Polyline feature construction tools create linear and curvilinear features. You can create line features comprising multiple segments, single and radial two-point line features, or freehand polyline features. These tools are available in the Create Features pane with feature templates for polyline feature layers.
When you use a polyline construction tool, consider the following:
- Vertices for 3D z-aware features are assigned z-values based on your current elevation settings.
- To resume editing an existing feature, or to add a part to a multipart feature, use the Continue Feature tool
.
Create a polyline feature
The Line tool 
allows you to create multipoint line features. To create vertices at geometric intersections segments or trace existing features, click the
corresponding tool on the construction toolbar.
To create a multisegment or densified polyline feature, complete the following steps:
- 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.
- On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Create
.The Create Features pane appears.
- Click a polyline feature template in the Create Features pane.
To find a feature template containing a specific word or phrase, click the Search box
and enter your search criteria. Search is not case-sensitive. - Click the Line tool .
- To override attribute values or change tool
settings, click the Active Template button
and click the corresponding tab described in the following table:Tab Description Attributes
Attribute values assigned to the features.
Line
Optional tool settings.
To create densified line segments, check the Densify Lines check box.
- Click the map to create the first vertex.
Alternatively, right-click the map, click Absolute X,Y,Z
, and type a coordinate location.Tip:
You can change the tool to the Two-Point Line tool
without losing the current vertex. - Choose a segment construction tool on the construction toolbar.
The line tool is active by default.
Tip:
To modify unfinished geometry as you draw a feature, click the Vertex Editing button
on the construction toolbar to enable vertex editing. - Move the pointer and click the map to create a segment.
To type a value for direction, distance, or elevation, or to apply a geometric constraint, right-click the map and click the corresponding command.
Tip:
To snap the pointer to a computed intersection, use the intersection tools on the construction toolbar.
- Continue to create segments until the shape is fully constructed.
If the fully constructed shape is a part of a multipart feature, right-click, click Finish Part
, and draw the next feature.Note:
A multipart polyline feature contains two or more individual part features that reference the same attributes, for example, a polyline feature representing a stream that goes underground and reemerges somewhere else in the map.
- To finish the feature, click Finish
, or press F2.Alternatively, to create another part for a multipart feature, right-click and click Finish Part
.
Create a two-point line feature
The
Two-Point Line tool creates two-point line features and automatically finishes the feature when you create the second vertex. You can set the tool to create a continuous sequence of two-point lines with each new line starting at the last vertex of the previous line feature.
Note:
If the source feature class is COGO-enabled, the values you type into COGO-aware direction and distance tools are stored with the feature in the Direction and Distance attribute fields, respectively.
To create two-point line features, complete the following steps:
- 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.
- On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Create .
The Create Features pane appears.
- Click a polyline feature template in the Create Features pane.
To find a feature template containing a specific word or phrase, click the Search box
and enter your search criteria. Search is not case-sensitive. - Click the Two-Point Line tool .
- To override attribute values or change tool
settings, click the Active Template button and click the corresponding tab described in the following table:
Tab Description Attributes
Attribute values assigned to the features.
Two-Point Line
Optional tool settings.
To create a continuous sequence of two-point lines with each new line starting at the last vertex of the previous line feature, check the Continue Two-Point Lines check box.
- Click the map to create the first vertex.
Alternatively, right-click the map, click Absolute X,Y,Z
, and type a coordinate location. - Choose a segment construction tool on the construction toolbar.
The line tool is active by default.
Tip:
To modify unfinished geometry as you draw a feature, click the Vertex Editing button
on the construction toolbar to enable vertex editing. - Move the pointer and click the map to create the segment.
Alternatively, right-click, click Absolute X,Y,Z
and type the coordinate location.When distance and direction measurements are fully defined, the feature is automatically finished.
Create radial two-point line features
The Radial tool 
creates multiple two-point line features that radiate from a common location. The first click establishes the location from which all subsequent features radiate.
To create radial two-point line features, complete the following steps:
- 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.
- On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Create .
The Create Features pane appears.
- Click a polyline feature template in the Create Features pane.
To find a feature template containing a specific word or phrase, click the Search box
and enter your search criteria. Search is not case-sensitive. - Click the Radial tool .
- To override attribute values, click the Active Template button
- Click the map to create the first vertex.
Alternatively, right-click the map, click Absolute X,Y,Z
, and type a coordinate location.This vertex defines the common location from which all subsequent two-point line features radiate.
- Continue to click the map to create two-point line features.
Alternatively, right-click the map, click Absolute X,Y,Z
, and type a coordinate location for each endpoint. - Click Finish , or press F2.
Create a freehand polyline feature
The Freehand tool 
creates free-form polyline feature following the movement of the pointer.
To create a freehand polyline feature, complete the following steps:
- Add your data and configure settings for editing.
Confirm that the feature layer you are editing is editable, and the coordinate system assigned to the active map is suitable for the type of edits you're performing.
Snapping is automatically turned off until you finish the feature.
- On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Create .
The Create Features pane appears.
- Click a polygon feature template in the Create Features pane.
To find a feature template containing a specific word or phrase, click the Search box
and enter your search criteria. Search is not case-sensitive. - Click the Freehand tool .
Note:
The construction toolbar is not available with this tool.
- Click the map to create the first vertex.
Alternatively, right-click the map, click Absolute X,Y,Z
, and type a coordinate location. - Move the pointer across the map to create a freehand feature following the movement of the pointer.
- Click the map to finish the feature.
The segments are automatically converted to Bézier curves.