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Welcome to ArcGIS Desktop Help
Copyright information
GIS Dictionary
What's new in ArcGIS Desktop 9.1
What was new in ArcGIS Desktop 9.0
Getting started

What is ArcGIS Desktop?

ArcGIS geodatabase

ArcGIS geoprocessing

ArcGIS geovisualization

ArcGIS Desktop extensions

GIS data structure types

Data types supported in ArcGIS
Desktop Administration

Administering the ArcGIS License Manager

Checking license availability

Viewing and changing the license manager

Common license manager problems and how to solve them

Setting the software product

Registering ArcView or ArcEditor and extensions

Evaluating an ArcGIS extension
ArcCatalog
Getting started with ArcCatalog
Building the Catalog
Managing the Catalog's contents

The Contents tab

Working in Details view

Changing the columns in Details view

Modifying the default settings for exploring contents

Exploring an item's properties

Organizing your data

Converting data to a different format
Exploring an item's geography
Exploring the values in a table

About tabular data sources

Previewing the values in a table

Changing how tables look

Calculating statistics

Sorting records in a table in ArcCatalog

Finding values in a table

Adding and deleting columns

Creating new data sources from the values in a table
Working with metadata
Searching for items
Working with maps and layers
Working with shapefiles

About shapefiles, dBASE tables, and file types

Creating new shapefiles and dBASE tables

Adding and deleting attributes

Creating and updating indexes

Defining a shapefile's coordinate system
Working with CAD data

About CAD data

Defining a coordinate system for CAD data

Supported AutoCAD entities and MicroStation elements
Working with coverages
Working with rasters in ArcCatalog
ArcMap
Getting started with ArcMap
Creating maps
Managing layers
Symbolizing your data

Drawing all features with a single symbol

Drawing features to show categories

Managing categories

Ways to map quantitative data

Setting a classification

About symbolizing data to represent quantity

Drawing features to show quantities

Drawing features to show multiple attributes

Importing the symbology of another layer

Using the Eye Dropper tool

Drawing TINs as surfaces

Drawing CAD layers

Drawing a layer transparently

Working with reference scales

Working with symbol levels

Working with variable-depth masking
Working with text

An overview of working with text

Adding new text to a map

Working with data frame contents in layout view

Organizing annotation into groups

About labeling

Displaying labels

Prioritizing and positioning labels

Specifying the text of labels

About building label expressions

Using text formatting tags

About annotation

Using feature-linked annotation

A comparison of annotation groups vs. geodatabase annotation

About coverage annotation pseudo items

Displaying geodatabase annotation

Displaying CAD and VPF annotation

About editing CAD and VPF annotation

Displaying coverage and SDE 3 annotation

About editing coverage and SDE 3 annotation

Displaying MapTips
Working with graphics

An overview of working with graphics

Drawing points, lines, and circles

Selecting graphics

Moving, rotating, and ordering graphics

Aligning, distributing, and grouping graphics

Joining graphics
Laying out and printing maps

About laying out and printing maps

About map templates

Starting a map from a template

Saving a map as a template

Setting up the page

Changing the layout

Adding data frames

Customizing data frames

Clipping data frames to a custom shape

Focusing a data frame

Using extent rectangles

Using rulers, guides, and grids

Adding North arrows, scale bars, and other map elements

Working with legend patch shapes

Working with titles

Working with graphic elements, pictures, and neatlines

Adding grids and graticules (reference systems)

Disabling wizards in ArcMap

Aligning and grouping map elements

Printing a map

Printing with the ArcPress printer engine

Exporting a map
Working with styles and symbols

About styles

Finding the styles you need

Creating new symbols and map elements

Modifying symbols and map elements

Saving the current styles

Organizing style contents

Creating line symbols

Creating fill symbols

Creating marker symbols

Creating text symbols

Working with color

Working with color ramps
Working with tables
Looking at data with graphs
Creating reports
Querying maps

About querying maps

Identifying features

Displaying a Web page or document about a feature

Making hyperlinks with relative pathnames

Selecting features interactively

Using Select by Attributes

Using Select by Graphics

About building an SQL expression

SQL reference

Selecting features according to their location

Specifying how selected features highlight

Displaying information about selected features

Exporting features

The Buffer Wizard versus ArcToolbox buffer tools

How the Buffer Wizard works with coordinate systems

Adding the Buffer Wizard to the Tools menu

Using the Buffer Wizard to create buffers around features

Using the Buffer Wizard to buffer from selected graphics

Joining the attributes of features by their location

Using selection layers
Analyzing geometric networks

Geometric networks and ArcMap

Opening a geometric network

Symbolizing network features

Adding network features

Enabling and disabling features

Adding the Utility Network Analyst toolbar

About the Utility Network Analyst toolbar

Flow direction in a network

Displaying flow direction

Setting flow direction

About tracing on networks

Tracing operations
Working with rasters in ArcMap
Working with ArcPad
Working with StreetMap data
GPS Support
Tablet PC
ArcReader
Geoprocessing in the ArcGIS environment
Geoprocessing tool reference
Building a geodatabase
Getting started with building a geodatabase

