Apply a layout to a network diagram

By default, when there is no automatic layout specified for the template your diagram is based on, the diagram features display at the same position as their associated network features. At any time, if you want to clarify or normalize spacing between features in your network diagrams, you can apply layout algorithms to some or all of the diagram content.

Requirements and prerequisites

The requirements and prerequisites to apply a layout to a network diagram are as follows:

• This operation applies to a network diagram layer that is from either a utility network or trace network in a file geodatabase, or a network diagram service. When working with a utility network or trace network in an enterprise geodatabase, the input network diagram layer must be from a service.
• Since this operation is transactional, edits must be saved before it is run.

Apply a layout to a network diagram

To apply a layout to a network diagram, complete the following steps:

1. Activate the network diagram to which you want to apply a layout. This depends on whether the diagram you are interested in is already open or not:
   • For a stored diagram that is not already open, run the Find Diagrams tool on the Network Diagram tab or on the Data tab under the utility network or trace network tab set to find and open the diagram you want to work with.
   • For a diagram that is already open, click a map view that references the diagram. If the map view is not related to a diagram map or is related to a diagram map that references several network diagrams, click the network diagram layer in the Contents pane.
2. If you want to run the algorithm on a subset of features in the network diagram, use one of the Select Features tools (for example, Select By Rectangle or Select By Polygon) and select the diagram features.
3. If you plan to apply the Smart Tree, Mainline Tree, Radial Tree, or Relative Mainline diagram layout and want this layout algorithm to start from a particular root junction, execute the following steps:
   1. On the Network Diagram tab, click the drop-down arrow under Set Flags in the Layout group, and click Set Root Junction .
   2. Click the junction.

      A green circle overlays the clicked junction when it is correctly set as a root junction.

4. If you plan to apply the Mainline Tree layout and want the main line to end at a particular junction, execute the following steps:
   1. On the Network Diagram tab, click the drop-down arrow under Set Flags in the Layout group, and click Set End Junction, :
   2. Click the junction.

   A blue square overlays the clicked junction when it is correctly set as an end junction.

5. If you want to apply the Rotate Tree layout, you must specify one or more pivot junctions around which the rotation will operate. Moreover, you may want to control the rotation layout and prevent it from executing beyond specific features. To do so, you must specify barriers on the diagram features. Those operations are detailed in the following steps:
   1. On the Network Diagram tab, click the drop-down arrow under Set Flags in the Layout group, and click Set Pivot Junction, .
   2. Click the pivot junction.

      A gray star overlays the clicked junction when it is correctly set as a pivot junction.

   3. On the Network Diagram tab, click the drop-down arrow under Set Flags in the Layout group, and click Set Barrier .
   4. Click the diagram feature on which you want a barrier to be positioned.

      A red cross is placed on the clicked diagram feature when the barrier is correctly set up on that feature.

      Note:

      Barriers can also be set up before executing the Main Ring layout.

6. Click the drop-down arrow on the Diagram Layouts button in the Layout group, and click the layout item you want in the gallery:

   

   The related geoprocessing tool opens in the Geoprocessing pane. It is set to the algorithm's in-house default parameter values. This is true unless the active network diagram is based on a template for which the layout algorithm has been explicitly configured with other default parameter values.

7. Check or modify the layout algorithm tool parameter values.
8. Click Run.

The layout algorithm executes on the expected diagram features. When it completes, the diagram zooms or pans to the updated area (which may be the entire extent).

Run diagram layouts in asynchronous mode on the server

If the diagram to which you are going to apply the layout is very large—for example, diagrams representing more than 25,000 features—you may consider enabling the Run in asynchronous mode on the server option. This option is not considered as a setting of the diagram layout itself but is available for each layout tool under the Advanced Options.

Learn more about the asynchronous mode option

Diagram flags for specific diagram layouts

The diagram flag tools—Set Root Junction, Set End Junction, Set Pivot Junction, and Set Barrier—all work the same way:

• While the tool is active, clicking a particular diagram feature marks that feature to be flagged. A flag symbol appears over the clicked diagram junction or along the clicked diagram edge.
• To reset a particular flag set up on a given feature, click that feature while the flag tool is active—the flag symbol disappears.
• To add a flag on some other features, click those other features individually while the flag tool is active.
• To remove all the features currently flagged as root junctions, end junctions, pivot junctions, or barriers, click the diagram background while the appropriate tool is active—all the flag symbols used to represent the active type of flag disappear in the diagram.

Moreover, when there are diagram features already flagged in the network diagram layer you are working with, you can activate the flag tool you want to make the related flag type symbol appear on all those diagram features.

Note:

Since end junctions are closely tied to root junctions, when activating the Set End Junction tool, you see both the Root Junction and End Junction flags that are already set up in the active diagram layer. For the same reason, when activating either the Set Pivot Junction or Set Barrier tools, you see both the Pivot Junction and Barrier flags that are already set up in the active diagram layer.