Enter a traverse

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.

Before entering a traverse, ensure that the distance and direction units have been set correctly for the project. Default entry parameters for curved lines also can be configured and saved for your project.

Configure data entry parameters for curved lines

When entering curves in the traverse grid, the curve direction type can be set to tangent direction, chord direction, or radial direction. For new projects, the default direction type for the traverse grid is set to tangent direction. To change the default curve direction type, click the drop-down arrow next to Direction and choose Chord or Radial.

Tip:

You can override the default curve direction type by using curve overrides—for example, to override tangent direction with the radial direction type rb after entering your curve direction, such as 41-56-06rb.

Default curve parameters can also be set for a project. The default curve parameters for new projects are radius and arclength. To change the default curve parameters, click the drop-down arrow in the Arc Length field and choose Chord Length or Delta Angle.

Curve parameters in the traverse grid can be changed with overrides at any time. See the Curve overrides subsection under the Data entry shortcuts section below.

Shortcuts and overrides

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

In the traverse grid, the default curve parameters are set to Tangent for the Direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field.

To enter a traverse using quadrant bearing, feet, and with a curve turning left, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:

1. 45.5959-1 ENTER 100 ENTER
2. ENTER 0 ENTER -50 ENTER 60 ENTER
3. ENTER 50 ENTER

With the default curve parameters set to Chord for the curve direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field, the same traverse would be entered as follows:

1. 45.5959-1 ENTER 100 ENTER
2. * ENTER 0 ENTER -50 ENTER 60 ENTER (The * indicates the direction should be tangent to the previous direction or tangent to the exit of a curve. In this case, the * indicates that the curve should be tangent, even though the default curve direction is set to Chord.)
3. 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

In the traverse grid, the default curve parameters are set to Tangent for the Direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field.

To enter a traverse using north azimuth, meters, and a curve turning right, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:

1. 89.15.37 ENTER 40.2 ENTER
2. 179.47.46 ENTER 6 ENTER
3. ENTER 0 ENTER 8.2 ENTER 11.6 ENTER
4. ENTER 32 ENTER
5. 359.45.14 ENTER 14.2* ENTER

With the default curve parameters set to Chord for the curve direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field, the same traverse would be entered as follows:

1. 89.15.37 ENTER 40.2 ENTER
2. 179.47.46 ENTER 6 ENTER
3. * ENTER 0 ENTER 8.2 ENTER 11.6 ENTER(The * indicates the direction should be tangent to the previous direction or tangent to the exit of a curve. In this case, the * indicates that the curve should be tangent, even though the default curve direction is set to Chord.)
4. ENTER 32 ENTER
5. 359.45.14 ENTER 14.2* ENTER

Traverse starting with a nontangent curve (quadrant bearing, feet)

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

In the traverse grid, the default curve parameters are set to Tangent for the Direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field.

To enter a traverse starting with a nontangent curve turning right, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:

1. 41-56-06-1cb (or 41.5606-1cb) ENTER 0 ENTER 25c ENTER
2. 80.2524-1 ENTER 50 ENTER
3. ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 50 ENTER

With the default curve parameters set to Chord for the curve direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field, the same traverse would be entered as follows:

1. 41-56-06-1 (or 41.5606-1) ENTER 0 ENTER 25c ENTER
2. 80.2524-1 ENTER 50 ENTER
3. * ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 50 ENTER (The * indicates the direction should be tangent to the previous direction or tangent to the exit of a curve.)

Traverse with radial bearing curve and curve parameter 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

In the traverse grid, the default curve parameters are set to Radial for the Direction field and Arc Length for the curve parameter field.

To enter a traverse with shortcuts, the keystrokes on the numeric keypad are as follows:

1. 80.2524-2 ENTER 50 ENTER
2. +20 ENTER 45 ENTER
3. 41.2606-2 ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 45d ENTER
4. * ENTER 0 ENTER 25 ENTER 45d ENTER
5. 25.3505-2 ENTER 45 ENTER
6. -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 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 more straightforward 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 (*) in the Direction field indicates the direction should be tangent to the previous direction or tangent to the exit of a curve.
• An asterisk (*) in the Distance or Arc Length fields indicates that this is the last leg of the traverse and that the traverse should close.
• 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.

Tangency

A traverse line or curve can be made tangent to the previous line or curve by typing an asterisk (*) in the Direction field and pressing Enter. After Enter is pressed the Direction field is updated to display the tangent direction. An asterisk is placed before the direction value to indicate that it is tangent to the direction of the previous line.

If a direction value in the Direction field is preceded with an asterisk it will remain tangent to the previous direction. This means that if the previous direction value is changed, the direction with the asterisk will be recalculated to be tangent to the updated value.

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 calculation shortcuts

Direction calculation shortcuts can be used after the first traverse leg has been entered. The following direction calculation 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 endpoint 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

Tip:

You can use the distance unit abbreviation to override any distance that is part of the ArcGIS Pro project in the traverse grid.

Learn more about adding and setting units in a project.