PROBLEM

Labels don't display with graphics

Last Published: April 25, 2020

Description

Labels don’t display on top of graphics.

Note:
This article pertains to 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.

Cause

Labels are not placed if they conflict with other labels, features, or graphics in layers which have a feature weight greater than the current label weight. By default, graphics drawn in the data view are placed in the Default annotation group, which has its feature weight set to High.

Solution or Workaround

Make sure that the feature weight is less than the label weight. You can control the feature weight settings from the Conflict Detection Rules dialog.

Note:
The table entry <Default> is an annotation group that is part of every map document.
  1. Access the Data Frame Properties dialog.
  2. Select the Labels tab.
  3. Click Conflict Detection Rules.
  4. Click in the Default layer's row, under the Feature Weight column.
  5. Select a weight of None to ensure labels are not blocked by graphics.
[O-Image] Conflict detection rules dialog 2

Article ID:000004908

Software:
  • ArcMap 8 x

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