You can use the ArcGIS for Excel style tools to customize the appearance of maps.
ArcGIS for Excel includes graphic configuration tools—such as color ramps, line weights, and symbols—that help you configure how the data appears on a map. Use the ArcGIS for Excel style tools to highlight specific data characteristics, show how the data evolves over time, compare and contrast different values, cluster large groups of data for manageability, or combine multiple style tools to create a custom spatial context for your data.
To apply or change the default style applied to the layer, also known as smart mapping, complete the following steps:
- In the Layers pane, click the Symbology tab
. - From the Active layer drop-down menu, choose the layer to modify.
The default style currently applied to the layer is shown in the Symbol types section.
- Optionally, click +Add field to select an attribute from the drop-down menu.
As you add attributes, the default symbol style (smart mapping style) applied to the active layer automatically updates. The type of data you add determines the options available in the Symbol type drop-down menu, and the default style applied. For example, if the layer only contains geographic point coordinates, only Location or Heat map styles are listed. However, if you added categorical or numeric attributes, you will see additional options, such as Types and Size or Color.
Tip:
While you can represent both categorical and numeric attributes using Color, only numeric attributes can be represented by Size. Depending on the type of attribute (numeric or categorical) you add, only compatible attributes remain available when adding additional fields. Once other fields cannot be added, the +Add field button becomes unavailable. See the Symbol types topic for more information about choosing a style.
- Click the Style options tab
to customize the appearance of the applied style.