Label component position is defined by specifying an anchor component, an anchor point, and an attachment point. Rotation angles and X and Y offsets are applied in relation to the anchor component and anchor point.
- Anchor Component. The anchor component is the item that the label component is positioned relative to. It can be the object that is labeled, or it can be another label component.
- Anchor Point. The anchor point is the location on the anchor that is attached to the label component’s attachment point. It can be the label location (when the anchor component is set to Feature) or it can be one of several locations on the label component (when the anchor component is set to a specific label component).
- Attachment Point. The attachment point is the location on the label component that is attached to the anchor point.
The following illustration shows how these points work together to position the label component (the rotated text in the illustration):
Anchor and attachment points for text component
The anchor is on a line (the anchor is set to Feature and the anchor point to Label Location). The attachment point on the text is set to Bottom Left. Note how the X and Y offsets, angle, and border gap all affect how the label is positioned relative to the attachment and anchor points
The following illustrations show the different points on label components that can be used either as anchor points or attachment points.
Anchor and attachment points on text component
Anchor and attachment points on a block component
Anchor and attachment points on a direction arrow component
To specify anchor and attachment points for a label component
- In the Label Style Composer dialog box, click the Layout tab.
- Select a component from the Component Name list.
- Under General, specify the Anchor Component value for the component.
The Anchor Component defines what the selected component should be “anchored to” — or positioned relative to—in the label.
For example, if you are setting up a Direction Arrow component for a direction label, you might want to specify the Bearing as the Anchor Component so that you can position the arrow in relation to the bearing label text.
- Change the Anchor Point value to specify the location of the anchor point.
This value specifies precisely where on the Anchor Component you want to place the anchor.
- Under Text, change the Attachment value to specify the location on the label component that will be attached to the anchor point.
- Optionally, specify X and Y offsets and a Rotation Angle. For example, you may want to specify X or Y offsets from the anchor point to add some space between the components. For more information, see Offset and Rotation.
- Click OK.
