Adding point or line features and snapping them to a selected feature

In this procedure, you add a point or line feature to the map and select a feature to which you want the new feature to snap. You also specify a snap tolerance, which is a radial distance around the new feature. The feature you want to snap the newly added feature to must be all or in part within this distance.

1.	If the Map Tools pane is not expanded, in the map viewer, click the Map Tools button.

2.	On the Map Tools pane, click the More Tools button and then click Editing. The Editing window opens.

Figure 359 

Editing window

3.	In Edit Layer, select the layer with point or line features where you want to add a feature.

4.	Select the Snap option.

•	You are prompted to select one or more features to which you want the new feature to be snapped.

5.	In the Select Snap Features section, in the Layer drop-down list, select the layer (feature group) containing features you want to snap new features to.

Figure 360 

Choosing the Select Snap Features tool

6.	On the map, select the features where you want new features to be snapped by drawing a shape over them. Click, hold and drag to draw a rectangle covering the features you want to select.

•	For example, if you want to add new buildings to the map and have them snapped to the closest roads, use the Select Snap Features tool to select those roads.

Figure 361 

Selecting features to which new features will be snapped

Figure 362 

Roads (highlighted in blue) selected as snap features

7.	In the Options section, you can specify the type of snap you want to be performed when you add a feature.

•	In Type, Edge is selected by default, meaning the new feature will be snapped to the closest segment of the feature that is within the tolerance buffer indicated in Tolerance. See explanations for the Type options below.

Table 41 

Snap types described

Option	Description	Example
Edge	The new feature you add is snapped to the closest part of the selected snap feature.	The crosshairs cursor indicates where a new feature, an address point, is about to be added. The selected snap feature, a road, is highlighted in blue. The red square icon o is the point to which the new feature will be snapped. It is the closest point in the selected road.
Vertex	The new feature you add is snapped to the end of the closest segment of the selected snap feature.	The crosshairs cursor indicates where a new feature, an address point, is about to be added. The selected snap feature, a road, is highlighted in blue. The red square icon is the point to which the new feature will be snapped. It is the closest end of a road segment.
Node	The new feature you add is snapped to the closest intersection of two selected snap features.	The crosshairs cursor indicates where a new feature, an address point, is about to be added. The selected snap features, two roads, are highlighted in blue. The red square icon is the point to which the new feature will be snapped. The snap point occurs at the closest intersection of the selected snap features.

8.	In Tolerance, specify a number of units of radial distance that is added as a snapping buffer around the feature you will add to the map.

•	The feature you add to the map is snapped to the closest selected snap feature found all or in part within this tolerance buffer. By default this is a number of pixels. You have the option of selecting Meters as the unit of measure in the drop-down list to the left.

9.	In the Editing window, select the tool applicable for the feature you want to add and have snapped.

•	If creating a line, such as a new road, click the Add Line icon .

•	If creating a point, such as a newly-planted tree, click the Add Point icon .

•	If creating a polyline, such as a road with several turns, click the Polyline icon .

10.	Click the map to place the point or first vertex on the map. A vertex is a change in direction of a line.

11.	To complete lines, double-click the map.

After you have added a new feature, the Attribute Editor window opens.

12.	In the Attribute Editor, if there are any editable text boxes, specify any necessary values as required and click Update.

NOTE:

Whether or not there are editable text boxes is configured by your map administrator. If all the text boxes are read-only, click Update.