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Connect Feature Source
Connects a feature source
Click File ➤ Connect To Data.
Menu
Connect
Icon
MAPCONNECTCommand Line
In Display Manager click Data ➤ Connect to Data.
Task Pane
Organizing Layers in Your Map
Display Manager organizes the data in your map into layers, which you can
display and style independently. Each layer contains one type of data. For
example, you might have a layer of drawing objects, a layer that represents a
feature class from Oracle, a DEM surface layer, and a raster image layer. When
you use
FDO (page 2062) to connect to a data source (via Data Connect), each
feature class or image in that data source becomes a separate layer
automatically. You can create drawing layers for drawing objects, and these
objects can be members of multiple layers.
NOTE Display Manager layers are different from the classic “AutoCAD layers” you
see in the Layer Properties Manager. AutoCAD users cannot see Display Manager
layers unless they use AutoCAD Map 3D. You use different techniques to style the
two different layer types.
View the layers in Display Manager in two ways:
■ Groups organizes the list of layers. For example, you can create a group
for as-built data and a separate group for proposed changes.
■ Draw Order determines the draw order of the layers. Items at the top of
the draw order are drawn on top of items below them on the list.
If an object is a member of more than one layer, it inherits the style of each
layer of which it is a member. For example, if a line is in both the
Transportation layer and the Roads layer, it inherits the styles of both layers.
If the layers specify conflicting style or visibility settings, the object uses the
style and visibility settings of whichever layer is higher in the Display Manager
list.
300 | Chapter 3 Bringing In Data