Symbol structure

The appearance and behavior of a symbol are dictated by the component symbol layers and symbol effects it contains. Even the order in which these components are placed in a symbol can affect how it appears. You can add, delete, and reorder the layers in a symbol.

You may be prevented from deleting layers if the deletion will violate the minimum core symbol layers. A point symbol must contain at least one marker symbol layer. A line symbol must contain at least one stroke symbol layer, and a polygon symbol must contain at least one layer of any type. Text symbols have no layer structure, so there is no notion of symbol layers or minimum layer requirements. Text symbols do not have symbol effects.

Changes are made to the symbol structure once you click Apply. To revert changes, click Undo on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Add a symbol layer

To add a symbol layer to a symbol, complete the following steps:

1. In the Format Symbol mode on the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab and click the Structure tab .
2. Under the Layers heading, click Add symbol layer.
3. Choose a layer type: Marker layer, Stroke layer, or Fill layer.

   The new layer is added at the top of the draw stack in the symbol.

4. Click Apply to save the changes to the symbol.

Delete a symbol layer

To delete a symbol layer from a symbol, complete the following steps:

1. In the Format Symbol mode on the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab and click the Structure tab .
2. Under the Layers heading, click the delete button to remove the unwanted symbol layer.
3. Click Apply to save the changes to the symbol.

Reorder symbol layers

To rearrange the draw order of symbol layers in a symbol, complete the following steps:

1. In the Format Symbol mode on the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab and click the Structure tab .
2. Under the Layers heading, click the reorder button of a symbol layer and drag it to a new location in the stack.

   The symbol layer at the lowest position in the pane draws first. The layer at the top of the pane draws last, above the others.

3. Click Apply to save the changes to the symbol.

Duplicate symbol layers

Instead of adding a new symbol layer, you can duplicate an existing symbol layer in a symbol. This can save you time when building complex layers that have similar properties. Follow these steps to duplicate a symbol layer in the same symbol.

1. In the Format Symbol mode of the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab and click Duplicate layer .

   The new layer is placed immediately above the source layer in the stack.

2. Click Apply to save the changes to the symbol.