Rivers are features that have many curves and tight bends that are not easily labeled without seeming cramped. The Maplex Label Engine River placement style generalizes the turns of a river and places the label following that smoother line. River labeling also allows the label to be placed following more than one bend.
There are two placement positions for river features: Centered curved and Offset curved. For both of these positions, the river label can be spread along the feature and also aligned to its direction. The following image shows the South Fork National Creek labeled using the river placement style and the offset curved position:
- Ensure that the Maplex Label Engine is enabled.
- Ensure that List By Labeling is the active method of displaying the Contents pane. Click the List By Labeling tab
. - Choose a label class in the Contents pane and click the Labeling tab.
- On the Labeling tab, in the Label Placement group, click Label Placement Properties
. - In the Labeling pane, click Position and click the Position tab
. - Expand Placement.
- Choose River placement from the line label placement style drop-down list.
The label position can change when you choose the River placement style. This is because there are two placement positions for river features: Centered curved and Offset curved.
- Optionally, choose a different label placement position for the river features.