Hello all, I currently quite new to ArcMap/ArcGIS and am still figuring out the details to the program. I have an ArcMap I'm working on. I'm trying to figure out a particular layer (Specifically, habitats for different creatures)with lots of different categories that overlap/cover up each other. I want to have the capability to have only one habitat-type visible at a time, however, these habitat-types are polygons, and when I affect one of them (once I separate all the different categories out) I affect ALL of them. Does anyone know how to only manipulate one portion or field of a layer at a time?
There was a script in back 9.x (can't recall if it was Python or VBS) that would create a new layer for each item symbolized in the selected layer within the map document...I'm still looking for it.
You could do as Richard Fairhurst suggests or you could use the symbology tab then categories to symbolize by type and also use the display tab to set a little transparency so you could see overlapping polygons.
This functionality would automate the process of creating new layers for each category:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=22eaf8fc4ba84adda99220dc2a6c7453
As an addition to what Wes suggests, another idea is to create the symbology for all the types, make multiple copies of this, then remove all the types from each copy but the one you want displayed. Then repeat for each single item you want displayed, so you end up with multiple "layers" of the same data each only showing one item, which gives you flexibility on displaying the data.
Not an elegant approach (Definition Queries are preferred), but workable if all you want to do is easily display data without having to figure out queries.
To do so:
Hit OK when done. Now one can use the checkboxes next to each symbolized layer to turn each layer on and off as desired.
Caveat: This method only works for visual display of the data. It does not limit the data in the table; the data table for each layer still has all the data. So if you want to know how many of a type you have, you will need to take additional steps to determine that.
Chris Donohue, GISP