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Work with a map on a layout

Maps are added to layouts using map frames, which are containers for a map on a layout. Map frames point to any map or scene in the project, or to no map at all.

Some of the ways you work with the map and map properties in a map frame include the following:

  • Activate a map frame to interact with the map directly.

  • Use the Layout tab to create bookmarks and perform limited map navigation.

Activate a map frame

To interact with a map to perform tasks such as manual navigation, interactive feature selection, and editing, you must first activate the map frame containing that map. Activating a map frame hides layout-specific ribbon tabs and tools, and instead shows map-specific ribbon tabs and tools. This allows you to adjust the map extent and to access things specific to a map view. If you are familiar with a tool in a map view, but can't find it in a layout view, you likely need to activate the map frame to make it available.

When a map frame is activated, you can work with the map within the context of the page. The rest of the layout is unavailable until you click Close Activation on the Layout tab. When a map frame is activated, two sets of navigation tools are available, one for the map and another for the layout. By default, the Explore tool for the map is selected when a map frame is activated.

To activate and deactivate a map frame, complete the following steps:

  1. On a layout, select the map frame you want to activate.

  2. On the Layout tab, in the Map group, click Activate .

    The map frame activates. The Map tab and other map tools are now available.

  3. Make any desired changes.

    When working with an activated map frame, keyboard and mouse navigation shortcuts navigate the page or the map, depending on which tool is active. You can also press the 1 key to zoom and pan on the layout instead of the map while the map Explore tool is active.

  4. On the Layout tab, in the Map group, click Close Activation .

    The map frame deactivates. The Layout tab and all layout tools are now available.

Set layer visibility in a map frame

By default, the visibility of layers is linked between maps and map frames. When you turn a layer off in a map, it is also turned off in any map frame that contains that map. Similarly, turning the layer off in a map frame turns it off in the corresponding map also.

To change this behavior, you can override the layer visibility at the map frame level. When the layer visibility is overridden, a change to the visibility of a layer in a map will not impact its visibility in a map frame, and vice versa. Multiple map frames can reference the same map, each showing different layers. Map frames with layer visibility override active show the override layer visibility icon in the Contents Pane.

Important:

Layer visibility overrides apply to state of the visibility checkbox in the Contents Pane only. Other ways to filter or limit visibility of features such as definition queries or symbol class visibility cannot be set per map frame. They apply to all views of the map, including map frames.

To override layer visibility for a map frame complete the following steps:

  1. With the layout view active, select the map frame or map frames you want to apply layer visibility overrides on.

  2. On the Map Frame tab click the Layer Visibility button .

  3. In the Contents Pane, expand both the map frame and map items to see all the layers.

  4. Check on or off any layers to make them visible or hidden in the map frame.

    Note:

    Any new layers added to the map, regardless of visibility, are automatically visible in the map frame. You can then turn them off within the map frame.

Click the Layer Visibility button to turn off layer visibility for map frames. The map frame then syncs with the map to show the same visible layers.

Using the Layout tab

There are limited navigation controls in the Map group on the Layout tab. These allow you to update the selected map frame's extent without activating the map frame.

Control

Description

Full Extent button

Zoom to the full extent of the map.

Zoom to Selection button

Zoom to the extent of all selected features.

Fixed Zoom In button

Zoom in a fixed distance.

Fixed Zoom Out button

Zoom out a fixed distance.

Previous Extent button

Go to the previously displayed extent. This option is only enabled if the map frame has changed extents.

Next Extent button

Go to the next extent. This is only enabled if the Previous Extent option has already been used.

Zoom to Map View gallery

Adjust the map frame extent to match any open map view in the project.

Bookmarks gallery

Navigate to any bookmark in the project. You can also create a bookmark of the current map frame extent.

Additionally, if you right-click the map frame, you can use the Zoom to Last Active Map button to update the map frame's extent to match that of the last map view you interacted with.