it is not horizontal like sheet 1.

[CraigWilliams]

The best way to handling this users case is to use the Tiled Label To Annotation tool.  This tool was built to handle Data Driven Pages use cases as well as map service caching cases.  Feed in the index layer etc. and set the field for identifying each tile so annotation will be tagged with the ID.  It will convert labels to annotation in a separate run done specifically for each page with the correct rotation etc.  You can use a Page Definition Query on the annotation layer to filter out annotation that doesn�??t apply for the page being viewed when the pages overlap etc.

Craig

[JustinPreikschas]

The best way to handling this users case is to use the Tiled Label To Annotation tool.  This tool was built to handle Data Driven Pages use cases as well as map service caching cases.  Feed in the index layer etc. and set the field for identifying each tile so annotation will be tagged with the ID.  It will convert labels to annotation in a separate run done specifically for each page with the correct rotation etc.  You can use a Page Definition Query on the annotation layer to filter out annotation that doesn�??t apply for the page being viewed when the pages overlap etc.

Craig

Craig,
Thanks for the help, that sounds like it would work for most situations and we'll give it a try. However, it is often not desirable to query out the labels from adjacent pages if the features are still visible on the current page. There really needs to be an "angle relative to the current frame" option for annotation.

Thanks,
Justin

[BoardMeeting]

I would also like an option for annotation to rotate with the layout page. Common frustration when we print our map contracts every year. In 9.3 my work around was to create map annotation and convert it to layer annotation that would then rotate with the page. It would be more desirable for this functionality to be based on an attribute or annotation class.

[DanMcBride]

Craig,
Thanks for the help, that sounds like it would work for most situations and we'll give it a try. However, it is often not desirable to query out the labels from adjacent pages if the features are still visible on the current page. There really needs to be an "angle relative to the current frame" option for annotation.

Thanks,
Justin

Yes--I second this. I've had to come up with elaborate work-arounds for a similar product (river charts instead of pipelines). This issue also applies to point symbology that needs to be rotated in relation to the page orientation. My work around two years ago (in 9.3.1 with DSMapbook) was to export odd and even pages separately with separate rotation values set for features (and annotations) that appeared on adjacent pages.