ArcView Shape Editing Extension 1.0 

ArcView Shape Editing Extension 1.0 extends your capabilities for editing graphics and attributes in ArcView 3.x.

Loading of ArcView Shape Editing Extension 1.0 :

Basic menus and tools added in ArcView after the loading of the extension.

1. Menu "Edit Extension" (fig.1)

The functional possibilities of this menu are as follows:

• "Snap Tolerances"– Displays a dialogue box where the general snap tolerances to each theme are defined.
• "Angle units" - Displays a dialogue box for choosing the angle measurements (DEG, GRAD, RADIANS)
• "Snapping to Vertex or EndPoint" – Sets snapping environment to vertices or end points of features from the visible themes. Shortcut – <Shift – F2>.
• " Snapping to Boundary"– Sets snapping environment to the boundaries of features from the visible themes. Shortcut – <Shift – F3>.
• " Snapping to MidPoint"– Sets snapping to midpoints of the boundaries of features from the visible themes. Shortcut – <Shift – F4>.
• "Copy with Attributes" – Copies to buffer the selected elements of the active theme (all elements if none is selected) with their attributes. Shortcut – <Shift – F5>.
• "Cut with Attributes"– Cuts to buffer the selected elements of the editable theme (all elements if none is selected). Shortcut – <Shift – F6>.
• "Paste with Attributes"– Pastes the copied elements in the editable theme and adds the attributes from fields with same names. Shortcut – <Shift – F7>.
• "Convert selected Features to Graphics" – Converts the selected elements of the active layer to graphics.
• "Convert selected Graphics to Features " – Converts selected graphics to features of themes with similar topology or to new themes. Text  graphics is converted to point themes with the following attributes:
• "Text" – The text contents;
• "Size" – The pixel size of the symbols;
• "Angle" – The angle rotation of the text.
• "Create Points by Snap to other Objects" – Adds point elements in the editable theme if there is one or graphic points with the existing snap environment to other themes.
• "Create Points by Distance from three Points " – Adds point elements in the editable theme if there is one or graphic points by the distance to three features (the snap environment is used for determination of the three features).
• "Create Lines by Snap to other Objects " – Adds lines in the editable theme if there is one or graphic lines with the snap environment to other themes.
• "Create Polygons by Snap to other Objects " – Adds polygons in the editable theme or polygon graphics with the snap environment to other themes.
• "New Line/Polygon/First Point" – Completes work with the current element (line, polygon, point) Shortcut – <Ctrl – E>.
• "Move Object" – Moves the selected feature from the editable theme or the selected graphics to user defined point.
• "Offset Boundaries" – Parallel move of the selected boundary of feature from the active/editable theme at the defined distance. The negative value moves the boundary to the left. Canceling the operation gives possibility for choosing a new starting point and new length of boundary (the negative length value draws boundary in the opposite direction)
• "Draw normal to" – Tool for drawing normals to boundaries from line or polygon of the active theme to user defined point. The starting point of the normal is defined by snapping to vertices or to boundaries of other features. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse. The normal is drawn by default to the point of intersection with the user defined boundary. The length of the normal and its direction are changed in a dialogue box (the negative value draws the normal in the opposite direction).
• "Draw normal from" – Tool for drawing normals from selected boundaries.
• "Split Features" – Splits lines or polygons from the editable theme by user defined line. The line is defined by snapping to vertices of other features only.
• "Load Text from Text Point Themes" – Loads text graphics from point text features (see "Convert selected Graphics to Features ").
• "Generate unique ID" – Generates unique ID in the attributes table of the active theme.
• "Copy Attributes from Point to Polygon Theme" – Copies attributes of the selected element from chosen point theme for element containing the selected point.
• "Nodes and Vertexes" – Visualizes nodes and vertices of selected lines or lolygons of the active themes.
• "Close Polygons by selected Line" – Closes polygons of editable theme (of the user defined theme if there is no editable one) by selected line (if an editable polygon theme is set lines from line theme can be selected).
• "Clip Themes" – Clips elements from line, polygon or point themes contained within the chosen polygon theme and saves them in a new theme.
• "Buffer" – Creates buffer around the boundaries of the selected elements of the active theme.

2. Menu "Lines from Table" (fig.2)

2.1 "Setup Point Table" – Sets the table where the coordinates of vertices and nodes are listed. Defines the fields of ID, X-coordinate and Y-coordinate.

2.2 "Create Lines from Point Table" – Calls a dialogue box where the user can fill in the ID of the current node or vertex of line, and draws the line.
 
