Change the length of a polyline feature

Change Length trims or extends the length of a polyline feature to a specified value. A positive or negative value determines whether the first or last vertex remains fixed. This command is available when you sketch feature geometry or edit polyline vertices and right-click a segment.

When you use this command, consider the following:

• Changing the length of a z-aware feature preserves the angular pitch of its segments and assigns an interpolated z-value to the moved vertex.
• To switch the first and last vertex, right-click a segment or vertex and click Reverse Direction .
• If the selected feature is COGO enabled and the Distance or ArcLength fields contain values, you can choose how COGO attributes are proportioned.

To change the length of a polyline feature, complete the following steps:

1. Add your data and configure settings for editing.

   Confirm that the feature layer you are editing is editable, the coordinate system assigned to the active map is suitable for the type of edits you're performing, and snapping is configured to help you work efficiently and accurately.

2. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Modify .

   The Modify Features pane appears.

3. Click Continue Feature or Edit Vertices .

   To find the tool, expand Reshape, or type Cont or Vertices, respectively, in the Search text box.

4. Click the Change the selection tool in the tool pane and select a polyline feature.

   If you select more than one feature, reselect the feature. Alternatively, click the feature in the pane selection view to flash it in the map, right-click the feature and click Only Select This .

   Note:

   If you are using Edit Vertices and Map Topology is enabled, click the Features tab.

   The Features and Edges tabs are not required to complete this workflow. These tabs are available only when map topology or a geodatabase topology is enabled so that you can switch between editing feature vertices and topological edges and nodes.

   

   The selected feature appears highlighted in the map with vertex handles. By default, project settings symbolize the first vertex green and the last vertex red.

5. Hover the pointer over a segment until the pointer changes to the segment cursor .
6. Right-click the segment and click Change Length .

   The Change Length dialog box appears, showing the total length of the polyline feature. If the selected feature is COGO enabled, the COGO line length is also shown.

7. Type the value in the Change Length dialog box and press Enter.

   The type of edits you can make are described in the following table.

   Type of edit	Description
   Positive values	Set the total length of the feature to the specified value and move the last vertex.
   Negative values greater than the current total length	Set the total length of the feature to the specified value and move the first vertex.
   Negative values less than the current total length	Subtract the specified value from the total length of the feature and move the last vertex.

   1. Check or uncheck the Proportion new line length check box before you press the Enter key if the selected feature is COGO enabled and the Distance or ArcLength fields contain values.

      Note:

      This setting is only available for COGO enabled features.

      

      Uncheck Proportion new line length to use the ground to grid factor instead of proportioning. The specified length is scaled by the current Distance Factor value and applied to the feature geometry described in the following table:

      Tip:

      Confirm that ground to grid correction is on before editing the feature.

      Type of edit	Straight lines	Circular arcs
      Positive values	Direction is preserved. Distance is set to the specified value.	Direction is recalculated. Radius is preserved. ArcLength is updated with specified value.
      Negative values	Direction is copied to the new line. Distance is recalculated. The specified length is subtracted from the current COGO value.	Direction is set to null. Radius is copied to the new arc. ArcLength is set to null.

      Check Proportion new line length to scale the geometry proportionately and perform the calculations to COGO field values described in the following table:

      Type of edit	Straight lines	Circular arcs
      Positive values	Direction is preserved. Distance is set to the specified value.	Direction is recalculated. Radius is preserved. ArcLength is scaled proportionately.
      Negative values	Direction is preserved. Distance is recalculated. The specified length is subtracted from the current COGO value and is scaled by the proportion factor.	Direction is recalculated. Radius is preserved. ArcLength is set to the difference value.

8. To finish your edits, click Finish on the construction toolbar, or press the F2 key.