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Customizing the ArcMap Interface

Learning Objectives

  1. Extending the ArcMap interface by creating custom toolbars and menus to access built-in functionality
  2. Locate, install and use add-ins available through ESRI online Resource Center
  3. Explore and suggest customization techniques for research or work applications

Problem

The problem requires 1) completing an ESRI tutorial and exercise, and customizing ArcMap toolbars and menus from available, but less accessible, tools and 2) customizing the ArcMap interface using an ESRI Add-In tool called the “Easy Calculate 10”, and using it to provide coordinate locations for police districts. This tool replaces the creating of expressions used in the ArcMap Field Calculator. It is an ArcGIS 10 add-in that allows calculating geometry characteristics of features, drawing graphics based on geometries, and simple editing. ArcGIS 10 includes a new Desktop Add-In utility to make installing this tool easy.


Analysis Procedures

The first part of the problem involves creating two toolbars. Customizing toolbars was achieved by either choosing Customize… from the ArcMap Customize menu and then selecting the Commands tab, or through selecting the Toolbar Options button located on every toolbar as a short-cut. Right-clicking on a tool while the Customize window is open allows for changing the display of a button or for grouping buttons. New toolbars were created under the Toolbars tab of the Customize window. Commands and a drop-down menu were added by clicking and dragging to the toolbar. Additionally, context menus can be edited by opening the Context Menus toolbar and selecting the appropriate menus. A random layer in the table of contents was opened so that commands could be added to this context menu by simply clicking and dragging the command. The second part of the problem involves downloading and installing the Add-In tool from the ArcGIS Resource Center: Geoprocessing Model and Script Tool Gallery. Data was provided for this exercise that included a file geodatabase of police districts as a polygon feature layer. To use the Easy Calculate Add-In tool downloaded earlier, two fields labeled “XCenter” and “YCenter” were first added to the districts attribute table. By simply selecting the geometry category, the police district layer, the fields to populate, and the expression labeled polygon_Get_X(orY)_Center within the Add-In tool, the center coordinates for each district were provided without having to use the Field Calculator. The flowchart below illustrates the process.

Results

The screen capture below shows the newly created and customized "Oleander" and "Fast Edits" toolbars from the ArcMap interface. Click on the image to enlarge.

 

 

Application and Reflection

Most employers prefer GIS Analysts who can customize the ArcMap interface to some extent for their applications. A consulting firm with a group of users dedicated to watershed planning or surface water modeling will be working with DEMs, raster files, TIN files, aerial imagery, etc. where the use of Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, TIN editing, and now Image Classification tools will be used frequently.

 

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