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Adding new text to a map
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Last modified January 2, 2008		 E-mail This Topic Printable Version Give Us Feedback

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About adding new text to a map

Text serves a variety of purposes on a map, and ArcMap supports three main types: labels, annotation, and graphic text. ArcMap has several tools for creating new annotation and graphic text on a map. You can enter horizontal text, text that curves, and text that has a callout or leader line. To speed the task of adding descriptive text for features, you can use the Label tool Label tool to click a feature and automatically add text to annotate it. Once you have text on your map, you can use the tools on the Draw toolbar to change its position, appearance, and text string.
This topic focuses on creating and editing map document annotation and graphic text. While you can follow these steps to create and edit geodatabase annotation, there are powerful, easy-to-use editing tools in ArcMap designed specifically for working with geodatabase annotation. If you are working with geodatabase annotation, see An overview of editing annotation for instructions on creating and editing text stored in this format.
When using the tools on the Draw toolbar to add text, unless you specify otherwise, new text will be added to the <Default> annotation group of your data frame. You can change this by setting the Active Annotation Target.
Learn about the Active Annotation Target


Adding labels vs. adding annotation or graphic text

Labels are stored differently from annotation and graphic text. ArcMap labels are placed dynamically and are the easiest way to quickly add descriptive text for many features based on feature attributes. To turn on labels, see Displaying labels.
By contrast, ArcGIS annotation and graphic text are editable and easily support adding individual pieces of text that are not associated with any map features.
Learn more about working with annotation and labels
You can create annotation for a number of features at once by converting from labels.
Learn about converting labels to annotation


Ways to add new text

To add new map document annotation or graphic text to your map, use the New Text tools on the Draw toolbar in ArcMap. These tools let you create new text:



Storage options when adding text

ArcGIS gives you several storage options for text that you need to be aware of when you add new text to your map.
If you are adding text to your map that is associated either with features or geographic spaces on your map (for example oceans or mountain ranges), you should add annotation. Within this category you can add your text as map document annotation or geodatabase annotation.
You should store your text in the map document only if you want to use the text in one particular map and only if you have relatively few pieces of text to add (less than a few hundred). You can use annotation groups to further organize map document annotation. Unless you specify otherwise, new text added with the tools on the Draw toolbar is added as map document annotation in the <Default> annotation group.
Learn more about annotation groups
You should store your text in the geodatabase if you want to use the same text in several maps or if you have more than a few hundred pieces of text to add. To add text to an annotation feature class stored in a geodatabase, use the ArcMap editing tools.
To add text around your map that stays fixed on the map page regardless of whether the map scale or extent changes, you should use graphic text. This text is sometimes referred to as layout text because you can only create it in layout view in ArcMap.
Learn more about annotation storage options:
About annotation
Annotation in the geodatabase
A comparison of annotation groups vs. geodatabase annotation.


How to add new text to a map

Adding text at a point

  1. Click the New Text tool New Text tool on the Draw toolbar.
  2. Click the map display where you want the text and type the text string.
    3. The text will be horizontal.

Tips

  • When you're in data view, text added to the data frame is added to the <Default> annotation group by default. You can change this by setting the Active Annotation Target (available in the Drawing menu) before you add your text.
  • When you're in layout view, ArcMap will, by default, add new text to the layout. For more information, see 'Adding text to the layout'.
  • You can set the default symbol properties for new text by clicking Drawing on the Draw toolbar and clicking Default Symbol Properties.
  • The Select Elements tool Select Elements tool becomes active, by default, after you add new text. To have the New Text New Text tool tool stay active so you can add more text, you need to change a setting using the ArcMap Advanced Settings utility. Find this in your ArcGIS installation directory in the Utilities folder.

Adding text along a curved line

  1. Click the New Splined Text tool New Splined Text tool on the Draw toolbar.
  2. Click the map display where you want to add vertices along which the text should be splined, that is, curved.
  3. Double-click to end the line.
  4. Type the text string.

    5. Add text along a curved line

Tips

  • Click the Edit Vertices button Edit Vertices button on the Draw toolbar to edit the vertices of splined text.
  • When you're in data view, text added to the data frame is added to the <Default> annotation group by default. You can change this by setting the Active Annotation Target (available in the Drawing menu) before you add your text.
  • When you're in layout view, ArcMap will, by default, add new text to the layout. For more information, see 'Adding text to the layout'.
  • You can set the default symbol properties for new text by clicking Drawing on the Draw toolbar and clicking Default Symbol Properties.
  • The Select Elements tool Select Elements tool becomes active, by default, after you add new text. To have the New Text tool New Text tool stay active so you can add more text, you need to change a setting using the ArcMap Advanced Settings utility. Find this in your ArcGIS installation directory in the Utilities folder.

