Summary
In ArcGIS Pro, feature-linked annotations are linked to attributes of the features they represent and are updated or customized to reflect changes in the data or in the formatting of the labels. Feature-linked annotations can be updated by modifying existing label expressions or adding a new one, and this article describes the workflow to update the annotations by modifying the label expression.
The image below shows the original label expression for a feature-linked annotation. In this example, the expression is updated to change the numbers displayed on the labels by replacing the DISTINSTID field with the DISTNO field.
Procedure
Note:
Depending on modifications to the label expression, the label's position on the map may shift.
- Open the ArcGIS Pro project.
- In the Catalog pane, right-click the feature-linked annotation feature class and select Annotation Feature Class Properties.
- Modify the label expression of the feature-linked annotation feature class.
- In the Feature Class Properties pane, click the Annotation Classes tab.
- Click the Edit this annotation class
button found beside the annotation class. - In the Expression section, modify the label expression. In this example, the DISTINSTID field is deleted from the label expression and replaced by the DISTNO field. The following is a sample expression:
$feature.<field_name1> + ‘-’ + $feature.<field_name1>
- Click Apply.
- In the Feature Class Properties pane, click Apply.
- Remove and re-add the feature-linked annotation layer.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the feature-linked annotation layer and select Remove.
- In the Catalog pane, right-click the feature-linked annotation feature class and select Add To Current Map to add the annotation layer back to the map.
- Repopulate the values in the field referenced in the label expression to update the feature-linked annotation.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the feature layer and select Attribute Table to open the attribute table.
- Right-click the column header of the first field in the updated label expression and select Calculate Field. In this example, the DISTNO field is the first field in the expression.
- In the Calculate Field dialog box, for Expression Type, select Python.
- For Expression, under Fields, double-click the field name of the first field in the new label expression.
- Click Apply and click OK.
Note:
Optionally, modify the annotations on the map. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Edit annotation text or change formatting for instructions.
The map shows the updated feature-linked annotation after the label expression is modified.