Create labels
When you add data from IBM Cognos to a map, Esri Maps for IBM Cognos creates a layer and displays the data using a default style. These layers, and certain layers added from ArcGIS, can be configured to use labeling. Labels are short pieces of text that describe features in a layer and help your audience understand what they are looking at.
The text for a label is usually derived from the layer attributes. To display labels for a layer, select one or more attributes you want to show; for example, choose the name or type of feature. When turned on, labels will automatically be placed on the map on or near the features they describe. You can control the text alignment, size, color, style, and visible range to help differentiate labels from different layers.
Esri Maps for IBM Cognos places as many labels on the map as possible without overlapping them. Thus, in areas where features are tightly clustered, some features may not get labeled. As you zoom in to an area, more labels will dynamically appear. Labeling priority follows the layer order in your map from top to bottom. Layers at the top are labeled first and will have the most labels. There is no guarantee that you'll get the labels you want positioned exactly where you want them; for this reason, dynamic labeling is best suited for maps where you don't need precise control and only want to label a few layers.
You can create labels for data from IBM Cognos, features in hosted feature layers, ArcGIS Server feature service layers, and individual layers from ArcGIS Server map service layers.
- In the Contents pane, click the Configure layer button
beside the feature service layer for which you want to create labels. - Click the On/Off selector beside Label to render labels for the features on the map.
Note:
The Label item is unavailable if Clustering or Heat map is turned on. You must first turn off clustering and heat map before you can enable and configure labels.
- Do any of the following to configure the labels:
- Specify text for the label. Click + and choose a field value to use as the label text. You can also type static text instead of or in addition to the field value.
Tip:
You can change how dates and numbers are displayed if the label uses a field value that has date or number as the field type. If your date field includes time data, you can also change how time is displayed. Labels display the same date and number formatting configured in data format settings.
- Make any adjustments to the size, style, and color of the text.
Note:
The underline format is not supported in Internet Explorer in VML mode. To display the underline format in Internet Explorer, install Microsoft Silverlight 5.x on the client computer.
- Check the box to add a halo outline around the text and choose the width and color of the halo.
Note:
The halo effect is not supported in Internet Explorer.
- Choose how to align the label relative to the feature.
- Set the visible range according to the level of detail at which you want labels to appear on the map; otherwise, accept the default settings. The default range is set according to the visible range of the layer.
Note:
Maximum and minimum values cannot be set outside the visible range of the layer.
- Specify text for the label. Click + and choose a field value to use as the label text. You can also type static text instead of or in addition to the field value.
- When you are finished, click OK.
- If you have more than one layer with labels, you can organize the layers to determine how the labels are displayed.
The layer at the top of your map contents is labeled first and contains the most labels. The next layer in the contents is labeled next, and contains fewer layers, and so on.