ArcReader Help Page

Instructions for Using, Viewing and Exploring Focus on the Coast Data on Your Computer | Printer-friendly PDF

The first step is to download ArcReader if you don't already have it on your computer. Visit the Option 2: Download Map Package page for instructions to download ArcReader.

On the FILE menu, choose OPEN and navigate to the files you have unzipped. Select the *.pmf file.

CONTENTS

Turning layers on and off
Viewing the legend for each layer
Data view vs. layout view
Properties of data layers
Moving around the map and layout
Data view tools
Layout view tools
Context menu tools

TURNING LAYERS ON AND OFF:

When the PMF file opens, the data layers present are listed on the left side in the Table of Contents. The map is visible on the right side in what is called the Data Frame. Those layers that are visible have a check mark beside them . Those that are not visible have a blank check box . You can turn on and off layers by checking and un-checking the box. The data frame shows all layers that are on and exist in the same geographic space.

VIEWING THE LEGEND FOR EACH LAYER:

In the Table of Contents, click on the plus sign next to a data layer to view the classes or attributes for the data layer.

DATA VIEW VS LAYOUT VIEW:

ArcReader provides two ways to view data. The data view contains the contents of the map and is primarily for browsing geographic data. The Layout View contains map elements that were published in the map file as well as the map itself. The map visible in the layout view is the same map visible in the data view. Click the buttons at the center-bottom of ArcReader to switch between the data view (world is pressed) and layout view (paper is pressed).

PROPERTIES OF DATA LAYERS:

In the Table of Contents, right-click over a data layer and select Properties. The General tab contains information about the scale dependency of the data layer, if any has been set. The Source tab displays information about the coordinate system of the data.

Note: if a data layer has a red exclamation point next to it, the link to the layer's data source has been broken and ArcReader is unable to find the referenced data source. Check the path of the data and be sure the right layer is being referenced.

MOVING AROUND THE MAP AND LAYOUT:

There are two main toolbars for moving around the data in ArcReader. One toolbar applies to the data view while one toolbar applies to the layout view. Both toolbars are available while in the layout view, because navigation is necessary for both the layout and data.

Data View Toolbar:

Layout View Toolbar:

	Zoom In and Zoom Out - Move the mouse pointer over the map display and click once to zoom around a point. Alternatively, click and drag a rectangle defining the area to zoom in or out on.
	Zoom In by 2 and Zoom Out by 2 - Clicking will cause the center of the map to zoom either in by a factor of 2 or out by a factor of 2.
	Pan around the data - Move the mouse pointer over the map display and click and drag the pointer to pan the map.
	Full Extent - Change the view to include the full coverage of all of the data layers.
	Go to last extent or Go to next extent - Enough said.
	Identify - Displays the attributes of any feature clicked in the map. Click here for more information about identify.
	Find - Search for features based on criteria.
	Measure - Measure distance in the units of the map. Click once to put down a point or vertex, click twice to end the measure. The distance is displayed in the lower left of the window.
	Zoom to Specific Scale - Type the desired scale or choose one from the dropdown list.

LAYOUT VIEW TOOLS:

The layout tools below all perform the same tasks as their counterparts above, except they are performed on the layout instead of data view. If the above Data View tools are used while in Layout View, the map (Data Frame) in the layout will be effected, not the layout itself.

	Page Zoom In and Page Zoom Out - Move the mouse pointer over the layout display and click once to zoom around a point. Alternatively, click and drag a rectangle defining the area you want to zoom in or out on.
	Page Pan - Move the mouse pointer over the layout and click and drag the pointer to pan the layout.
	Page Fixed Zoom In and Page Fixed Zoom Out - Clicking will cause the center of the layout to zoom either in by a factor of 2 or out by a factor of 2.
	Zoom to Whole Page - Change the view to include the full extent of the layout.
	Zoom to 100% - Change the view to display the layout at the same size as if it were printed.
	Go Back or Go Next - Go to the previous extent easily.
	Set the Zoom Percent - Type the desired zoom or choose one from the dropdown list.

CONTEXT MENU TOOLS:

Clicking on a layer in the Table of Contents and then right-clicking will open a context menu.

Zoom to Layer Extent - Zooms to the full extent of the layer. Zoom to Make Visible - If a scale factor has been set for the layer (meaning that the layer is only visible at set scales) then it zoom to an extent at which the layer is visible. Find and Identify- The same tools as described above. Properties - Displays the scale range of the layer, if map tips are set and to which field, as well as the geographic extent of the layer and where it is stored on the local computer.

IDENTIFY TOOL:

The identify tool displays all the attributes for a particular feature. In this example, a section of the Connecticut River was clicked. The attributes of that polygon are displayed.

Above, notice that Streams was selected as the "Identify From" layer. Using the drop-down menu, it is possible to change what layer or layers are selected. If "Visible Layers" or "All Layers" are selected, all the layers that have attributes at the location where you click will be displayed.

Not sure what all these data layers are and what they mean? Visit the Coastal Resource Inventory Tutorial.

Home | About NEMO | Commissioner Training | Successes | Tools & Resources
Workshops | Publications | News | National Network | Contact Us | Search | Directions

© University of Connecticut | Disclaimers and Copyright Statements
NEMO is a program of the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR).
Land, Sea and Space Grant collaborating.