Hey folks,
Trying to wrap my mind around my feature-linked annotation. I'm using feature-linked annotation with a feature class that I'm serving up in a map service. The parent feature class is updated almost daily.
I'll start off with my question/situation:
Very straightforward. I want to label a feature class based on different values from one field. I'd like the labels to be different colors based on the values in that field, and there is complex expression used to label them (the expression draws from other fields in the table, defines some formatting, etc...).
Obviously, the way to do this normally on the 'labels' tab would be to define classes and label each class differently. I use an SQL query to define the value in the field and then a common expression to create the actual label.
The workflow for setting up feature-linked annotation, as I understand, involves creating the annotation feature class, defining annotation classes within that annotation feature class, and then manually selecting features in the parent feature class and linking them to the annotation class(es) in the annotation feature class. So, if I have three different values in my feature class label field (Field A, values 1, 2, 3), I would select all the records with '1' in Field A and link them to class '1' in the annotation feature class directly in ArcMap. Repeat for values 2 and 3 in Field A.
What is the best approach here? Should I set up three classes in my annotation feature class the exact same way as I would set up labels? Or should I set up one class, and use an "If" statement (If Field A = 1.... else If Field A = 2....etc). Considering I have to manually link features in my feature class to their corresponding annotation class, I do not understand how the annotation feature class knows how to label a new feature when it is added. How does it know which annotation class to assign to the new feature? Based on my SQL query in each class?
Trying to wrap my mind around my feature-linked annotation. I'm using feature-linked annotation with a feature class that I'm serving up in a map service. The parent feature class is updated almost daily.
I'll start off with my question/situation:
Very straightforward. I want to label a feature class based on different values from one field. I'd like the labels to be different colors based on the values in that field, and there is complex expression used to label them (the expression draws from other fields in the table, defines some formatting, etc...).
Obviously, the way to do this normally on the 'labels' tab would be to define classes and label each class differently. I use an SQL query to define the value in the field and then a common expression to create the actual label.
The workflow for setting up feature-linked annotation, as I understand, involves creating the annotation feature class, defining annotation classes within that annotation feature class, and then manually selecting features in the parent feature class and linking them to the annotation class(es) in the annotation feature class. So, if I have three different values in my feature class label field (Field A, values 1, 2, 3), I would select all the records with '1' in Field A and link them to class '1' in the annotation feature class directly in ArcMap. Repeat for values 2 and 3 in Field A.
What is the best approach here? Should I set up three classes in my annotation feature class the exact same way as I would set up labels? Or should I set up one class, and use an "If" statement (If Field A = 1.... else If Field A = 2....etc). Considering I have to manually link features in my feature class to their corresponding annotation class, I do not understand how the annotation feature class knows how to label a new feature when it is added. How does it know which annotation class to assign to the new feature? Based on my SQL query in each class?