Assign colored symbols to attributes using Arcade expressions in ArcGIS Pro

Summary

In ArcGIS Pro, assigning various colored symbols to one or more attribute fields in a dataset provides better visualization of spatial data on a map. When there is irrelevant data within the same fields, Arcade expressions and the Symbology tool can be used to further categorize a collection of attribute fields to offer a more focused display of symbology points.

The instructions below describe how to use the Field Calculator in ArcGIS Pro to identify a specific set of attribute fields to be displayed on a map. In this example, the LEVEL field in the Schools_all feature class is used to identify the attribute field symbology points for elementary, high school, and college or university.

Procedure

Use either one of the workflows below to assign colored symbols to attributes using Arcade expressions.

Note:
To retain the values of the attribute, use the solution without creating a new field. If the values of the attribute can be combined, use the solution of creating a new field.

Assign colored symbols to attributes without creating a new field

1. Start ArcGIS Pro and open the project.
2. In the Contents pane, right-click the feature class, and click Symbology to open the Symbology pane.

3. In the Symbology pane, click the Primary symbology drop-down menu, and click Unique Values.

4. Click the Field 1 drop-down menu, and click the <field name> to be configured.

5. Click the Set an expression button, to open the Expression Builder dialog box.

6. Specify the following Arcade expression in the Expression Builder dialog box, and click OK.

var <variable name> = $feature.<field name>
if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
} else if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
} else if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
} else if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
}

7. Click the More drop-down menu, and uncheck Show all other values.

8. Choose a color scheme by clicking the Color scheme drop-down menu.

Assign colored symbols to attributes by creating a new field

1. Start ArcGIS Pro and open the project.
2. In the Contents pane, right-click the feature class, and click Attribute Table to open the table view.

3. In the table view, click Calculate to open the Calculate Field dialog box.

4. In the Calculate Field dialog box, configure the following parameters.
   1. For Input Table, select the feature class. Schools_all is used in this example.
   2. For Field Name (Existing or New), enter a new field name. 'EDU_GROUP' is used in this example.
   3. If a new field is created, for Field Type, select Text. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: ArcGIS field data types for more information.
   4. For Expression Type, select Arcade.
   5. For the Expression section, input the Arcade expression below to define a group of colored symbols for the new attributes.
   6. Click OK.

var <variable name> = $feature.<field name>
if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
} else if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
} else if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
} else if (<variable name> == "<field value>") {
    return "<label name>";
}

5. In the Contents pane, right-click the feature class, and click Symbology to open the Symbology pane.

6. In the Symbology pane, click the Primary symbology drop-down menu, and click Unique Values.

7. Click the Field 1 drop-down menu, and click the newly created field in Step 4(b).

8. Right-click the <Null> value label, and click Remove.

9. Click the More drop-down menu, and uncheck Show all other values.

10. Choose a color scheme by clicking the Color scheme drop-down menu.