Layouts and Legends

Layouts

Layouts provide an interface with which we can compose a print layout, to print to PDF or to a printer.

Legends

Legends provide a visual guide to symbology used in maps, drawings, images, and labels.

Layouts: Text Frames

Text frames in Layouts are frames that contain text.  They are created entirely within the layout and do not take their contents from some other component, the way other frames may show content from maps or drawings.  

Layouts: Layers Pane

Use the Layers pane to manage frames in layouts.  The Layers pane allows us to specify the position of a frame above or below other frames, to turn frames on or off, to delete frames or to specify the opacity of frames.  Using folders in the Layers pane is an essential skill to manage groups of many frames, such as are used in legends.

Layouts: Info Pane

The Info pane works with layouts to enable rapid specification of frame format, sample style, text content, and frame position and size.

Layouts: Create Commands

 Reference guide to commands in the Cursor / Command Mode toolbar button that appears for layouts, including  Create Color Sample, Create Area Sample, Create Line Sample, Create Point Sample, Create Text Sample, and Create Legend

Layouts: Alignment Commands

 Reference guide to commands in the Align toolbar button that appears for layouts, including Align Left, Align Right, Align Top, Align Bottom, Stack Horizontal, Stack Vertical, Same Width, Same Height, Same Format, and Resize to Selected.

Legends

Legends provide a visual guide to symbology used in maps, drawings, images, and labels.

New Legend

The New Legend dialog automatically creates a legend in a layout, creating multiple frames for the legend and grouping them conveniently in folders.  The dialog appears when in a layout we choose Create Legend from the Cursor / command mode button in the main toolbar.

Legends: Tutorial Example

A step by step, illustrated tutorial showing how to create a legend for a map.

Legends: Raster Images

All about creating legends for images (rasters).