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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
ArcCatalog
Getting started with ArcCatalog
Building the Catalog
Managing the Catalog's contents
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

About metadata

Exploring an item's metadata

Changing the default stylesheet

Printing metadata

Creating and updating metadata

Writing documentation

Importing and exporting metadata

Editing metadata

Using the FGDC metadata editor

Using the ISO metadata editor

Managing enclosures

Requirements for publishing metadata to an ArcIMS Metadata Service

Adding information required by the ArcIMS Metadata Service

Publishing metadata to an ArcIMS Metadata Service

Managing published metadata documents

Changing a published document's properties
Searching for items
Working with maps and layers

About maps, layers, and graphs

Opening a map from ArcCatalog

Adding data to maps

Creating a layer

Creating a group layer

Repairing the data sources in a layer

Joining attributes to the layer's data
Working with shapefiles
Working with CAD data

About CAD data

Defining a coordinate system for CAD data

Supported AutoCAD entities and MicroStation elements
Working with coverages

About coverages and INFO tables

Creating a new coverage

Creating a new INFO table

Generating topology

Defining a coverage's coordinate system

Modifying a coverage's tics

Modifying a coverage's extent

Setting a coverage's tolerances

Maintaining attributes

About relationships and relationship classes

Creating a coverage relationship class
Working with rasters in ArcCatalog
ArcMap
ArcReader

An overview of ArcReader

Table of contents, data frames, and layers

Getting help in ArcReader

Starting ArcReader

Opening a map in ArcReader

Controlling the look and feel of ArcReader

Viewing a map in data view and layout view

Using the ArcReader table of contents

Working with data frames and layers

Moving around on the map

Moving around a 3D globe

Using spatial bookmarks

Opening the magnifier window

Exploring data and features on a map

ArcReader messages

Printing from ArcReader

Closing and exiting ArcReader
Geoprocessing in the ArcGIS environment

An overview of geoprocessing
Getting started with geoprocessing
Working with toolboxes
Working with toolsets and tools

An overview of working with toolsets and tools

Managing toolsets

Working with tools

Creating models and adding scripts

Setting parameters

Changing tool properties

Changing the name, label, and description for your tool

Setting a modified stylesheet for a tool

Storing relative path names

Changing the source for a script

Removing parameters for a model and a script

Changing the order of parameters

An overview of adding documentation to tools

Adding documentation to tools

Exporting tool documentation to an HTML file

Tool Help: Referencing a compiled help file

Viewing documentation for tools

Finding tools

Understanding tool licensing

Rules for using geoprocessing tools in an edit session

Rules for working with schema locks
Specifying environment settings
Using the Command Line window

An overview of the Command Line window

Starting the Command Line window

Working with the command line

About variables

Creating variables

Managing variables
Introducing model building

An overview of model building

What is a model?

What is the ModelBuilder window?

About building models

A model building example

Creating a new model
Using the ModelBuilder window
Geoprocessing tool reference
Building a geodatabase
Editing in ArcMap
Getting started with editing in ArcMap
Creating new features

About creating new features

Creating point features and vertices

Creating lines and polygons

Creating segments using angles and lengths

Creating segments using angles from existing segments

Creating segments that are circular arc curves

Creating segments by tracing features

Using the snapping environment

Creating edit sketch geometry with the Traverse tool

Traverse file format

About setting distance units

Setting direction measuring systems and units
Using a digitizer

About digitizing

An overview of preparing to digitize

Registering the paper map

Digitizing features on a paper map
Creating features from other features

Copying parallel line features

Creating buffers

Mirroring features

Creating and exploding multipart features

Combining features from different layers

Intersecting features
Editing existing features

Splitting lines and polygons

Trimming lines

Extending lines

Flipping lines

Dividing lines with points

Reshaping lines and polygons using a sketch

Adding and deleting vertices

Moving vertices

Changing the properties of a sketch

Scaling features

Clipping features

Stretching a feature's geometry proportionately

Smoothing and generalizing features
Editing topology
Editing attributes
Spatial adjustment
Editing geometric networks
Editing relationships and related objects
Editing annotation
Editing dimension features
Geocoding
Linear referencing
Getting started with linear referencing

An overview of linear referencing

The need for linear referencing

About storing features as relative locations

Segmented data

Routes and measures

Route locations and route events

Linear referencing and topology

Adding the Route Editing toolbar

Accessing the Route Events Geoprocessing wizard

Accessing the Create Routes wizard

Accessing the Calibrate Routes wizard
Creating route data
Displaying and querying routes and events
Editing routes

About editing routes

Using ArcMap to create routes from existing lines

Using ArcMap to calibrate routes with points

About setting route measures

Remeasuring routes
Creating and editing event data
Map projections
Getting started with map projections
Geographic coordinate systems
Projected coordinate systems
Geographic transformations
Supported map projections
Writing geoprocessing scripts
Getting started with writing geoprocessing scripts
Accessing tools within a geoprocessing script
Batch processing with geoprocessing scripts
Messaging and script tools
Data properties and access when scripting
Scripting Object: Properties and methods

IGPDispatch object

Geoprocessor programming model
Properties and Methods

AddError method

AddMessage method

AddReturnMessage method

AddToolbox method

AddWarning method

CheckExtension method

CheckInExtension method

CheckOutExtension method

CheckProduct method

Command method

CopyParameter method

CreateObject method

Describe method

Exists method

GetMessage method

GetMessages method

GetParameter method

GetParameterAsText method

GetReturnCode method

GetSeverity method

GetSystemEnvironment method

InsertCursor method

ListDatasets method

ListEnvironments method

ListFeatureClasses method

ListFields method

ListIndexes method

ListRasters method

ListTables method

ListToolboxes method

ListTools method

ListWorkspaces method

MaxSeverity property

MessageCount property

OverWriteOutput method

ParameterCount property

ParseFieldName method

ParseTableName method

ProductInfo method

QualifyFieldName method

QualifyTableName method

RefreshCatalog method

RemoveToolbox method

SearchCursor method

SetParameter method

SetParameterAsText method

SetProduct method

TemporaryMapLayers property

TestSchemaLock method

Toolbox property

UpdateCursor method

Usage method

ValidateFieldName method

ValidateTableName method
Customizing the user interface
Migrating from ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9
Migrating from ArcInfo Workstation to ArcGIS Desktop
ESRI Data & Maps
Extensions
Getting more help

Using this Help system

Getting help within the applications

Contacting Technical Support

Support for users located outside the United States

Accessing ESRI Software Training

Using the GIS Dictionary
Help for developers