Adding text with a callout box and leader line

  1. Click the Callout button Callout button on the Draw toolbar.
  2. Click a start point for the leader line and drag and release the mouse pointer where you want the callout and text to be placed (in the image below, the start point is the yellow dot).

    3. Add callout text
  3. Type the text string.

Tips

  • You can click and drag the endpoint of the callout to position it correctly.
  • When you're in data view, text added to the data frame is added to the <Default> annotation group by default. You can change this by setting the Active Annotation Target (available in the Drawing menu) before you add your text.
  • When you're in layout view, ArcMap will, by default, add new text to the layout. For more information, see 'Adding text to the layout'.
  • You can set the default symbol properties for new text by clicking Drawing on the Draw toolbar and clicking Default Symbol Properties.
  • The Select Elements tool Select Elements tool becomes active, by default, after you add new text. To have the New Text tool New Text tool stay active so you can add more text, you need to change a setting using the ArcMap Advanced Settings utility. Find this in your ArcGIS installation directory in the Utilities folder.

Adding text that flows within a graphic

  1. Click one of the Paragraph Text tools on the Draw toolbar.
    2. Choose either New Polygon New Polygon Text tool, New Rectangle New Rectangle Text tool, or New Circle New Circle Text tool.
  2. Click and drag to create the graphic shape using your mouse pointer, then double-click to complete the shape.

    3. Before adding text

  3. Double-click the graphic to change the text and modify its display properties.

    4. After adding text

Tips

  • When you're in data view, text added to the data frame is added to the <Default> annotation group by default. You can change this by setting the Active Annotation Target (available in the Drawing menu) before you add your text.
  • When you're in layout view, ArcMap will, by default, add new text to the layout. For more information, see 'Adding text to the layout'.
  • You can set the default symbol properties for new text by clicking Drawing on the Draw toolbar and clicking Default Symbol Properties.
  • The Select Elements tool Select Elements tool becomes active, by default, after you add new text. To have the New Text tool stay active so you can add more text, you need to change a setting using the ArcMap Advanced Settings utility. Find this in your ArcGIS installation directory in the Utilities folder.
  • You can use the Create Text from Graphic Elements tool to create paragraph text from an existing graphic. To use this tool, open the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab, find the Page Layout category, and drag and drop the tool onto any toolbar. Next, select an existing graphic and click the tool button.

Adding text associated with a single feature with the text string derived from a feature attribute

  1. Click the Label Manager button Label Manager button on the Labeling toolbar.
  2. Check the box next to the layer you want to label.
  3. Choose a label class under the layer.
  4. Click the Label Field dropdown arrow and click the attribute field you want to use as a label.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click the Label tool Label tool on the Draw toolbar.
    7. You may have to click the dropdown arrow to choose the Label tool.
  7. Click Place label at position clicked.
    8. If you click Automatically find best placement, ArcMap finds the best location for the label.
  8. Click Choose a style and click the label style you want.
  9. Click the feature you want to label.
    10. ArcMap labels the feature.

Tips

  • If you choose the option Use properties set for the feature layer, then as you click features, the labeling properties of the feature layer you click will be used to create the new text.
  • If features conflict, the topmost feature will be labeled.
  • Labels are added to the <Default> annotation group by default. You can change this by setting the Active Annotation Target (available in the Drawing menu) before you add your text.
  • When you're in layout view, the Label tool will be disabled unless the data frame is focused. To focus the data frame, click the Focus Data Frame button Focus Data Frame on the Layout toolbar or right-click the data frame on the layout and click Focus Data Frame.

Editing a text string

  1. Click the New Text tool New Text tool on the Draw toolbar.
  2. Click the Select Elements button Select Elements to select the existing text you want to edit.
  3. Click the text.
  4. Type a new text string and press Enter.


Changing the font, color, or size of text

  1. Click the Select Elements tool Select Elements tool on the Draw toolbar and click the text elements you want to edit.
  2. Click the appropriate button on the Draw toolbar to modify a particular characteristic of the text.

Tips

  • To change other text display properties, right-click a text element and click Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
    • Learn more about creating text symbols.
  • You can set the default symbol properties for new text by clicking Drawing on the Draw toolbar then clicking Default Symbol Properties.

Adding text to the data frame in layout view

  1. Click the Select Elements tool Select Elements tool on the Draw toolbar.
  2. Double-click anywhere in the data frame to give it focus.
    3. The data frame will be drawn with a special hatch symbol outline.
  3. Use one of the New Text tools on the Draw toolbar to add new text to the data frame.

Tip

Adding text to the layout

  1. Make sure you are in layout view.
  2. If the data frame has focus (this is indicated by a hatched outline around the data frame), remove it by clicking the Select Elements tool Select Elements tool and clicking somewhere on your layout outside the data frame.
  3. Use the New Text tool on the Draw toolbar to add new text to the layout.


Adding text to a geodatabase annotation feature class

  1. See Creating new annotation features.

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