Updating using the Append new features to the active diagram option

The Append new features to the active diagram option works on network features that remain highlighted in one of the map document's data frames after a tracing or selection operation on the network. It allows you to append those network features in the active diagram with a partial or complete synchronization of the diagram content to the associated network features.

NoteNote:

If no network features are currently selected in the map document and no geometric network tracing operation has been performed, or when the active diagram is entirely built from custom queries, the Append new features to the active diagram option is unavailable.

After checking this option, you need to specify the two following settings:

  1. Which input network data you want to be appended to your schematic diagram.

    You can append two types of input to a diagram:

    • A set of network features currently selected in a data frame
    • The result of a geometric network tracing operation in memory

  2. How you want to synchronize the diagram content.

    There are two different modes of synchronization:

    • A full synchronization—synchronize the whole diagram content to the current state of all the associated GIS network features in the geodatabase.
    • A partial synchronization—synchronize the diagram's part where the features are appended only.
    LegacyLegacy:

    Prior to ArcGIS Schematics 10.1, when appending new features in a diagram, the whole diagram content was always fully synchronized to the geodatabase. A full synchronization ensures that the entire diagram content is in complete coherence with all the associated GIS features, but it is time-consuming, in particular on diagrams containing a very large number of features. Also, it may be unnecessary when the network features associated with the schematic features in the diagram didn't change and you simply want to append new features in your diagram. In ArcGIS Schematics 10.1, the full synchronization is no longer automatic when appending new features in a diagram; by default, the Full Diagram Synchronization option is unchecked so only a partial synchronization of the diagram content is processed.

    CautionCaution:

    The first time new features are appending to a pre-10.1 diagram, but this diagram has never been updated within 10.1, there is no way to configure the append to process a partial synchronization. In this case, the Full Diagram Synchronization check box is checked and can't be changed. The Full Diagram Synchronization option can only be configured on diagrams generated with ArcGIS Schematics 10.1, or updated once with ArcGIS Schematics 10.1.

In all cases, the update process is performed as follows:

  1. The schematic features contained in the diagram that don't come from custom queries are loaded in memory.
  2. The current set of network features highlighted in the map is analyzed, and depending on the Full Diagram Synchronization option chosen, the builder operates as follows:
    • When the Full Diagram Synchronization option is checked:
      • Any schematic feature initially contained in the diagram that is still associated with an existing GIS feature in the geodatabase is updated; its attributes and initial geometry are refreshed, and its current geometry is reinitialized if the diagram was not saved.
      • Any schematic feature initially contained in the diagram that is no longer associated with an existing GIS feature in the geodatabase is removed from memory.
      • New schematic features coming from GIS features highlighted in the map are created in memory. Their attributes are evaluated, and their topology and geometry are initialized.
    • When the Full Diagram Synchronization option is unchecked (default):
      • Only the schematic features initially contained in the diagram associated with input GIS features currently highlighted in the map are updated; their attributes and initial geometry are refreshed, and their current geometry is reinitialized if the diagram was not saved.
      • New schematic features coming from GIS features highlighted in the map are created in memory. Their attributes are evaluated, and their topology and geometry are initialized.
  3. Then, if schematic rules are specified for the related diagram template, they are executed on all the in-memory schematic features.
  4. If the Persist manually removed, reduced or reconnected features check box is checked, the removal, reduction, and reconnecting operations are reexecuted.
  5. If there is a default schematic layout algorithm configured for the diagram template and the diagram has no saved layout, the algorithm is reexecuted, and the geometry for all the in-memory schematic features is updated accordingly.
  6. The schematic features in memory are saved in the schematic feature classes in the schematic dataset.
  7. The active schematic diagram is then refreshed with the new schematic dataset content.

NoteNote:

If the diagram template is configured to mix the schematic features associated with the GIS features highlighted in the map document with schematic features coming from custom queries, there are additional steps during the update process:

  • Schematic feature classes with custom queries configured to be launched during the diagram building—that is, queries with the Query on Generate/Update evaluation mode—are processed just before executing the rules.
  • Schematic feature classes with custom queries configured to be launched at the diagram loading—that is, queries with the Query on Start Editing evaluation mode—are processed just after executing the rules.
In both cases, the update process is performed as follows:
  • All the schematic features stored in the schematic feature classes with custom queries are loaded in memory.
  • The custom query specified on each schematic feature class is executed, and the in-memory schematic features are updated as follows:
    1. The in-memory schematic features that are associated with queried records are updated; their attributes and initial geometry are updated, and their current geometry is reinitialized if the diagram was not saved.
    2. New schematic features associated with new queried records are created in memory. Their attributes are evaluated, and their topology and geometry are initialized.
    3. The schematic features in memory that are no longer associated with returned records are removed from memory.

NoteNote:

If a particular layout was saved for the active diagram before its update, schematic features already contained in the diagram before the update keep their last saved position, while new schematic features introduced in the schematic diagram during the update are positioned this way:

  • At their geographic coordinates if they come from GIS features organized into a geometric network
  • At their initial coordinates if they were built by custom queries and such initial coordinates are configured
  • At the (0,0) location if they were built by custom queries and no initial coordinates are specified

CautionCaution:

When adding new features to a diagram without synchronizing it to the geodatabase, you end up with a diagram that is out-of-date with the geodatabase. Some older schematic features in the rest of the diagram may remain while their associated network features no longer exist in the geodatabase, or their attributes may not be up-to-date with the geodatabase. Moreover, since these kinds of changes have not been reported on all schematic features, this may have an impact on the result of the schematic rules when they are configured in your diagram template.

TipTip:
  • When you are working with diagrams containing a small number of features, work with the Full Diagram Synchronization option checked to append new features in your diagrams. The process time on small diagrams is quite short and this ensures you obtain diagrams whose content is completely in-sync with the geodatabase content.
  • When you are working with diagrams containing a large number of features, and in particular, if you plan to append new features to them several times in a day, work with the Full Diagram Synchronization option unchecked and launch a complete synchronization of your diagrams using the Update Diagram geoprocessing tool during the nightly batch process.

CautionCaution:

For diagrams initially generated from tracing operation results, the tracing operation parameters are stored in the schematic database during the generation process. If tracing operations are never reexecuted when updating diagrams using the Append new features to the active diagram option, the initial tracing operation parameters always persist in the schematic database. It is recommended that diagram generation based on initial tracing results never be done in a haphazard way, and synchronization against the original trace must work. Note that because the initial tracing operation parameters are always kept, a new update of the diagram using the Synchronize against the original selection/trace/query option may cause the appended schematic features to be lost when they are not returned by the tracing result. The following table shows the state of the preserved tracing operation parameters at the end of updates when using the Append new features to the active diagram option with the Current Selection or Current Trace option:

Diagram initially generated from a trace

Diagram initially generated from a GIS feature selection set

Append from Current Selection

The initial trace parameters that persist in the schematic database before updating are kept after updating, but this initial trace is not reexecuted during the update.

No trace parameters are preserved in the schematic database.

Append from Current Trace

The parameters related to the appended trace are not kept in the schematic database. The initial trace parameters persist after updating, but this initial trace is not reexecuted during the update.

The parameters related to the appended trace are not maintained in the schematic database.

Update by appending specifics
3/5/2014