Graticules

Graticules are a network of lines on a map that delineate the geographic coordinates (degrees of latitude and longitude.) You can add graticules to a map in any projection since all locations have a latitude and longitude.

Modify graticule properties

Once a graticule has been added to a map frame, you can change its appearance by modifying its properties. You can then save it as a style to use again.

To modify a graticule, complete the following steps:

1. Right-click the graticule in the Contents pane and select Properties to open the Element pane.
2. In the Element pane, on the Options tab , optionally set the following:
   • Name—Change the grid name and how it appears in the Contents pane.
   • Visible—Turn the graticule on or off in the layout.
   • Automatically adjust—Automatically change the graticule component intervals based on scale.
   • Maximum scale —Choose the maximum scale at which the graticule is visible. If the map frame is zoomed in beyond this scale, the graticule won't draw on the layout.
   • Minimum scale —Choose the minimum scale at which the graticule is visible. If the map frame is zoomed out beyond this scale, the graticule won't draw on the layout
   • Offset—Specify a custom offset in longitude and latitude for the graticule. This setting applies to the location of the grid's starting point only; it does not change the coordinate values.
   • Neatline—Adjust the line symbol of the border defining the geographic data extent of the map.
   • Define map grid edges—Allow labeling on a per edge basis. You can combine short edges into a single longer edge by setting the Minimum Length control.
   • Preview edges and corners—Show where the defined edges and corners are on the map frame.
   • Use map clip shape—Adjust the grid boundary to match the map clipping instead of the map frame. This is only available if the map is clipped.
3. Optionally, click the Menu button to change the way latitude and longitude coordinates are entered and displayed in the Element pane. The following options are available:
   • Degrees Minutes Seconds
   • Decimal Degrees
   • Degrees Decimal Minutes
4. Optionally, uncheck Show Cardinal Directions to hide the cardinal direction, instead showing a negative sign, if applicable.

Note:

These coordinate options only apply to showing coordinates in the Element pane. To change the way coordinates display on the graticule, update the label component.

Components

Graticules are composed of combinations of the following components:

• Gridlines
• Ticks
• Labels
• Corner labels
• Intersection points
• Interior labels
• Interior ticks

You manage these components on the Components tab of the Element pane.

Note:

Due to the dynamic nature of graticules, there are some limitations on modifying components. If you cannot achieve the necessary graticule configuration by modifying the component properties, consider converting the graticule to graphics and modifying the resulting graphics.

To add a component, click the Add button and select from the list of available components. To remove a component, select it in the list and click Remove . Use the arrow buttons to move selected components up or down in the drawing order.

Select a component in the Components list to modify its properties.

Gridlines

Gridlines are the lines crossing over the map that delineate degrees of latitude and longitude. By default, the gridline intervals are calculated based on scale.

To set these intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Longitude and Latitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the latitude and longitude values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to modify the appearance of the gridlines.

Ticks

Ticks are linear marks at the edges of a graticule. You can use multiple ticks of different styles and intervals to delineate major and minor divisions on your graticule. By default, tick intervals are calculated based on scale.

To set the tick intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Longitude and Latitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the latitude and longitude tick values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to modify the ticks' appearance. Set the position of the ticks relative to the map frame by specifying an Offset value.
5. Check Draw perpendicular to grid edges to draw the ticks perpendicular to the edge of the grid instead of matching the gridline direction.
6. Under the Visible heading, use the cardinal direction check boxes to specify which ticks are shown.

   It is important to remember that the cardinal direction boxes refer to the direction the line is drawn, not how the line is labeled. For example, lines drawn north and south are labeled with east and west values.

7. Alternatively, on the Options tab , check Define map grid edges to control the visibility by the cardinal points for each map frame edge.
   1. On the Components tab , set Edges to Selected.
   2. Select one or more map frame edges and use the cardinal direction check boxes to set the visibility for only those edges.

      

      The first image is a grid with all ticks displayed. In the second image, East is not checked for all edges. In the third image, East is not checked for Edge 1 only.

   3. Check Show edge visibility indicators to identify the edges with numbered buttons.
   4. Select an edge by clicking this button or by choosing the number in the pane.

Labels

Labels are the textual longitude and latitude coordinates at the edges of the graticules. By default, label intervals are calculated based on scale.

To set the intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Longitude and Latitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the latitude and longitude values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to modify the text symbol of the labels. Set the position of the labels relative to the map frame by specifying an Offset value.

   Label text is set using tags in the Format text box. You can use tags alone or in combination to create labels. See Work with grid label tags for information about these tags along with examples.

