Configure editing settings

Before you create or modify features in a map, confirm that the layers are editable, the coordinate system assigned to the map is suitable for the edits you're performing, and settings such as snapping and map topology are configured to produce the expected results.

The sections below describe the steps you can perform before using an editing tool to create or modify feature data.

Show the editing panes

Show the editing panes for creating or modifying features required for a specific workflow.

1. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab.
2. In the Features group, click one or more of the editing pane buttons.

   Button	Description
   Create .	Show the Create Features pane containing feature templates and the primary construction tools for creating features.
   Modify .	Show the Modify Features pane containing standard editing tools and specialized tools available with extensions.

3. In the Selection group, click Attributes to show the Attributes pane.

Tip:

To open all panes related to editing with one click, click the View tab, click the Reset Panes drop-down arrow , and choose Reset Panes for Editing.

Add feature data

Add the feature data sources to the current map for the features you are creating or modifying.

1. On the ribbon, click the View tab, and in the Windows group, click Catalog Pane .

   The Catalog pane appears.

2. Expand Databases .
3. Expand the default database or the database containing the data and drag the feature class onto the map.

   A feature layer and feature template are automatically created in the map with default settings for each feature class you add to the map.

   1. If the feature class does not exist, right-click the database, click New, and click Feature Class.

Confirm that the layers can be selected and edited

In the Contents pane, confirm that the layers you are editing are visible and editable.

1. On the ribbon, click the View tab, and in the Windows group, click Contents .
2. In the Contents pane, click one or more of the following tabs to set layers in the active map as visible, selectable, or editable.

   Drawing Order	Check the check box to set a layer as visible.
   List By Editing	Check the check box to set a layer's feature geometry and attributes as editable.
   List By Selection	Check the check box to set a layer's features as selectable by the interactive selection and editing tools.

Tip:

To view the editing status for all layers in a project, click the Edit tab, and in the Manage Edits group, click Status .

Confirm the snap settings

Confirm that the snap agents are configured to help you work efficiently and accurately.

1. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab, and in the Snapping group, click Snapping to turn snapping on or off.
2. To configure the snap agents, click the Snapping drop-down arrow .

Tip:

To temporarily turn snapping off as you work, press and hold the Spacebar.

Review the coordinate system

Review the coordinate system and confirm that it is appropriate for the type of edits you are performing. For best results, specify a coordinate system for the current map that matches the coordinate system of the layer or layers you are editing.

Note:

When you create or modify features, all edits occur in the coordinate system that is assigned to the current map. If the data source is stored in a different coordinate system, the data is synchronously projected on the fly to the map coordinate system.

For most editing operations and most coordinate system transformations, the integrity and accuracy of your edits are maintained. However, certain editing operations may produce unexpected alignment or accuracy errors, depending on the coordinate systems being used.

1. On the ribbon, click the View tab, and in the Windows group, click Contents .
2. In the Contents pane, right-click the map and click Properties.
3. On the Map Properties dialog box, click the Coordinate Systems tab.
4. Click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.

Confirm the map topology settings

Confirm that the topology editing setting for the current map is appropriate for your specific workflow.

1. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab.
2. In the Manage Edits group, click the topology drop-down arrow and choose a topology editing mode.

   Editing mode	Description
   No Topology .	Turn topological editing off. Coincident features with shared edges are not modified unless explicitly edited. This is the default setting.
   Map Topology	Turn topological editing on. Coincident features with shared edges are modified and preserve topological connectedness.
   Geodatabase Topology	Turn topological editing on only for features participating in the selected geodatabase topology rule.