General

Opacity

The General tab allows setting of layer opacity, with 100 being most opaque and 0 being transparent. Display scales can be set for the layer using the Zoom Level Display Settings with pre-populated Scale Min: and Scale Max: settings ranging from 1:10,000 to 1:10,000,000.

Layer Extent

The Layer Extent box displays the extent of the layer of interest given in the units of the layer projection. The Identifiable checkbox, when checked, allows the layer to be identified using the Identify Features from Visible Layers tool from the Map Menu Bar.

Labels

The Labels tab is used to set label properties. The field to display labels for is chosen using the Display Field: drop-down menu.  Options are available to modify:

• Font: Font type can be chosen using the Font: drop-down menu and font size is adjusted by clicking in the Size: box and entering a value.
• Border: Width Label border width is controlled using the slider bar. A value of 0 provides no border, with higher values creating wider borders around the label. The border is a strange shape, not a box.
• Text Color: Changes can be made to the label Text Color: the Background Color: and the Border Color: by clicking on each of the relevant color chips to open a pop-up color picker window showing various Theme Colors and Standard Colors.
• Web-Color: Web colors can be chosen from and array of values by clicking on the Web Colors link. A history of colors recently selected for the object can be viewed by clicking on the History link. Hex Color Codes for selected colors are displayed at the bottom of the color picker window.
• Zoom-Level: Label display settings can be set using the Label Zoom Level Display Settings with pre-populated Scale Min: and Scale Max: settings ranging from 1:10,000 to 1:10,000,000.

To apply changes to layer General settings, Symbology, and/or Labels, click Apply. To close the Layer Properties box or not make any changes, click the Cancel button.

Symbology

The Symbology tab allows classification of the items in the layer. Objects can be classified using a Single Symbol, Natural Breaks, Equal Distance, or Unique Values. The type of classification desired is first selected by using the Classify drop-down menu, then further specifying how the layer should be displayed.

Single Symbol

Single Symbol classification results in all of the objects in the layer having the same symbology.

Natural Breaks

Natural Breaks classification is based on data-specific natural groupings that are derived from grouping of similar values, setting group boundaries where differences in data values are relatively large. The number of classes to be used is set by clicking in the # of Classes text box and typing in a value. The field to be used for groupings is selected using the Symbol Field drop-down menu. Value(s) to be used for normalizing the data can be selected with the Normalize By drop-down menu. Label precision is set using the Label Precision drop-down menu. Color ranges or ramps can be set by clicking on the Min Color and Max color chips and selecting the desired colors or series of colors.

Equal Distance

Equal Distance classification divides the range of data values into equal-sized intervals. The number of classes to be used is set by clicking in the # of Classes text box and typing in a value. The field to be used for groupings is selected using the Symbol Field drop-down menu. Value(s) to be used for normalizing the data can be selected with the Normalize By drop-down menu. Label precision is set using the Label Precision drop-down menu. Color ranges or ramps can be set by clicking on the Min Color and Max color chips and selecting the desired colors or series of colors.

Data Values

Data values can be classified as Unique Values, with the ability to symbolize each object separately. The field to be used for symbolizing is selected using the Symbol Field drop-down menu. Value(s) to be used for normalizing the data can be selected with the Normalize By drop-down menu. Label precision is set using the Label Precision drop-down menu. Color ranges or ramps can be set by clicking on the Min Color and Max color chips and selecting the desired colors or series of colors.

Size & Opacity

To open the Symbol Properties window for a layer of any geometry type, click on the symbol. In this this pop-up window, the opacity of the symbol can be adjusted using the slider bar, with 100 being fully opaque and 0 being transparent, or hollow if a border is included. The size of the symbol is adjusted with the Size slider, with larger numbers increasing the symbol size.

Shapes

Point shapes can be changed using the Shape: drop-down menu to select from various pre-populated shapes and symbols, which can be individually select by clicking on the thumbnails or preview images in the shape display box.

Lines

For line geometries, line types can be adjusted using the Line: drop-down menu to choose Dash, Dot, DashDot, or Solid line types. Spacings can be adjusted for some of the lines types, such as Dot, by selecting the desired spacing through clicking on the thumbnails or preview images in the shape display box.

Boarder Style

A Border Style: can be defined with the Border Size slider adjusting the line thickness, increasing thickness as the value increases. Color can be selected for the border by clicking on the color chip and selecting a new color. Border Opacity can also be set using the opacity slider with 100 being fully opaque and 0 being transparent.

Color

Color is adjusted for all geometry types by clicking on the color chip to open a pop-up color picker window showing various Theme Colors and Standard Colors. Web colors can be chosen from an array of values by clicking on the Web Colors link. A history of colors recently selected for the object can be viewed by clicking on the History link. Hex Color Codes for selected colors are displayed at the bottom of the color picker window.

Fill

Polygon fill can be adjusted using the Pattern: drop-down menu, options Solid color, Lines, or Symbols. Line fill can be hatch marks, the size or spacing is controlled by the Size slider bar. Symbol fill size and spacing is also controlled with the Size slider bar.

Symbol properties can also be set for displaying what the objects look like when selected using various selection methods or tools, such as the Select By Attribute/Location tool in the Map Menu Bar. When the desired Symbol Properties are set, click the Update button to update them or the Cancel button to exit the window.