 
3. Additional buttons and tools (fig. 3):

3.1. Generation of lines by selected point features. – Draws line between selected points from the active theme. The point chain is determined by the sequence of their input in the theme.

3.2. Create Points by Distance from three Points . – Tool menu to add point elements in the editable theme if there is one or graphic points by the distance to three features (the snap environment is used for determination of the three features). First tool uses snap to vertex environment, and second tool uses snap to boundary envoronment. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse.

3.3. Create Points by Snap to other Objects . – Tool menu to add point elements in the editable theme if there is one or graphic points with the existing snap environment to other themes. First tool uses snap to vertex environment, and second tool uses snap to boundary envoronment. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse.

3.4. Create Lines by Snap to other Objects . – Tool menu to add lines in the editable theme if there is one or graphic lines with the snap environment to other themes. First tool uses snap to vertex environment, and second tool uses snap to boundary envoronment. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse.

3.5. Create Polygons by Snap to other Objects " – Tool menu to add polygons in the editable theme or polygon graphics with the snap environment to other themes. First tool uses snap to vertex environment, and second tool uses snap to boundary envoronment. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse.

3.6. Move Object – Tool menu for moving the selected feature from the editable theme or the selected graphics to user defined point. First tool uses snap to vertex environment, and second tool uses snap to boundary envoronment. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse.

3.7. Offset Boundaries – Tool menu for parallel moving of the selected boundary of feature from the active/editable theme at the defined distance. The negative value moves the boundary to the left. Canceling the operation gives possibility for choosing a new starting point and new length of boundary (the negative length value draws boundary in the opposite direction). First tool uses snap to vertex environment, and second tool uses snap to boundary envoronment. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse.

3.8. Draw normal to – Tool for drawing normals to boundaries from line or polygon of the active theme to user defined point. The starting point of the normal is defined by snapping to vertices or to boundaries of other features. The snap tolerance can be defined through including the feature within the circle drawn by dragging the mouse. The normal is drawn by default to the point of intersection with the user defined boundary. The length of the normal and its direction are changed in a dialogue box (the negative value draws the normal in the opposite direction).

3.9. Draw normal from – Tool for drawing normals from selected boundaries.

3.10. Split Features – Splits lines or polygons from the editable theme by user defined line. The line is defined by snapping to vertices of other features only.

3.11. Vertex and node editing for existing features by snapping to other features – Without using the <Ctrl> key the tool acts like the standard "Vertex edit". Using the <Ctrl> key the selected vertex or node snaps to the theme in whose snap tolerance it belongs according to the snap environment.

IMPORTANT NOTE :
With snapping to other object the priority of layers is determined by the sequence of their listing in the table of contents (TOC) of the "VIEW" document.
The snaping functionality does not working properly when the "VIEW" document is projected.
Always complete work into new lines or polygons with double mouse click or with pressing <CTRL - E>.

4. Additional alternatives in the popup menu (fig.4).

4.1 "Snapping to Vertex or EndPoint" – Sets snapping environment to vertices or end points of features from the visible themes. Shortcut – <Shift – F2>.

4.2 " Snapping to Boundary" – Sets snapping environment to the boundaries of features from the visible themes. Shortcut – <Shift – F3>.

4.3 " Snapping to MidPoint" – Sets snapping to midpoints of the boundaries of features from the visible themes. Shortcut – <Shift – F4>.

4.4 "New Line/Polygon/First Point" – Completes work with the current element (line, polygon, point). Shortcut – <Ctrl – E>.

4.5 "Coords of Next Point" – Sets the coordinates of the next point of the created object.

4.6 "Relative Coords of Next Point" – Setting of the relative coordinates of the next point of the created object.

4.7 Polar Coords of Next Point - Setting of the polar coordinates of the next point of the created object.

5.Other possibilities

5.1 "Clean Features/Graphics" – It is in the "Edit" menu of the "View" document – Cleans the graphics of two overlapping polygons by adding additional element resulting from the cross-section of the the two elements. Pressing the <Shift> key assigns the attributes of the background element to the new element. Without pressing the <Shift> key the foreground element attributes are assigned.

5.2. "Information" – It is in the "Table" menu of the "Table" document – Provides information for the fields of the active table.

5.3. "Generate unique ID" – It is in the "Table" menu of the "Table" document – Generates unique ID for the active table.

5.4. "Modify Field" – It is in the "Edit" menu of the "Table" document – changes the type of active field of the active table.