Create and Edit Label Styles

Use the Label Style Manager to create, edit, and delete label styles for points, lines, and polygons. When creating a label, you must specify the label style you want to use as a template to format the label. You can also label individual attributes of a feature code in a label style via keyboard commands.

Note: To ensure that the size of dimensions or labels is correct when viewed in the Plan View, verify that the plot scale for the project is set correctly in Project Settings > View > Plan View. The plot scale is the factor used to convert from ground units to sheet units (ground units / plot scale = sheet units). For example, if the default plot scale of 600 is used, an object with a length of 600 m in the Plan View will plot with a length of 1 m on paper. In survey feet, the default plot scale of 50 will plot as 1 foot on paper.

Prerequisites:

Licensed module. See the Subscription Plans page. For a license matrix by command, see the License page in the TBC Community. Also see View and manage licensed features.

To create a new line label style:

Select Label Style Manager in Drafting > Labels and select the Line Styles tab.
Click the New button located beneath the Label Styles list.
A New style entry is displayed in the Line Label Styles list and in the Style name field.
Change the name of the new style in the Style name field.
In the Layer drop-down list, select the layer on which to display any label created using the new style. If necessary, select <<New Layer>> to create a new layer for the labels.
In the Text style drop-down list, select a text style for the label, or select <<New Style>> to create a new text style.
In the Gap field, enter the distance between the labeled line segment and the first label line (a value of 0 places the label directly on top of the line segment).
In the Line spacing field, enter the spacing (a value of 1 through 5) between multiple lines of text in the label (if applicable).
If desired, enter an angle in the Rotation box or pick two points in the Plan View to specify a rotation angle. Positive rotation is clockwise and zero is due east.
To make the label style parallel to a selected line segment, check the Align labels to associated line segment box.
On the Lines tab (for labels on lines) or Arcs tab (for labels on arcs), make changes as necessary:
- Label type – Select a label type, which represents a value displayed on a single line in the label.
  If you select a label type that displays a ground distance, the Define Scale Factor button activates when you click the Add button as described in the next step. You can click the Define Scale Factor button to display the Labeling Scale Factor dialog, which allows you to define a combined scale factor to be used to convert grid distances to ground distances displayed in segment labels. See Define a Labeling Scale Factor for more information.
  - Line Name
  - Line length
  - Line azimuth
  - Line slope
  - Line table tag
  - Line mean azimuth
  - Line ground length
  - Line ellipsoid length
  - User defined attributes - When Feature Code Attributes is selected, the Attributes list appears, allowing you to multi-select attributes to include in the label. Depending on the type of attribute that you select, label settings unique to the attribute type are available.
  If you add a label type that displays an ellipsoid distance, the settings in the Labeling Scale Factor dialog do not apply because this dialog only applies to ground distances.
  Note: Although you can use the process mentioned in the note below to control the inclusion and dispaly of feature code attributes in labels, it is recommended that you instead use the steps described in Include Feature Code Attributes in Labels to show/hide attributes in labels globally or individially.
  Note: You can use the User Defined Attributes label type to specify any feature attributes you want to include in the label style. See Select Feature Attributes for a User Defined Attributes Label Type for instructions.
  Arc
  - Arc Name
  - Arc Length
  - Arc Radius
  - Arc Chord Length
  - Arc Chord Azimuth
  - Arc Delta Angle
  - Arc Tangent Length
  - Arc Slope
  - Arc Table Tag
  - Arc Ground Length
  - Arc Ground Radius
  - Arc Tangent Ground Length
  - Arc Ellipsoid Length
  - Arc Ellipsoid Radius
  - Arc Chord Ellipsoid Length
  - Arc Tangent Ellipsoid Length
- Prefix – Optionally, enter a text string that will precede the label text.
- Display units suffix – Select whether to include a units suffix in the label, or select to use the default setting for displaying unit suffixes specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Precision – Select the decimal precision to use for the label, or select to use the default precision specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Angle display – Select the angle display format for the label, or select to use the default format specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Position - Select how to align label text depending on the style type.
- Offset – Select the line position of the label above or below the line segment.
- Along – Specify the placement of the label along the line segment using a value of 0 through 1.
  Note: If you select Degrees Minutes Seconds in the Angle display list, rounding options (for example, Nearest Degree) display in the Precision list along with the decimal precision options.
When you are done editing line properties, click the Add button.
An example of the label displays in the Preview pane. You can select, zoom, and pan in the preview pane.
To "fine-tune" the look of the label, you can make label position changes using the Offset and Along controls on the tab or the buttons located beneath the the Preview pane.
- Up and Down buttons – Click to move the first label line up or down. The corresponding value is displayed in the Offset drop-down list.
- Left and Right buttons – Click to move the label to the left or right. The corresponding value is displayed in the Along field.
  Note: You can rotate your mouse wheel to zoom in and out on the Preview pane, or press your mouse wheel and move the mouse to pan, just as you would when viewing the Plan View.
If you want to create another line in the label using a different label type, select the new type in the Label type drop -down list. Then make changes to the properties on the tab as necessary for the new label line and click Add.
Use the Preview buttons and/or change Offset and Along values to ensure the new text line aligns properly with the first text line. Repeat this step to add additional lines to the label.
When you are done, click OK. Or, select the Point Styles tab or Polygon Styles tab to create additional label styles.
You can now select the newly created line style to format a line label when you create it.

