License:
Available with a Basic, Standard, or Advanced license.
The Traverse tool 
supports efficient, single-handed entry using the numeric keypad. You can also use several shortcuts and overrides.
Examples
The following traverse examples show data entry using the numeric keypad with shortcuts and overrides:
Traverse with quadrant bearing and feet
The data is as follows:
- Straight line, N45°59'59'"E, 100.00 feet
- Tangent curve left, radius 50 feet, arc length 60 feet
- Exit curve tangent, straight line, 50 feet
To enter a traverse using quadrant bearing, feet, and with a curve turning left, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:
- 45.5959-1 ENTER 100 ENTER
- ENTER 0 ENTER -50 ENTER 60 ENTER
- ENTER 50 ENTER
Traverse with north azimuth and meters
The data is as follows:
- 89°15'37'", 40.2 meters
- 179°47'46'", 6 meters
- Tangent curve right, radius 8.2 meters, chord length 11.6 meters
- Exit curve tangent, straight line, 32 meters
- 359°45'14'", 14.2 meters, close traverse
To enter a traverse using north azimuth, meters, and a curve turning right, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:
- 89.15.37 ENTER 40.2 ENTER
- 179.47.46 ENTER 6 ENTER
- ENTER 0 ENTER 8.2 ENTER 11.6 ENTER
- ENTER 32 ENTER
- 359.45.14 ENTER 14.2* ENTER
Traverse starting with a nontangent curve (quadrant bearing, feet)
When entering a traverse, the default curve parameters in the traverse grid are tangent bearing and arc length. The following examples show how to override the curve parameters:
- Nontangent curve with chord bearing, radius 50 feet, chord length 25 feet
- Straight line, S80°25'24'"E, 50 feet
- Tangent curve turning right, radius 25 feet, arc length 50 feet
To enter a traverse starting with a nontangent curve turning right, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:
- 41-56-06-1cb (or 41.5606-1cb) ENTER 0 ENTER 25c ENTER
- 80.2524-1 ENTER 50 ENTER
- ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 50 ENTER
Traverse with radial bearing curve and direction shortcuts
The data is as follows:
- Straight line, S80°25'24'"E, 50 feet
- Straight line, 20° clockwise from previous bearing, 45 feet
- Curve with radial bearing, S41°26'06'"E turning right, radius 25, delta (central angle) 45
- Tangent curve turning right, radius 25, delta 45
- Straight line, N25°35'05'"E, 45 feet
- Straight line, 80° counterclockwise from previous bearing, 45 feet
To enter a traverse with direction shortcuts, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:
- 80.2524-2 ENTER 50 ENTER
- +20 ENTER 45 ENTER
- 41.2606-2rb ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 45d ENTER
- ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 45d ENTER
- -80 ENTER 45 ENTER
Additional keypad information
Keep the following in mind when working with the numeric keypad:
- Quadrant bearing is entered by typing a hyphen (-) and the number of the quadrant.
You can also type 45-59-59-1 or 89-15-37, for example.
- The next course of the traverse is automatically populated with the exit tangent bearing of the previous course.
This makes it easier to enter a tangent curve and exit a curve with a tangent straight line.
- A circular curve is entered by typing a zero (0) in the Distance field and pressing Enter.
- A negative radius is used for a curve turning left. Otherwise, the curve turns right.
- An asterisk (*) is used to indicate the final leg of the traverse and to force the traverse to close onto the start location.
- Insert a row by right-clicking an existing row and clicking Insert Before or Insert After.
- Delete a row by right-clicking the row and clicking Delete Row.
- Reorder a row by dragging the row to a different location. The traverse is recomputed based on the new order of the courses.
- Add a closing location by right-clicking a row and clicking Set closing location before this course or Set closing location after this course.
- Move between cells in the traverse grid using the arrow keys or by pressing Esc.
Data entry shortcuts
The Traverse tool uses the following shortcuts and overrides:
Quadrant bearing shortcuts
When entering bearings using the quadrant bearing format, you can use numbers to specify the quadrant instead of typing the required letters. This allows you to work solely with the numeric keypad and speeds up the data entry process.
| Quadrant | Keystroke | Use in grid field | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Northeast quadrant (NE) | -1 | Direction | 45-59-59-1 |
Southeast quadrant (SE) | -2 | Direction | 45-59-59-2 |
Southwest quadrant (SW) | -3 | Direction | 45-59-59-3 |
Northwest quadrant (NW) | -4 | Direction | 45-59-59-4 |
Direction shortcuts
Direction shortcuts can be used after the first traverse leg has been entered. The following direction shortcuts use the direction in the previous traverse leg:
| Keystroke | Use in grid field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
+<angle> | Direction | Add the entered angle (clockwise) to the previous direction to get a direction for the next course. | +20 |
-<angle> | Direction | Subtract the entered angle (counterclockwise) from the previous direction to get a direction for the next course. | -20 |
+ | Direction | Add 90° (clockwise) to the previous direction to get a direction for the next course. | Type + instead of a dimension. |
- | Direction | Subtract 90° (counterclockwise) from the previous direction to get a direction for the next course. | Type - instead of a dimension. |
Closure shortcuts
Close a traverse using the following keystrokes:
| Keystroke | Use in grid field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
* | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | Close a traverse onto its start point or defined closing location. | 45-20-30-1 ENTER 25* |
/ | All fields | Force closure instead of typing a dimension. COGO attributes are not stored. | Type / instead of a dimension. |
** | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | Set a closing location at the end point of the traverse leg. | 45-20-30-1 ENTER 25** |
Tip:
You can also check the Closed check box in the Modify Features pane to close a traverse.
Curve overrides
Curves described on a plat or plan may not conform to a single set of curve parameters, such as radius and arc length. Use the following shortcuts to override curve parameters in the Direction, Radius, Arc Length, Chord Length, and Delta Angle fields:
| Override | Keystroke | Use in grid field | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Tangent bearing curve | tb or TB | Direction | 41-56-06-4tb (using quadrant bearing) |
Radial bearing curve | rb or RB | Direction | 41-56-06rb (using north azimuth and degrees-minutes-seconds) |
Chord bearing curve | cb or CB | Direction | 41-56-06cb (using north azimuth and degrees-minutes-seconds) |
Chord length | c or C | Arc Length and Delta Angle | 25.01c |
Delta (central angle) | d or D | Arc Length and Chord Length | 90-59-59d |
Arc length | a or A | Chord Length and Delta Angle | 25.01a |
Tip:
Type a negative radius for a curve turning left. Otherwise, the curve turns right.Calculator shortcuts
Use operators in the Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length fields to quickly calculate and derive distances.
| Operator | Use in grid field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
+ | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | Add two distances. | Add a ROW width to an existing radius to get the outer radius. Type 30+15 in the Radius field. |
- | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | Subtract two distances. | Subtract a length described on a plan, for example, "..except the northern 52.8 feet". Type 100-52.8 in the Distance field. |
* | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | Multiply a distance. | Enter a road frontage and multiply the value by the number of lots with the same frontage to get the length of the ROW frontage. Type 40*4 in the Distance field. |
/ | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | Divide a distance. | Divide a line to get the proportioned width. Type 122/3 in the Distance field to get a proportioned length of 40.67. |
Distance overrides
Use the following shortcuts to override distances in the Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length fields:
| Override | Keystroke | Use in grid field | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Meters | m or M | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | 25m |
Kilometers | km or KM | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | 25km |
Feet | ft or FT | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | 25ft |
Yards | yd or YD | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | 25yd |
Miles | mi or MI | Distance, Radius, Arc Length, and Chord Length | 25mi |