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This is part 2 of tips for editing with ArcGIS 10. This content comes from a User Conference session presented by the Editing Team at the 2011 conference.  For tips 1 – 5 see this this post.

6. Trace edges when cutting polygons.
The current park design is landscaped with shrubs along the entire western border. However, I want the area to be three different types of vegetation, each separated by a foot path. I draw features for the new path lines first so I can use them to split the large polygon. Then, I select the polygon and click the Cut Polygons tool, change the construction method to Trace on the Feature Construction toolbar, and follow along the edge of the overlapping foot path feature. I need to make sure that the trace goes all the way across the polygon so the cut is successful. When I finish the sketch, the polygon is split and its edge exactly matches the shape of the path.

Another method I can use to split the shrub patch polygon by the overlapping foot path line is to snap to the edge of the polygon, right-click directly over the foot path line, click Replace Sketch, and finish the sketch. Replace Sketch pulls the shape of the underlying feature into the sketch used to cut the polygon.

7. Change attributes for multiple features in the Attributes window.
With the shrub patch polygon now split into three features, I want to make two of them flower beds by using the Attributes window to change the landscaping type. To update just two of the three selected polygons, I hold down CTRL and click the feature entries (listed by display expression) at the top of the window, then change their landscaping from Shrub Patch to Flower Bed. If I click the layer name, all selected features are updated; clicking just one feature updates just that feature’s values.

8. Extend lines by sketching with the Continue Feature tool.
The new foot path across the western landscaping needs to be extended eastward across the open space so it connects with another foot path. I can use the Continue Feature tool to extend a line by drawing a sketch. Since the path was digitized from the west originally, I flip the direction of the line so it will be extended toward the east instead. Continue Feature is available starting with ArcGIS 10 Service Pack 2, but must be added to a toolbar from the Customize dialog box because it is not on the default user interface.

9. Use Find Text to provide the text for annotation.
With my park features placed on the map, I want to add some annotation to describe them. To make the text string for a new annotation feature come from the attributes of an existing feature on the map, I can use the Find Text tool on the Annotation Construction window. For example, I click Find Text, click a recreational polygon, and it populates the text box with Athletic Field from the attributes of the polygon. This saves me from typing words manually.

10. Use the Topology toolbar to update multiple features at once.
I want to expand the area of vegetation around the recreational area so it goes closer to the eastern sidewalk of the park. This edge is shared by flower bed polygons, a foot path line, and open space polygons. I can build a map topology to make edits to all these features at the same time, including moving edges, reshaping edges, and modifying the vertices on the edges. I select the shared edge with the Topology Edit tool and use the Reshape Edge tool to update simultaneously all the features that share the common boundary.

The Shared Features window lists which features are part of the selected edge. By default, all shared features are updated when an edge is modified; I can exclude features from edits by unchecking the boxes next to the feature. Once I reshape the edge, the features are still coincident.

If I attempt to perform this edit with the Reshape Feature tool on the Editor toolbar, only one feature is updated at a time and gaps and overlaps will form among my features. With Reshape Edge, they are all modified together. Be sure to use the topology editing tools when making edits to features that share edges.

For the slides from this User Conference session click here.

Content provided by Rhonda from the Editing Team