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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

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

Previewing an item's geographic data

Exploring data in Geography view

Creating thumbnails
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

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
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
Getting started with ArcMap
Creating maps

Basics of making maps

Creating a new map

Adding layers to a map

Adding coverages, shapefiles, and geodatabases to a map

Adding data from the Internet

Adding data from a GIS server

Adding TINs as surfaces

Adding CAD drawings

About coordinate systems and map projections

Specifying a coordinate system

About creating interactive maps

Referencing data in the map

Applying a coordinate transformation to a CAD layer

About displaying layers

About presenting attribute data

About map scale

Map layout

About the map tools

About World files

Adding x,y coordinate data to a map
Managing layers
Symbolizing your data
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
Working with tables
Looking at data with graphs

About looking at data with graphs

Types of graphs

Creating a graph

Displaying a graph

Modifying a graph

Creating a static copy of a graph

Managing graphs

Saving and loading a graph

Exporting a graph
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

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
Working with rasters in ArcMap
Working with ArcPad
Working with StreetMap data
GPS Support
Tablet PC

An overview of Tablet PC

ArcGIS and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

About the Tablet toolbar

Adding the Tablet toolbar

Pen tool

Highlighter tool

Eraser tool

Finish Ink Sketch command

Clear Ink Sketch command

Add Ink to Edit Sketch command

Recognize Ink Graphic command

Reactivate the Selected Ink Graphic command

Find Ink Graphic command

Tablet Options button
ArcReader
Geoprocessing in the ArcGIS environment

An overview of geoprocessing
Getting started with geoprocessing

An overview of geoprocessing in ArcGIS

Introducing geoprocessing methods

Working with data

Results from running tools

Saving and loading geoprocessing settings

Keeping track of geoprocessing operations

Sharing your geoprocessing work
Working with toolboxes
Working with toolsets and tools
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
Using the ModelBuilder window

An overview of the ModelBuilder window

Building a model

Element states

Running a model

Using nonexistent output data

Working with variables

About intermediate data

Working with intermediate data

Controlling the flow of processing

Using the Select Data tool

Working with model elements

Adding text labels

Working with diagram properties

Changing diagram properties

Navigating in the model

Validating a model

Repairing a model

Print setup

Setting up and printing a model

Generating a report

Documenting a process

Importing a model from ArcView GIS 3

Exporting a model
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
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

An overview of subtypes and attribute domains

Browsing the attribute domains of a geodatabase

Creating new attribute domains

Modifying and deleting attribute domains

Associating default values and domains with tables and feature classes

Creating subtypes

Modifying and deleting subtypes
Defining a relationship class

Relationship classes in geodatabases

Relationship classes in ArcCatalog

Relationship classes in ArcMap

Deciding between relationship classes and joins and relates

Creating a simple relationship class

Creating a composite relationship class

Creating an attributed relationship class

Creating relationship rules

Managing relationship classes

Exploring related objects in ArcMap

Using related fields in ArcMap
Geometric networks
Managing annotation
Dimensioning
Working with a versioned geodatabase
Disconnected editing
Building geodatabases with CASE tools

Overview of building geodatabases with CASE tools

Adding the Schema wizard to ArcCatalog

Generating schema from an XMI file

Generating schema from a repository

Updating an existing schema
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

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