Creating an address locator
Release 9.2 Last modified January 2, 2008	Print all topics in : "Building an address locator"

About creating an address locator

One of the first physical processes in geocoding is the creation and tailoring of an address locator. This process always begins in ArcCatalog. Address locators can be created in any workspace such as a geodatabases or file folder. Right-click a selected workspace, click New, then click Address Locator.



To create or modify any address locator file, you must have write permission to the computer where you create and store the address locators.

How to create an address locator

Creating an address locator in ArcCatalog

1. Open a workspace in ArcCatalog. It can be a file folder or a geodatabase.
   
2. Right-click the workspace, click New, and click Address Locator to display the Create New Address Locator dialog box.
   
3. Click the address locator style you want to use to create the new address locator and click OK.
   
Learn more about commonly used address locator styles

4. Type a name and description for the new address locator in the Name and Description text boxes.
   
5. Click the Browse button on the Primary table tab.
   
6. Navigate to and click the feature class or shapefile that the address locator will use as reference data, then click Add.
   
7. Click the drop-down arrow and click the name of the field that contains the specified address information.
   
The required address elements appear with a bold field name.

8. Click the Alternate Name table tab if your address locator will use an alternate street name table.
   
Otherwise, skip to step 11.

9. Click the Browse button, navigate to and click the table the address locator will use as an alternate street name table, then click Add.
   
10. Click the drop-down arrow and click the name of the column containing the specified alternate street name information. Both primary table and alternate name table require a Join ID field.
    
The required alternate street name attributes have field names in bold type.

11. Click Place Name Alias Table if your address locator will use a place name alias table.
    
Otherwise, skip to step 15.

12. Click the Browse button, navigate to and click the table the address locator will use as a place name alias table, then click Add.
    
13. Click the drop-down arrow and click the name of the column containing the specified place name alias information.
    
The required place name alias attributes have field names in bold type.

14. Click OK.
    
15. Click OK to create the new address locator.
    

Tip

If you plan to share the address locators you create with other users, make sure the Embed geocoding rules in locator option in the Advanced Locator Properties dialog box is checked.

Creating an address locator using ArcToolbox

1. Open the Geocoding toolbox in the ArcToolbox window, and double-click the Create Address Locator tool.
   
The Create Address Locator dialog box opens.

2. Click the Browse button next to the Address Locator Style text box and select the address locator style you want to use in creating the address locator, then click OK.
   
3. Click the Browse button next to the Reference Data text box and navigate to the reference data you want to use in the address locator, then click Add.
   
You can also type the path and table name in the Reference Data text box and click the plus sign next to the Reference Data table to add the data to the reference data list.

4. Repeat the process of adding data to the Reference Data table until all reference material is listed.
   
5. Indicate the role, such as Primary table or Altname Name table, that the reference data plays in the address locator using the drop-down menu in the Role column of the Reference Data table. A list of fields will appear in the Field Map portion of the dialog box. The required fields are prefixed with an asterisk (*).
   
6. Select the field name for each field using the drop-down menu in the Alias Name column.
   
7. Click the Browse button next to the Output Address Locator text box to determine where to store the address locator.
   
8. Specify a name for the address locator and click Save.
   
9. Click OK on the Create Address Locator dialog box.
   
This will initiate the create address locator process.

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