Sometimes a group of geographic features is represented by a single multipart polygon feature. For example, in a feature class of the United States, the state of Hawaii could be represented as one polygon with multiple parts. When labeling such features with the Maplex Label Engine, you can choose between labeling each part of the feature with the same label or placing one label for the largest part.
The images below show the islands of Hawaii labeled two different ways. The upper image shows each island in the multipart polygon labeled with the name. In the lower image, only the largest polygon is labeled, as the Label largest feature part option has been used.
- Ensure the Maplex Label Engine is enabled.
- Ensure List By Labeling is the active method of displaying the Contents pane. Click List by Labeling
. - Choose a label class in the Contents pane and click the Labeling tab.
- On the Labeling tab, in the Label Placement group, click Label Placement Properties
. - In the Labeling pane, click Position and click
. - Expand Label largest part.
- Check the Label largest feature part check box.
If you want each part of a multipart polygon feature to have a copy of the feature's label, uncheck this check box.