You can choose from a variety of placement positions when using the Maplex Label Engine to place labels for polygon features. Sometimes a label will not fit within a given polygon. When it is important for these polygons to be labeled, you can allow the labels that do not fit within polygons to be placed outside the polygons. When you check the May place label outside polygon boundary check box, these labels are placed outside the polygons rather than rejected. This option is available with the Horizontal in polygon, Straight in polygon, and Curved in polygon placement positions. You can also specify the preferred zones for placing the labels outside the polygons using the External zones parameter. You can control the zone order by ranking the zones on a scale of 1 to 8, where 1 is the first zone to be tried and 8 is the last zone. You can give a zone the value 0 to prohibit labels from being placed in it. The ability to rank the external zones is available with the Horizontal around polygon and Curved around polygon placement positions.
The Try horizontal position first option is available with Straight in polygon or Curved in polygon placement positions. When this option is checked, the Maplex Label Engine tries to place the label horizontally inside the polygon before it attempts to place the label using the selected placement style (straight or curved). If this option is not checked, the Maplex Label Engine places the label using the selected placement style.
The Place label at fixed position within polygon option is available with Horizontal in polygon or Straight in polygon placement positions. When this option is checked, you have access to the Internal zones parameter and can specify the preferred zones for label placement within the feature. You control the order by ranking the zones on a scale of 1 to 9, where 1 is the first zone in which you want the label engine to try to place the label and 9 is the last zone. You can give a zone the value 0 to prohibit labels from being placed in it.
When using the Place label at fixed position within polygon option, the Place label using clipped feature geometry option becomes available. When checked, the label will be placed using the part of the feature that is in the map extent. When unchecked, the full feature will be used when placing labels and some labels may be placed outside of the map extent. The first image shows labels placed with the Place label at fixed position within polygon set to lower right. The second image has the Place label using clipped feature geometry option checked on and the labels now use the clipped feature geometry to determine the label placement.
The Avoid holes in polygons option is available with Horizontal in polygon, Straight in polygon, and Curved in polygon placement positions. It is not available with the Boundary placement style. When this option is unchecked, the Maplex Label Engine ignores the holes in polygons and places the labels on top of them. This option can be used when labeling buildings with courtyards or rivers with islands to place the label on top of the interior features.
The Avoid overlapping labeled polygons as if holes option is available with the Horizontal in polygon, Straight in polygon, and Curved in polygon placement positions. It is only available with the Regular placement style and is automatically selected when using the Land parcel placement style. When this option is checked, the Maplex Label Engine will treat overlapping weighted annotation, dimensions and graphics layers, charts rendered from line and polygon features, and weighted or labeled polygons as if they are holes in the polygon to be labeled and find the best position for the label in the remaining space. If the parameter is unchecked, the overlapping objects and weighted polygon features are treated as barriers and the Maplex Label Engine may place the label close to the edge of the barrier object as it is trying to avoid it, not use it to create an area to be used for labeling. This option can be used when labeling parcels in order to avoid the buildings and place the label using the remaining parcel space. The image on the left shows the parcel labels placed when the buildings and driveways have an interior feature weight applied, making them a barrier to placement. The parcel label places close to its center, just avoiding the building with the feature weight. The image on the right uses the Avoid overlapping labeled polygons as if holes parameter. The labels are placed further from the buildings as they are using the remaining space in the parcel as the building and driveway are being treated as holes.
Note:
The Avoid overlapping labeled polygons as if holes parameter brings the functionality from the Land parcel placement style into the Regular placement style and provides more options for labeling.
The Maplex Label Engine offers the following types of polygon placement positions:
- Horizontal in polygon—Places the label horizontally inside the polygon. See the upper left image below.
- Straight in polygon—Places the label linearly inside the polygon. See the upper right image below.
- Curved in polygon—Places the label curved inside the polygon. See the middle left image below.
- Horizontal around polygon—Places the label horizontally at the best position outside the polygon. An offset distance can be specified for this option. See the middle right image below.
- Curved around polygon—Places the label curved at the best position outside the polygon. An offset distance can be specified for this option. See the lower left image below.
- 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.
- Select the Regular placement style from the Placement drop-down list, and select a placement position from the Position drop-down list.
- Optionally, check the Avoid holes in polygons check box.
This option is only available with the Horizontal in polygon, Straight in polygon, and Curved in polygon placement styles.
- Optionally, check the Avoid overlapping labeled polygons as if holes check box.
This option is only available with the Regular placement style.
- Optionally, check the Try horizontal position first check box.
This option is only available with the Straight in polygon and Curved in polygon placement styles.
- Optionally, check the May place label outside polygon boundary check box.
This option is only available with the Horizontal in polygon, Straight in polygon, and Curved in polygon placement styles.
- Optionally, check the Place label at fixed position within polygon check box.
- Optionally, check the Place label using clipped feature geometry option.
This option is only available with the Horizontal in polygon and Straight in polygon placement styles.