Esri Mapping Center - Ask a Cartographer

Editing the text string field in annotation feature classes

February 02 2008 | 4 comments
Categories: ArcGIS Methods, Data Modeling

We have taken over a project. And are a little green. We want to change the Annotation Roadnames... We want to keep same position etc... but change the text string. I have changed the text string but the display remains the same. How can we update the display to the new text globally. Thanks!

Mapping Center Answer:

The trick is to update the text string field while in an edit session. When you Apply your edits a set of update events are triggered, synchronizing the annotation with the attributes and vice versa. These events won't be triggered outside of an edit session, i.e., just using the field calculator. This is also presuming that you're using geodatabase annotation feature classes.

Hmm posted by Bill Purcell on Feb 4 2008 12:57PM

Please tell me there is a way to do this with a script or something.. There are 4,000 or so of these.
Thanks

posted by Charlie Frye on Feb 4 2008 1:56PM

Just use the field calculator while you're in an edit session. I just tried selecting a few anno features while in an edit session, and opened the table, then calculated the text string field. I got a complete update immediately.

Hmm posted by Bill Purcell on Feb 7 2008 5:28PM

Okay; The actual display comes from the element field. It is a blob field. I selected a couple went to field calculator put it = [Textfield]. I get an error(pointing to the fact that its too large or string to number)... Prolly because you are trying to put a string in a blob field?
Any ideas?

Editing Annotation posted by Peter Kasianchuk on Feb 8 2008 8:51AM

There are at least two other ways to get this to work: use the Edit Annotation tool for individual elements, or use the Attributes window to make the bulk edits. Also, if you're using the Field Calculator to edit a text field, make sure that you use quotes inside the input window

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