To create a new point label style:

Select Label Style Manager in Drafting > Labels and select the Point Styles tab.
Click the New button.
A New style entry is displayed in the Point Label Styles list and in the Style name field.
Change the name of the new style in the Style name field.
In the Layer drop-down list, select the layer on which to display any label created using the new style. If necessary, select <<New Layer>> to create a new layer for the labels.
In the Text style drop-down list, select a text style for the label, or select <<New Style>> to create a new text style.
In the Gap field, enter the distance between the point and the first label line (a value of 0 places the label directly on top of the point).
In the Line spacing field, enter the spacing (a value of 1 through 5) between multiple lines in the label (if applicable).
In the Rotation field, enter the degrees of rotation to apply to the label (90º is the default).
Optionally, check the Align label to associated line segment check box to specify that the label for a point that is part of a line be automatically rotated to align with its associated line segment at 90º.
If the point is the start point in the line, the label is rotated to align with the line segment that follows it. The label for each subsequent point in the line is rotated to align with the segment preceding it.
Note: If the Align labels to associated line segment check box is checked and the point is associated with a line segment, the Rotation value is ignored.
Do either or both of the following:
- Select an Alignment to reference if you are planning on including a station or alignment offset value in the label.
- Select a Surface to reference if you are planning on including a surface elevation or delta surface elevation value in the label.
In the Label Properties box, make changes as necessary:
- Label type – Select a label type, which represents a value displayed on a single line in the label.
  If you select the Symbol label type (inserts a point symbol rather than text), the Point Symbols dialog displays. Use this dialog to select the symbol to use in the label and its size. After you select a symbol, the symbol's code and size are displayed beneath the Label type drop-down list. All other properties are disabled except for Position and Offset.
  If you select the Station and/or Offset label type, you must make a selection in the Alignment drop-down list as described in the previous step. The Station and Offset values displayed in the label are based on the closest point on the selected alignment's centerline to the labeled point.
  If you select the Surface Elevation and/or Delta Surface Elevation label type, you must make a selection in the Surface drop-down list as described in the previous step. A point must be located within the 2D boundary of the selected surface to support these label types. The Surface Elevation value displayed in the label is the elevation of the surface at the 2D position of the selected point. The Delta Surface Elevation value is the elevation difference between the labeled point and the nearest point on the selected surface.
  To include feature attributes in your label, you can use either of these label types:
  - The Feature Code Attributes label type includes all feature attributes by default, but can be edited to include just the ones you specify. See Select Feature Attributes for a Feature Code Attributes Label Type.
    Note: Although you can use the process mentioned in the note above to control the inclusion and dispaly of feature code attributes in labels, it is recommended that you instead use the steps described in Include Feature Code Attributes in Labels to show/hide attributes in labels globally or individially.
  - The User Defined Attributes label type can be edited to include only the feature attributes you specify. See Select Feature Attributes for a User Defined Attributes Label Type.
- Prefix – Optionally, enter a text string that will precede the label text.
- Display units suffix – Select whether to include a units suffix in the label, or select to use the default setting for displaying unit suffixes specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Precision – Select the decimal precision to use for the label, or select to use the default precision specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Angle display – Select the angle display format for the label, or select to use the default format specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Position - Select the position of the label in relation to the point (either above, below, or to one side or the other of the point).
- Offset – Select the offset for the label, either centered on the point or above or below it.
  Note: If you select Degrees Minutes Seconds in the Angle display list, rounding options (for example, Nearest Degree) display in the Precision list along with the decimal precision options.
- Along -
When you are done editing label properties, click the Add button.
An example of the label displays in the Preview pane.
To "fine-tune" the look of the label, you can make label position changes using the Position and Offset controls on the tab or the buttons located beneath the the Preview pane.
- Up and Down buttons – Click to move the first label line to various offsets above and below the point. The corresponding values are displayed in the Position and Offset drop-down lists.
- Left and Right buttons – Click to move the label to the right, center, or left of the point, with the offset changing accordingly. The corresponding values are displayed in the Position and Offset drop-down lists.
  Note: You can rotate your mouse wheel to zoom in and out on the Preview pane, or press your mouse wheel and move the mouse to pan, just as you would when viewing the Plan View.
Optionally, check the following check boxes to specify default settings for the point label style:
- Display feature code attributes vertically - Check to display attributes vertically in the label rather than horizontally. (You can change this default setting when creating a point label.)
- Do not display feature code attribute name - Check to hide attribute names when showing attribute values in the label. (You can change this default setting when creating a point label.)
If you want to create another line in the label using a different label type, select the new type in the Label type drop -down list. Then make changes to the properties on the tab as necessary for the new label line and click Add.
Use the Preview buttons and/or change the Position and Offset values to ensure the new text line aligns properly with the first text line. Repeat this step to add additional lines to the label.
When you are done, click OK. Or, select the Line Styles tab or Polygon Styles tab to create additional label styles.
You can now select the newly created point style to format a point label when you create it.

