Editing a schematic diagram

Editing schematic diagrams is done within ArcMap.

The Schematic Editor toolbar regroups all the refining tools/commands and the schematic algorithm layouts that can be used to refine and lay out a schematic diagram. All these functions are disabled until an editing session is started on the active schematic diagram; that is, you need to start an edit session on the active diagram before laying it out.

Editing sessions are managed per schematic diagram; that is, when starting an edit session while a schematic diagram is active, the editing session only starts for the active diagram.

Several schematic diagrams can be edited at the same time, even if editing operations only impact the active schematic diagram.

During an editing session, each editing operation is stored in the undo stack and is undoable until the editing session is stopped.

Several editing sessions can be opened at a time on the same schematic diagram, but only the edits made during the first open session can be saved.

Managing editing sessions on schematic diagrams

All the commands that allow managing of editing sessions on schematic diagrams are available from the Schematic Editor toolbar, under the Schematic Editor menu. The following paragraphs detail these editing commands:

Starting an editing session on a schematic diagram

To start an edit session on a schematic diagram, you must proceed as follows:

1. Choose the diagram with which you want to work from the Active Diagram drop-down list.
2. Click the Schematic Editor drop-down arrow and point to Start Editing Diagram.

   The editing session starts. All the tools and commands available from the Schematic Editor toolbar are automatically enabled and stay enabled until this diagram is the active one. The diagram status is locked until the editing session is stopped.

Note:

An editing session can be opened on any schematic diagram whether it has been generated from a previous version of Schematics or is already being edited by other users. But although any editing operation can be done on the diagrams, it may be impossible to save diagram edits. In that case, a message box displays when the editing session opens to inform you that saving will not be authorized. To learn more about permissions and editions, please read the next section, Permissions and editions on schematic diagrams.

Saving edits made on a schematic diagram

To save edits made on the active schematic diagram, you must proceed as follows:

1. Make sure the active diagram is the one for which you want to save edits.
2. Click the Schematic Editor drop-down menu.
3. Click Save Diagram Edits.

   All the edits made on the active schematic diagram since the edit session was opened or last saved are taken into account and saved in the schematic database. If you have used the Remove Schematic Features command , Reduce Nodes command, or Reconnect Schematic Link tool, the impacts on schematic features are saved in the schematic dataset.

Note:

• The Save Diagram Edits command is disabled when the edits cannot be saved for the active diagram (when the diagram is locked, it has been generated from a previous version of Schematics, user has no write rights on it, and so forth).
• If an automatic layout has been specified as the diagram template, that automatic layout will not be launched anymore for diagrams of this template which have been saved.

Tip:

• The Restore Initial Layout command removes the layout saved for a schematic diagram.
• The Update Diagram command can also be used to restore the schematic links connection and the removed/reduced schematic features.

Stopping editing on schematic diagrams

The steps below explain how to close the editing session on the active schematic diagram:

1. Make sure the active diagram is the one for which you want to stop the editing session.
2. Click the Schematic Editor drop-down menu.
3. Click Stop Editing Diagram.

   If there are any unsaved edits, you are prompted to save or discard edits prior to closing except when no edit can be saved for the active schematic diagram.

Permissions and editions on schematic diagrams

A schematic diagram can be intentionally locked to avoid users changing its layout. It is also automatically locked when an edit session is started on it. When starting an editing session on a schematic diagram that is locked (for example, when it is already being edited by another user), any editing operation can be performed on the diagram, but no edits can be saved.

Learn more about locking/unlocking schematic diagrams

A schematic diagram contained in a geodatabase that is read-only or a schematic diagram for which the user has only read rights can be edited, but no edits can be saved; that is, any editing operation can be performed on the diagram, but the Save Diagram Edits menu is unavailable, preventing the edits from being saved.

Schematic diagrams stored in a pre-10 schematic dataset can be edited, but no edits can be saved. To get full functions to operate on diagrams in a pre-10 schematic dataset, you must migrate this schematic dataset.

Useful keyboard shortcuts when editing schematic diagrams in ArcMap

When editing a schematic diagram, you can use several keyboard shortcuts to work efficiently and perform Schematics editing functions. The following sections list the keyboard shortcuts available for each editing tool and which functions they perform from within that tool.

• Generic keys to execute actions

Note:

These keyboard shortcuts also work when the active schematic diagram is not edited.

Keyboard shortcut	Resulting action
COMMA or ? key	Returns to the previous extent
; key or PERIOD	Advances to the next extent
PLUS SIGN	Fixed zoom in
HYPHEN	Fixed zoom out
INSERT	Full extent
HOME/END/PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN	Pages map left/right/up/down
Arrow keys	Scrolls map left/right/up/down
F3	Puts the keyboard focus on the table of contents so you can navigate and interact with it
F5	Refreshes and redraws the display
F9	Suspends or pauses drawing so you can make changes to your map without having the map redraw after each change
F11	Activates a selected data frame

Generic keys to execute actions on schematic diagrams

• When any Schematics tool is active

Press and hold	To temporarily activate the following mode
Z	Zoom in mode
X	Zoom out mode
C	Pan mode
B and click	Continuous zoom in and out mode
B and right-click	Pan mode

Generic keyboard key to press to temporarily switch to another mode while any Schematics tool is active

• When the Edit/Move Schematic Feature tool is active

Press and hold	To perform the following action
SHIFT	Add newly selected schematic features to the current selection
CTRL	Specify the clicked schematic node as a reference node or the vertex nearest to the clicked location on the schematic link as a reference point
SHIFT+any arrow key	Slowly move the selected schematic features up/down/left/right
CTRL+any arrow key	Move the selected schematic features up/down/left/right

Generic keyboard key to press to temporarily switch to another mode while the Edit/Move Schematic Features tool is active

• When a schematic vertex or segment editing tool is active

Press and hold	When the following schematic tool is active	To perform the following action
ALT	Add Vertex, Move Vertex, or Edit Vertex	Remove the clicked vertex
CTRL	Move Vertex or Edit Vertex	Move the clicked segment
SHIFT	Move Segments	Add the clicked segment to the current selection

Generic keyboard key to press to perform action when vertex editing tools are active

• When the Set Schematic Root or Set Schematic End tools are activate

Press and hold	To perform the following action
SHIFT	Add the clicked schematic node to the set of schematic root or end nodes already specified

Generic keyboard key to press to perform action when the Set Schematic Root or Set Schematic End tool is activated