Defining the aeronautical scale bar settings (Aeronautical Solution)

Before an aeronautical scale bar has been added to the map layout, the appearance of the scale bar can be modified to ensure it meets a product specification or organizational standard. This includes the color of the scale bar, and the font and color used for the different pieces of text on the element.

The following parameters can be used to customize text and symbol elements on the scale bar:

• Line Symbol—The line that represents the scale bar on the map.
• Bar Height—Determines the height of the bar lines on the map. The associated unit of measure determines how the height is measured.
• Number of Divisions—Total number of large divisions in the scale bar.
• Number of Sub Divisions—Number of smaller divisions within the first large division in the scale bar.
• Sub Divisions (Right)—Manages the location of subdivisions in the scale bar. True adds subdivisions to large division on the rightmost side of the scale bar. False leaves the default of only subdivisions in the division on the leftmost side of the scale bar.
• Bold Mid Sub Division—Indicates whether the center subdivision is displayed in boldface or not. True bolds the center subdivision line if there is an even number of subdivisions on the scale bar. False leaves the default line weight for the center subdivisions.
• Major Division Text—Division number text that appears from zero and increasing to the right within the scale bar.
• Minor Division Text—Division number text that appears to the left of the zero outside the scale bar.
• Placename (Left)—Text that appears for the place-name at the beginning (left) of the scale bar. This determines the text style for the place-name. The actual place-name is specified on the Scale Bar Properties dialog box for each scale bar.
• Placename (Right)—Text that appears for the place-name at the end (right) of the scale bar. This determines the text style for the place-name. The actual place-name is specified on the Scale Bar Properties dialog box for each scale bar.
• Sub Division Scale—Text that appears below the scale bar, indicating the scale increment of the subdivisions.
• Units Text—Text that displays the units of measurement for the scale bar.
• Scale Text—Textual description of the scale of the bar, displayed in the last cell of the scale bar.
• Letter (Left)—The panel letter that appears at the beginning (to the left) of the scale bar. This sets the text style for the letter. The actual letter to be displayed is selected on the Scale Bar Properties dialog box.
• Letter (Right)—The panel letter that appears at the end (to the right) of the scale bar. This sets the text style for the letter. The actual letter to be displayed is selected on the Scale Bar Properties dialog box.

As changes are made to the different parts of the symbol, you can preview them on the Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box. This provides a way for you to see how the scale bar is going to look on the chart layout once all of the changes are implemented.

When you modify the line symbol or a text element on the scale bar, there is a separate dialog box that appears so you can customize the color, size, and other aspects of the symbol's style. There are also preview windows in these dialog boxes so you can preview each change before you preview it on the scale bar itself.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap.
2. On the main menu, click Customize > Production > Production Properties.

   The Production Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click Aeronautical Properties in the list on the left side of the Production Properties dialog box.
4. In the Element Options section, click the cell next to Aeronautical Scale Bar and click the ellipsis button (...) that appears.

   The Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box appears.
5. To modify the line symbol, click the cell next to Line Symbol, click the ellipsis button (...) that appears, and change the color, width, or units for the line.

   The updated line symbol appears in the Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box.

6. To modify the bar height, click the cell next to Bar Height and type a value for the height of the bar line.

   The Bar Height contains the height of the bar lines on the map. The associated unit of measure determines how the height is measured.

7. To modify the units used for the scale bar height, click the cell next to Bar Height Units and click the drop-down arrow to choose a new unit of measure.

   The default unit of measure is inches, but you can also use millimeters, centimeters, or points.

   When the unit of measure is changed, the Bar Height value changes because the units are converted from inches to millimeters, centimeters, or points.

8. To change the number of divisions on the scale bar, click the cell next to Number of Divisions and type a number.

   This is the number of divisions that appear in the scale bar to illustrate relative distances in the chart. The default value is 10.

   Note:

   This property is not updated in the preview on the Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box.

9. To modify the number of smaller subdivisions, click the cell next to Number of Sub Divisions and type a number.

   This is the number of smaller subdivisions within the first large division in the scale bar.

10. To enable the display of subdivisions in the rightmost division of the scale bar, click the cell next to Sub Division (Right), click the drop-down arrow, and choose True.

    The updated preview appears in the Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box.

11. To enable the display of the center subdivision as a bold line, click the cell next to Bold Mid Sub Division, click the drop-down arrow, and choose True.

    The updated line symbol appears in the Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box.

12. To modify the Major Division Text, Minor Division Text, Placename (Left), Placename (Right), Sub Division Scale, Units Text, Scale Text, Letter (Left), or Letter (Right) text symbols, do the following:
    1. Click the cell next to the symbol name and click the ellipsis (...) that appears.

       The Editor dialog box appears.

    2. Modify the symbol properties as needed.

       Properties that can be modified include the font, size, style, offset, angle, alignment, position, and masking.

    3. Click OK.

       The Aeronautical Scale Bar dialog box appears.

13. To revert the aeronautical scale bar to its default values, click the cell next to Reset to Defaults, click the drop-down arrow that appears, and choose True.

    All the symbol settings for the aeronautical scale bar return to the default values. Any symbol changes that have been made are undone.

14. Click OK to save the settings you have modified.

    These settings are applied to the new aeronautical scale bar elements you create in the future, unless the settings are modified again.

    The Production Properties dialog box appears.

15. Click OK.