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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
Desktop Administration
ArcCatalog
Getting started with ArcCatalog

An overview of ArcCatalog

Starting ArcCatalog

Browsing through the Catalog

What's in the Catalog?

Repositioning the Catalog tree

Stopping ArcCatalog
Building the Catalog
Managing the Catalog's contents
Exploring an item's geography
Exploring the values in a table
Working with metadata
Searching for items

About search results

Finding items using the Search tool

Searching with geographic criteria

Searching with temporal criteria

Searching with keywords

Exploring the results of your search

Modifying the search results
Working with maps and layers
Working with shapefiles
Working with CAD data
Working with coverages
Working with rasters in ArcCatalog

About raster data

Properties of raster datasets

Exploring geodatabase raster catalogs

Tabular raster catalogs

Initial display properties of a raster

Setting the default band for a raster

Defining a raster's coordinate system

Calculating statistics for your raster dataset

Creating raster pyramids

Mosaicking rasters

Raster display performance tuning

Performance tuning for rasters in ArcSDE

Choosing which raster formats will appear in ArcCatalog

Supported raster formats

Technical specifications for raster formats

Pixel depth capacity
ArcMap
Getting started with ArcMap

An overview of ArcMap

Layers, data frames, and the table of contents

Starting ArcMap

Opening a map

Using the table of contents

Looking at a map in data view and layout view

Moving around the map

Working with spatial bookmarks

Opening magnifier and overview windows

Exploring data on a map

Saving a map and exiting ArcMap

Saving to previous versions of ArcGIS

Keyboard shortcuts in ArcMap

Working with the map cache
Creating maps
Managing layers
Symbolizing your data
Working with text
Working with 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
Working with tables

About tables

Opening a layer's attribute table

Adding a table to a layout

Loading existing tabular data onto a map

Displaying tabular data

Controlling a table's appearance

Locating and viewing specific records in a table

Sorting records in a table

Selecting records in a table

Exporting records

Summarizing data in a table

Adding and deleting fields in a table

Editing attributes

Making field calculations

Working with date fields

About joining attribute tables

Joining attribute tables
Looking at data with graphs
Creating reports

About reports

Creating a simple report

Setting the report type and size

Working with fields

Organizing report data

Adding report elements

Controlling the presentation of a report

Saving and loading a report

Using Crystal Reports
Querying maps
Analyzing geometric networks
Working with rasters in ArcMap
Working with ArcPad
Working with StreetMap data
GPS Support
Tablet PC
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
Geoprocessing tool reference
Building a geodatabase
Getting started with building a geodatabase
Creating new items in geodatabases
Importing data
Topology

An overview of topology in the geodatabase

Topologies and ArcCatalog

Topology and feature geometry

About creating a topology

Creating a new topology

Migrating data into a geodatabase to create topologies

Adding new feature classes to your topology

Creating new polygons from lines

Validating a topology

Planning for exceptions

Refining topologies with subtypes

Managing a topology

Modifying a topology

Summarizing topology errors

Topology and versioning

Topology and versioned databases

Dirty areas and versioned topological feature classes

Error features and versioned topological feature classes

Exceptions and versioned topological feature classes

Conflicts and topology features

Topology and disconnected editing
Subtypes and attribute domains
Defining a relationship class
Geometric networks
Managing annotation

Annotation in the geodatabase

Overview of creating annotation

Exploring annotation feature classes in ArcCatalog

Managing annotation feature classes

Creating annotation feature classes

Preparing labels for conversion to annotation

Converting labels to annotation features

Placing unplaced annotation features

Converting labels to map document annotation

Importing coverage or CAD annotation into geodatabase annotation

Importing SDE 3, VPF, or PC ARC/INFO coverage annotation

Converting coverage or SDE 3 annotation to map document annotation

Combining annotation feature classes

Converting geodatabase annotation to coverage annotation
Dimensioning

About dimensioning

Dimensions and ArcCatalog

Dimensions in the geodatabase

Creating dimension feature classes

Creating and managing dimension styles
Working with a versioned geodatabase
Disconnected editing

An overview of disconnected editing

How disconnected editing works

The master geodatabase

The check-out geodatabase

Preparing a check-out

Checking out geometric networks

Checking out topologies

Checking out related data

The check-out process

About checking in data to a master geodatabase

Delta databases and XML files

Checking in geometric networks

Checking in topologies

Checking in related data

The check-in process

Working with version 8.3 and 9 geodatabases

Checking out data from a geodatabase

Checking in data to a geodatabase

Managing check-outs
Building geodatabases with CASE tools
Building a raster 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
Editing existing features
Editing topology

About topology

Topology basics

Topology rules

Topology error fixes

Basic topology tasks

Creating a map topology

Editing features in a topology

Editing shared geometry

Topology validation

Topology errors and exceptions

Correcting topology errors

Finding features with shared topology elements

Clearing selected topology elements

Changing the symbology for topology features

Making new features with topology tools
Editing attributes

Viewing attributes

Adding attributes

Deleting attributes

Modifying attributes

Copying and pasting attributes

Editing with default values and attribute domains

About updating data using SQL
Spatial adjustment

An overview of spatial adjustment

Adding the Spatial Adjustment toolbar

Setting up the spatial adjustment

Working with links

Working with link files and control point files

Previewing and performing the adjustment

Transferring attributes between features
Editing geometric networks

About editing network features

Connecting and disconnecting network features

Editing network features

Repairing network connectivity
Editing relationships and related objects

About editing relationships and related objects

Editing relationships and related objects
Editing annotation
Editing dimension features
Geocoding
Linear referencing
Getting started with linear referencing
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

About geographic coordinate systems

Spheroids and spheres

Datums

North American datums
Projected coordinate systems

About projected coordinate systems

About map projections

Projection types

Planar projections

Conic projections

Cylindrical projections

Other projections

Projection parameters
Geographic transformations

Geographic transformation methods

Equation-based methods

Grid-based methods
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
Customizing the user interface

About customizing the user interface

Basic user interface elements

Saving your customizations

Hiding and showing toolbars

Creating custom toolbars

Changing a toolbar's or menu's contents

Changing a command's appearance

Creating shortcut keys

Setting toolbar options

Creating, editing, and running macros

Creating custom commands with VBA and UIControls

Adding custom commands and toolbars from .dlls

Updating the ArcID module

Locking customization, documents, and templates

Changing VBA security

Sample VBA code

Customize commands available in ArcMap

Customize commands available in ArcCatalog
Migrating from ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9

Comparing ArcView GIS 3 to ArcView 9

ArcView terminology

ArcView GIS extensions at 9

Importing an ArcView GIS 3 project into ArcMap

Importing an ArcView GIS 3 legend into ArcMap

Working with tables in ArcView 9

New features and functionality beyond ArcView GIS 3

ArcView 9 and the geodatabase

ArcView 9 import tools
Migrating from ArcInfo Workstation to ArcGIS Desktop

Getting started migrating from ArcInfo Workstation

Creating your ArcInfo Workstation migration plan

Phase 1: Requirements prior to migration from ArcInfo Workstation

Phase 2: Designing the geodatabase when migrating from ArcInfo Workstation

Phase 3: Migrating ArcInfo Workstation data

Phase 4: Migrating ArcInfo Workstation processes
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