5. Check Draw parallel to grid edges to draw the labels parallel to the edge of the grid. When this is checked, the labels are rotated automatically, so the Vertical check boxes are unavailable.
6. Check the Vertical check boxes for each cardinal point to draw those labels vertically.
7. Under the Visible heading, use the cardinal direction check boxes to specify which labels are shown.

   It is important to remember that the cardinal direction boxes refer to the direction the line is drawn, not how the line is labeled. For example, lines drawn north and south are labeled with easting and westing values.

8. Alternatively, on the Options tab , check Define map grid edges to control the visibility by cardinal points for each map frame edge.
   1. On the Components tab , set Edges to Selected.
   2. Select one or more map frame edges and use the cardinal direction check boxes to set the visibility for only those edges.

      

      The first image is a grid with all labels displayed. In the second image, East is not checked for all edges. In the third image, East is not checked for Edge 1 only.

   3. Check Show edge visibility indicators to identify the edges with numbered buttons.
   4. Select an edge by clicking this button or by choosing the number in the pane.

Corner labels

Corner labels are the textual longitude and latitude coordinates at the vertices of the map frame. Map frames in the shape of an ellipse, circle, or lasso have one corner label because they have only one vertex. Each corner label represents a point and has two labels: one for the east-west direction and one for the north-south direction.

Note:

If you check Define map grid edges and change the Minimum length value to reduce or increase the number of edges or corners, those changes are reflected in the number of corner labels.

The Longitude and Latitude interval values determine the coordinate in the label. By default, the interval is set to 0,0, meaning that the coordinate of the map frame vertex is shown. Increasing the interval places the labels that distance from the vertex of the map frame. For corner labels with an interval greater than 0,0, if the angle of the gridlines is nonperpendicular or nonparallel to the edge of the map frame, there may be multiple corner labels per vertex.

To set the intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Longitude and Latitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the latitude and longitude values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to change the appearance of the corner label text. Set the position of the corner labels relative to the map frame by specifying an Offset value.

   Corner label text is set using tags in the Format text box. You can use tags alone or in combination to create labels. See Work with grid label tags for descriptions of the tags along with examples.

5. Turn corner labels on or off for each corner of the map frame by using the Corner Visibility controls.
   1. Switch the Corners toggle button to Selected and check Show edge visibility indicators to see the corners.

      Numbered buttons appear on each corner of the map frame on the layout.

   2. Select a corner by clicking one of these buttons or choosing the corresponding number from the list in the pane.
   3. To turn off the corner label for a single corner, switch the Corners toggle button to Selected, select the corner to turn off, and uncheck the North-South and East-West check boxes.

Intersection points

Intersection points are point symbols that show where lines of latitude and lines of longitude intersect. You can use intersection points, without gridlines, to create a grid of points on your map.

By default, the display intervals for intersection points are calculated based on scale.

To set the intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Longitude and Latitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the latitude and longitude values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to change the appearance of the intersection points.

Interior labels

Interior labels are the textual longitude and latitude coordinates within the graticule, usually placed on top of gridlines.

The intervals that the interior labels display are, by default, calculated based on scale.

To set the intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Longitude and Latitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the latitude and longitude values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to change the appearance of the label text.

   Label text is set using tags in the Format text box. You can use tags alone or in combination to create labels. See Work with grid label tags for descriptions of the tags along with examples.

5. Use the X Gap and Y Gap controls to set the amount of space (increase or decrease) between the gridline and the label drawn on top of it.
6. Use the 1/2 , 1/3 , and 1/4 options to position the labels on the graticule.

   Each option has different positioning and displays a different number of labels.

Interior ticks

Interior ticks are linear marks within the grid that show coordinate intervals. You can display them on top of, or in place of, gridlines.

There are two sets of intervals for interior ticks. Grid Interval determines the lines of latitude or longitude where ticks draw. Tick Interval determines the frequency ticks draw along those lines. By default, the intervals are calculated based on scale.

To set the intervals manually, complete the following steps:

1. On the Options tab , uncheck Automatically adjust.
2. On the Components tab , provide interval values for Latitude and Longitude.
3. Check Sync Values to keep the x- and y-values the same when one is modified.
4. Click Symbol to modify the ticks' appearance. Set the position of the ticks relative to the map frame by specifying an Offset value.
5. Check the Show direction from origin check box to display ticks above, below, left of, or right of the gridline, depending on the direction from the grid origin. If unchecked, ticks are drawn across the gridline.

   You can update the grid's origin on the Options tab .