To create a new polygon label style:

Select Label Style Manager in Drafting > Labels and select the Polygon Styles tab.
Click the New button.
A New style entry is displayed in the Polygon Label Styles list and in the Style name field.
Change the name of the new style in the Style name field.
In the Layer drop-down list, select the layer on which to display any label created using the new style. If necessary, select <<New Layer>> to create a new layer for the labels.
In the Text style drop-down list, select a text style for the label, or select <<New Style>> to create a new text style.
In the Gap field, enter the distance between the centerline of the polygon and the first label line (a value of 0 places the label directly on top of the centerline).
In the Line spacing field, enter the spacing (a value of 1 through 5) between multiple lines in the label (if applicable).
In the Rotation field, enter the degrees of rotation to apply to the label (90º is the default).
In the Label Properties box, make changes as necessary:
- Label type – Select a label type, which represents a value displayed on a single line in the label.
  If you select the Line Ground Length label type, the Define Scale Factor button located at the bottom of the dialog is activated when you click the Add button as described in the next step. You can click this button to displayhe Labeling Scale Factor command pane, which allows you to specify how you want to define a combined scale factor (referred to in this topic more simply as a scale factor) to be used to convert grid distances to ground d ttances displayed in line segment labels. Two options allow you to display ground distances that are independent of the earth's curvature either by (1) entering, or using points to calculate, a single fixed scale factor or (2) by selecting, or using points to calculate, a single fixed position to determine the scale factor. The third option is to use an individual scale factor at each label location that is dependent on the earth's curvature, as is used in the Inverse command.
  Note: You can use the User Defined Attributes label type to specify feature attributes you want to include in the label style. See Select Feature Attributes for a User Defined Attributes Label Type for instructions.
  Note: Although you can use the process mentioned in the note above to control the inclusion and dispaly of feature code attributes in labels, it is recommended that you instead use the steps described in Include Feature Code Attributes in Labels to show/hide attributes in labels globally or individially.
- Prefix – Optionally, enter a text string that will precede the label text.
- Display units suffix – Select whether to include a units suffix in the label, or select to use the default setting for displaying unit suffixes specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Precision – Select the decimal precision to use for the label, or select to use the default precision specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Angle display – Select the angle display format for the label, or select to use the default format specified in Project Settings > Units.
- Offset – Select to center the label in the polygon, or move it above or below the polygon's centerline.
- Position - The position is preset to Center and cannot be changed.
When you are done editing label properties, click the Add button.
An example of the label displays in the Preview pane.
To "fine-tune" the look of the label, you can make label position changes using the Offset and Position controls on the tab or the buttons located beneath the the Preview pane.
- Up and Down buttons – Click to move the label to the center of the polygon, or move it above or below the polygon's centerline.
- Left and Right buttons – These buttons are disabled for polygon labels.
  Note: You can rotate your mouse wheel to zoom in and out on the Preview pane, or press your mouse wheel and move the mouse to pan, just as you would when viewing the Plan View.
If you want to create another line in the label using a different label type, select the new type in the Label type drop -down list. Then make changes to the properties on the tab as necessary for the new label line and click Add. Use the Preview buttons and/or change the Offset value to ensure the new text line aligns properly with the first text line. Repeat this step to add additional lines to the label.
When you are done, click OK. Or, select the Line Styles tab or Point Styles tab to create additional label styles.
You can now select the newly created polygon style to format a polygon label when you create it.

To edit or delete an existing label style:

Select the appropriate tab in the Label Style Manger dialog.
Select the label style you want to edit or delete in the Label Styles list.
To delete the selected style, click the Delete button.
The deleted style is no longer available to select to apply to a point label.
To edit the selected style, do the following:
1. Optionally, make changes to the Style name, Text style, Gap, or Line spacing for the style.
2. Optionally, in the Label type drop-down list, select an existing label type whose position you want to edit. Then, using the Preview pane buttons or the position property controls, change the position of the existing label as described in the previous "Creating..." sections.
  You can edit only the position of an existing label type. You cannot edit other properties. If you need to edit other properties, click the Remove button to remove the label type from the style. Then enter new properties as necessary (as described in the previous "Creating..." sections) and click the Add button to add the label type back to the style with your changes.
  If you select a label type that has not yet been added to the style, the Add button becomes active allowing you to define all of the properties for a new label type and add the line to the label.
When you are done, click OK to save the changes.

Dependencies:

Labels you create in your model are dependent on their label style; if you change the style, all instances of the label are updated accordingly.