Generate a network diagram

Generating a network diagram allows you to create a geoschematic or pure schematic view of a set of network elements. The resulting diagram content depends on the way the template you selected is configured. Starting from the same input set of network features or network objects, or from the same input trace locations, you can generate different diagrams, for example, diagrams in which content is more or less simplified, diagrams showing the details of some specific containers while other containers are collapsed, and so on.

You can generate a network diagram using the New and Use Trace Locations commands in the Diagram group on the Utility Network or Trace Network tab on the ribbon, or by running the Create Diagram geoprocessing tool.

The workflow below explains how to generate network diagrams from the commands on the ribbon.

Note:

This workflow only applies to standard diagrams. There is a specific workflow for subnetwork system diagrams.

Learn how to create and maintain subnetwork system diagrams

Requirements and prerequisites

The requirements and prerequisites to generate a diagram are as follows:

• The network topology must be enabled.
• Since this operation is transactional, edits must be saved before it is run.
• There are network features selected in layers in the active map or network objects selected in the object tables referenced in the active map, or there are specified trace locations in the Trace pane.
• There are no dirty areas on the network features selected in the active map.
• There are no dirty areas on the container features that are related to the network objects selected in the object tables referenced in the active map.
• This operation can be run from either a utility network or trace network in a file or mobile geodatabase, a utility network or trace network service, or a database connection to a utility network or trace network in an enterprise geodatabase.

Note:

When consuming a utility network or trace network service, to generate network diagrams for a particular past moment, see Work with historical moments.

Generate the diagram from network features or network objects

To generate a network diagram from network features or network objects, complete the following steps:

1. Start ArcGIS Pro and open a utility network or trace network project.
2. Open any map that already references the network layers and network object tables, or create a map and add the network to it.
3. Review the general network diagram options that are currently set, and depending on the purpose of the diagram you are going to create, consider checking the Open diagrams with all diagram template sublayers option.
4. Select any network features or network objects you are interested in. The following methods are recommended to obtain the network features and network objects:
   • Use the Select tool on the Map tab to select features on the map.
   • Open the network junction and edge object tables and click any object rows you are interested in.
   • Follow the steps detailed in the Select features using attributes workflow.
   • Run the Select features by location workflow steps.
   • Run a connected trace, subnetwork trace, downstream trace, or upstream trace.
5. Ensure the network features or network objects currently selected on the map and in the object tables referenced in that map are only those you expect to be input for the diagram generation.
6. Ensure the network layer in the Contents pane is selected.
7. Click the Utility Network or Trace Network tabs on the ribbon and search for the New command in the Diagram group. Then, depending on the diagram template you want the new diagram to be based on, do one of the following:
   • To create a network diagram based on the default template or on the template that was used to generate the last diagram, click New .
   • To create a network diagram based on a particular template, click the New arrow , and click the template item you want from the list of templates that appears:

     

Diagram generation starts from the network features and network objects currently selected in the map and applies the rule sequence configured on the desired template.

Generate the diagram from trace locations

Note:

Diagram creation from input trace locations starts with ArcGIS Pro 3.5 | ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.

To generate a network diagram from trace locations, complete the following steps:

1. Start ArcGIS Pro and open a utility network or trace network project.
2. Open any map that already references the network layers and network object tables, or create a map and add the network to it.
3. Review the general network diagram options that are currently set, and depending on the purpose of the diagram you are going to create, consider checking the Open diagrams with all diagram template sublayers option.
4. Set the trace locations you want to be processed at diagram creation. The following methods are recommended to specify the trace locations:
   1. On the Utility Network or Trace Network tab, use the Set Starting Points tool to set starting points on network features. As an alternative, in the Trace pane, on the Start tab, use the Add Selected button to add selected features on the map or to add selected objects from attribute tables as starting points.
   2. Use the Set Barriers tool to set barriers on network features in the map. As an alternative, in the Trace pane, on the Barriers tab, use the Add Selected button to add selected features on the map or to add selected objects from attribute tables as barriers.
   3. In the Trace pane, on the Start tab, use the Terminal drop-down list to set the correct terminal as the starting point for a utility network device or junction object with terminals. From the Barriers tab, proceed in the same way to specify a terminal as a barrier.
5. Ensure the trace locations currently specified in the Trace pane are only those you expect to be input for the diagram generation.
6. Ensure the network layer in the Contents pane is selected.
7. Click the Utility Network or Trace Network tabs on the ribbon and search for the Use Trace Locations command in the Diagram group. Then, depending on the diagram template you want the new diagram to be based on, do one of the following:
   • To create a network diagram based on the default template or on the template that was used to generate the last diagram, click Use Trace Locations .
   • To create a network diagram based on a particular template, click the Use Trace Locations arrow in the Diagram group, and click the template item you want from the list of templates that appears:

     

Diagram generation starts from the starting point trace locations currently specified in the Trace pane and applies the rule sequence configured on the desired template.

Diagram generation details

The sections below provide a few more details about these two workflows.

Template list

The template list under the two New and Use Trace Locations arrows are the same. They correspond to the templates related to the network layer currently selected in the Contents pane. Unless you are working with a utility network and they are specified as subnetwork diagram templates for utility network tiers, or unless they have been removed, three templates are provided out of the box: Basic, CollapseContainers, and ExpandContainers.

Note:

• If you haven't specified a template and you click one of the New or Use Trace Locations buttons to generate your first diagram, the Basic template is used by default. The Basic template is used to build new diagrams unless otherwise specified.
• When consuming a utility network service, if a diagram template is used as a subnetwork diagram template for a utility network tier, it is not available in the New and Use Trace Locations drop-down lists. It is available from this drop-down list when working with a file or mobile geodatabase or a database connection to an enterprise geodatabase.

Diagram opening and rules for initial positioning of diagram features

Diagram generation begins once you've clicked the New or Use Trace Locations button, or chosen a template in the template list. Depending on the selected template, the process chains any existing diagram rules and automatic layouts configured for that template. The resulting network diagram opens in a diagram map view and the Network Diagram home tab becomes available.

Without automatic layout specified on the template, the diagram features display according to the following rules:

• Any diagram point junction representing a network point feature displays at the point feature's geographic position.
• Any diagram point junction representing a network polygon feature is placed at the center of the feature boundary envelope.
• Any diagram point junction representing a network junction object is placed at best inside the diagram polygon container representing its spatial container with some or all other contents.
• Any diagram polygon container representing a container point feature displays as a rectangle around its contents where the center is placed at the point feature geographic position.
• Any diagram polygon container representing a container polygon feature displays as a rectangle around its contents where the center is placed at the center of the feature boundary envelope.
• Any diagram polygon container representing a container junction object displays as a rectangle around its contents and is placed at best inside its own diagram polygon container.
• Any diagram edge representing a network edge object displays as a straight line between its from and to diagram junction.
• Any diagram edge representing a network line feature displays with the line feature geometry when the diagram template is configured to keep initial vertices on edges; otherwise, it displays as a straight line between its from and to diagram junction.