An overview of building geodatabases

Designing a geodatabase

Copying the schema of a geodatabase

Ways to create a geodatabase

Creating a geodatabase

Accessing an ArcSDE geodatabase

Upgrading a geodatabase
Creating new items in geodatabases
Importing data

An overview of importing data

Importing feature classes

Importing tables

How data converts

Registering SDE layers and tables with the geodatabase

About loading data into existing feature classes and tables

Work flow strategies for loading data

Loading data in ArcMap

Loading data in ArcCatalog

About importing data from another geodatabase

Copying feature datasets, classes, and tables to another geodatabase

Exporting selected features and records to another geodatabase

Sending data to another user

About exporting geodatabase data to an export file

Exporting feature datasets, classes, and tables to an export file

Importing feature datasets, classes, and tables from an export file

Exporting features or records to an export file

Loading features or records from an export file

Updating DBMS statistics
Topology
Subtypes and attribute domains
Defining a relationship class
Geometric networks

What is a geometric network?

Geometric networks and ArcCatalog

An overview of creating geometric networks

Network connectivity rules

Creating a new geometric network

Building a geometric network from existing simple feature classes

Creating new feature classes for your geometric network

Establishing connectivity rules

Managing a geometric network

About Verify Network tools and commands

Identifying network build errors
Managing annotation
Dimensioning
Working with a versioned geodatabase
Disconnected editing
Building geodatabases with CASE tools
Building a raster geodatabase
Editing in ArcMap
Geocoding
Linear referencing
Map projections
Writing geoprocessing scripts
Customizing the user interface
Migrating from ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9
Migrating from ArcInfo Workstation to ArcGIS Desktop
ESRI Data & Maps
Getting started with ESRI Data and Maps
Canada
Europe

Europe Cities

Europe Countries

Europe Ferries

Europe Level 1 Provinces

Europe Level 2 Provinces

Europe Level 3 Provinces

Europe Major Roads

Europe Major Water

Europe NUTS 0 Demographics

Europe NUTS 1 Demographics

Europe NUTS 2 Demographics

Europe NUTS 3 Demographics

Europe Places

Europe Railroads

Europe Railroad Stations

Europe Roads

Europe Urbanized Areas

Europe Water

Germany ZIP Code Areas (one-digit)

Germany ZIP Code Areas (two-digit)

Germany ZIP Code Areas (five-digit)
Mexico
World

World Administrative Units

World Cities

World Continents

World Countries (generalized)

World Countries 1992

World Countries 2005

World CountryWatch Demographics (table)

World Country Memberships of Political Organizations (table)

World Drainage Systems

World Gazetteer

World Lakes

World Latitude and Longitude Grids

World Named Latitudes and Longitudes

World Regions

World Rivers

World Time Zones

World UTM Zones

World Wildlife Fund Marine Ecoregions

World Wildlife Fund Terrestrial Ecoregions
StreetMap USA

About StreetMap USA
Image data

North America Digital Elevation Model

North America Shaded Relief

Global Digital Elevation Model (ETOPO2)

Global Digital Elevation Model (GTOPO30)

Global Imagery 150-meter Resolution

Sample High-Resolution Images

World at Night

World Cloud Free

WOrld Shaded Relief

World Topography and Bathymetry

World with Clouds

World with Ice

WorldSat Color Shaded Relief
United States (census)
United States (hydrography)

United States Drainage Systems

United States Lakes

United States National Atlas Water Feature Areas

United States National Atlas Water Feature Lines

United States Rivers (generalized)

United States Rivers and Streams

United States Water Bodies
United States (landmarks)

United States Geographic Names Information System Buildings

United States Geographic Names Information System Cemeteries

Untied States Geographic Names Information System Churches

United States Geographic Names Information System Golf Locales

United States Geographic Names Information System Hospitals

United States Geographic Names Information System Locales

United States Geographic Names Information System Populated Places

United States Geographic Names Information System Schools

United States Geographic Names Information System Summits

United States Hospitals

United States National Atlas Historic Earthquakes

United States National Atlas Volcanoes

United States Parks

United States TANA/GDT Institutions

United States TANA/GDT Large Area Landmarks

United States TANA/GDT Park Landmarks

United States TANA/GDT Recreation Areas
United States (other)
United States (transportation)
Extensions
Getting more help
Help for developers