PROBLEM

Overlapping dashed polygon boundaries with shared edges in ArcGIS Pro display, print, or export as solid lines

Last Published: February 23, 2023

Description

In ArcGIS Pro, overlapping polygon boundaries sharing same edges with the dash symbol effect may display, print, or export as solid lines. The image below is an example of the dashed polygon boundaries sharing the same edges and displaying as solid lines in some areas.

The solid line polygon boundaries.

Cause

This is known behavior of the polygon features topology. The dashed boundary symbology does not line up or look the same when the boundaries of adjacent polygons overlap or share the same edges.

Solution or Workaround

As a workaround, use one of the following options:

Synchronize the polygon boundaries symbology

Note:
The Set Control Point At Intersect tool requires the ArcGIS Pro Advanced license.

Use the Set Control Point At Intersect tool to create a control point at vertices shared by the polygon features. This tool synchronizes the boundary symbology of adjacent polygons; thus the dashed polygon boundaries do not display as solid lines. The image below shows the synchronized polygon boundaries with the dash symbol.

The solid line polygon boundaries.

Convert the polygon features to line features

Note:
The Polygon To Line and Delete Identical tools require the ArcGIS Pro Advanced license.

Convert the polygon features to lines using the Polygon To Line tool, and remove duplicates using the Delete Identical tool. Symbolize the output line features with the dash symbol as much as necessary.

Note:
Optionally, configure the Dash effect property to customize the line ends effect of the dash symbol. In the Symbology pane of the layer, under the Properties tab, click Layers The Layers symbol.. Select the symbol layer to configure and expand Dash effect. For the At line ends property, select the desired option other than No constraint.

Article ID:000023970

Software:
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 0
  • ArcGIS Pro 2 x

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