Rotate graphics and frames in a layout

Summary

The only layout frame type that can be rotated is the North Arrow. If
you need to rotate the contents of any other frame, try the following procedure.

Procedure

1. Open the layout and make the view frame active.
2. Select Simplify from the Graphics menu
   
   

   Note:
   The view frame is now a graphic element, and as such, it can not maintain scale and can not be live-linked to a view. Furthermore, if you have a view frame, and associated legend and scalebar frames already within your layout, simplify the legend and scalebar frames before the view frame.  

   
   
3. With the simplified elements of the view still selected, click Group from the Graphics menu.
4. Select Store North Arrows from the Layout menu.
5. Press the delete key on your keyboard to remove the graphic representation of the view from the layout.
6. Use the North Arrow Frame tool to click and drag a north arrow frame within the layout.
   
   
7. Select the graphic representing the view in the View Frame Manager.
8. Type a value in the Rotation Angle text box.
9. Click OK.
   
   

   Note:
   GraphicText from the original view will lose rotation, and the size of GraphicText will change depending on the rotation of the new north arrow.  

   
   
   

   Note:
   Complicated views can fill up your North Arrow Manager ($HOME\north.def) very quickly. A user's north.def file will be written to the HOME directory. You may need to move or delete this file from time to time, if it gets so full that ArcView freezes when you try to insert north arrows into your layout.  

   
   
   

   Note:
   This method does not work with marker symbols from the transportation marker palette (trans.avp); the rotation is not applied.

   
   
   

   Warning:
   Do not delete the 'north.def' file that is found in your $AVHOME\etc directory!