Use on-screen constraints

The on-screen Constraints setting prompts you to provide direction and distance values as you draw line and polygon segments. It also prompts for a rotation angle using the Rotate tool. You can turn on-screen constraints on or off on the status bar at the bottom of the map.

As you move the pointer, on-screen prompts dynamically update to show the current distance or direction from the last vertex until you provide a value. If ground to grid correction is turned on, the icon appears next to the constraint that is actively creating corrected geometry.

When you use on-screen constraints, consider the following:

• To configure on-screen constraints, hover over the button on the status bar.
• To change the units for the values you provide, change the distance and direction unit project settings.

Tip:

On-screen constraints, the reference grid, and snapping are independent drawing aids that are frequently used together to quickly create aligned features at standard intervals.

To use on-screen constraints, complete the following steps:

1. On the status bar at the bottom of the active map, click the Constraints button .
2. On the Home tab, click the Map Notes button.
3. On the drop-down menu, click the Create Map Notes button.
4. In the Create Features pane, click the Line Notes tool or Polygon Notes tool.
5. Click the map to create a vertex and move the pointer.

   The constraint values update to show the current distance and direction from the last vertex to the pointer.

6. Press the Tab key to step through the direction and distance prompts until the constraint value you want to use is active.

   The active constraint is highlighted.

7. Provide the value and press Enter.

   To undo your entry and provide a different value, press Esc.

   Tip:

   If neither the direction constraint nor the distance constraint are set, press Enter, provide a value for the default constraint, and press Enter again to apply the current value. This eliminates the need to press Tab (step 6). Repeat this sequence to provide a value for the other constraint.

   The pointer is constrained to the specified value.

8. To fully constrain the segment, provide a value for the active constraint and press Enter.
9. Click Finish or press F2 to finish the feature.