Individually label a feature with a leader line

Summary

Note:
This article applies to retired ArcGIS versions 8.x. Later versions of ArcGIS may contain different functionality, as well as different names and locations for menus, commands and geoprocessing tools.

You can create a label with a leader line, based on a field in a layer's attribute table, by altering the default settings of the label tool.

Please note this functionality did not work properly up through version 8.2 and has been fixed in version 8.3.

Procedure

This example adds a new text element to the current annotation target. For the following steps to work, you must be in data view, or in layout view with a data frame that is activated in place. It will also be helpful to check the display units your data frame is using as that will be the basis for setting the tolerance for the leader line in step 11.

1. Open the Properties for the layer that contains the feature you want to label with the callout.
2. If necessary, click the Labels tab so that it is on top.
3. Choose a Label field or create an Expression to determine the text used for labels.
4. Click the Label Styles button.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the list of label styles and choose the Banner Rounded label style.
6. Click the Properties button.
7. Click the Symbol Properties button.
8. Click the Properties button.
9. Click the Advanced Text tab to bring it to the front.
10. Below the Text Background check box is a Properties button, click it.
11. Set the Leader Tolerance to an appropriate value given to the map units. This is the minimum distance required for a leader to be drawn.
12. Click OK and Apply to close all dialogs.
13. Select the Label tool.
    • Labels feature with their attributes by clicking on them.

14. Click on a feature in the Data View to add the label for it.
15. Switch to the Select Elements tool and click on the new label and drag to desired location.

Note:
The initial point where the label is placed will be the anchor point.