Geocortex Blog

I regularly use data from different sources (SDE connections, network drives, over a VPN, etc).  In the past, I often found that if I closed out of ArcMap, the next time I opened it and tried to add data it would have to spend time trying to re-connect to a folder that was no longer accessible.  Sometimes this could take ages.

I used to get around this by trying to remember to add some local data to ArcMap before I closed it (not a very reliable work-around, as more often than not I would forget to do this).

The more reliable solution is a quick Options setting in ArcMap.  Under Tools > Options > General Tab, uncheck “Return to last used location when Add Data dialog first used”.

I found a solution for an irritating problem – some of the symbol colors in my ArcMap layer list were different than those in my map:

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Have you ever tried to join data in ArcMap only to find that the field you are trying to join on does not appear in the drop down menu?

Chances are your field data types do not match. For example, if one of your joining fields is type “Text” and the other is type “Double”, ArcMap does not recognize a match between values in those fields. Text will be read as a string of characters (which can include numbers), and Double will be read as a numerical value. A text number does not equal a numerical number as far as ArcMap is concerned.

The simple solution is to convert the field data type in one of your datasets to match the other, and then you should be able to join them.

ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 help offers a new section on Tool errors and warnings, which can be a great help when you receive an error code but are not sure what it means. Search for your error code, or navigate through the 9.3 help index (under Geoprocessing tool reference) for a list of error codes from 1 to the infamous 999999. They offer a description and solution for each error code which can help get you on your way faster. Don’t forget to search the ESRI Support Center User Forums as well if you are still stuck – chances are someone else has experienced the same issue and you can pick up some tips.

Have you ever noticed that your MXD file size sometimes increases, even when you haven’t added any new data or symbology? I had noticed it a number of times but until now could offer no explanation for it. I was interested to learn that MXD files may grow in size after being saved multiple times because they can become fragmented. Saving a fragmented map document as a new document may reduce its file size.

The ESRI user forums saved the day once again. I couldn’t get ArcCatalog to work all of a sudden – it was taking a very long time to open, and when it finally did open, it wasn’t responsive and kept hanging. If you are experiencing the same problem, try renaming your Normal.gxt and ArcCatalog.gx and let ArcGIS recreate them on its next startup. The problem could be that they have become corrupt. You will find them in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application Data\ESRI\ArcCatalog – where User Name is the user name you use to log on to the computer.

I renamed both files, and ArcCatalog started up in no time.

The ESRI user forums saved the day once again. I couldn’t get ArcCatalog to work all of a sudden – it was taking a very long time to open, and when it finally did open, it wasn’t responsive and kept hanging. If you are experiencing the same problem, try renaming your Normal.gxt and ArcCatalog.gx and let ArcGIS recreate them on its next startup. The problem could be that they have become corrupt. You will find them in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application Data\ESRI\ArcCatalog – where User Name is the user name you use to log on to the computer.

I renamed both files, and ArcCatalog started up in no time.