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Digitizer as Puck/Mouse

Lets you switch the digitizing tablet’s pointer device between digitizing (absolute) mode and mouse (relative) modes.

Choose Digitizer as Puck to switch to absolute mode so that you can digitize features in ArcView. When you are in absolute mode, you cannot use the puck to access the user interface menu choices, buttons, and tools because the screen cursor is locked to the drawing area.

Choose Digitizer as Mouse to switch to relative mode so that you can use the digitizer puck to access the user interface menu choices, buttons, and tools. In relative mode, the digitizer tablet’s pointer device behaves exactly like a mouse.

Tip    You can also use the F2 key to switch between absolute and relative modes.


Digitizer Setup

Lets you register a paper map on a digitizer tablet so that you can go ahead and digitize features from it into ArcView.


Digitizer Setup (Dialog box)

Before you start digitizing features in ArcView, you need to register your paper map. You do this by telling ArcView the ground coordinates for the control points you identified while preparing your paper map. There are several ways to input ground coordinates to register the map:

To register the paper map for the first time (without tic files)

To re-register the paper map using the previously saved tic file

To register the paper map using ARC/INFO tic files

    Use this icon to interactively pick map control points from the screen. Every time you pick a point, a new row will be added with X and Y coordinates filled in. To update an existing map point, select the desired row and then pick a new point on the screen.

    Use this icon to pick control points on your paper map using your digitizer puck. Every time you pick a point, it increments the tic ID and if a corresponding map point exists for that control point, it places a mark (asterisk) at the beginning of the row. To update an existing control point, select the desired row and then pick a new location on your paper map.

Load    This button enables you to load a previously saved map control point file or ARC/INFO tic files. You’ll be able to load tic files in Delimited text, dBASE and INFO file formats. The tic file must have three columns: Tic-ID, X-Coordinate, and Y-Coordinate.

Save    This button saves your map control points in a Delimited text file (.txt) so that you can load this file to re-register your map.

Units    This option is available only when the current view is projected. In other words, if you set the projection for your view using the View Properties dialog, you have a choice of entering the ground coordinates for your control points either in Decimal Degrees or in the current projected units such as Meters or Feet.

    Use this button to delete a control point. First select the desired row and click on this button. This will delete the selected row and renumbers the control point ids.

Error Limit    Let you specify a maximum error that is acceptable to register your paper map. The default error limit is 0.004 inches (or its equivalent units). Once you enter a minimum of 4 pairs of map and paper control points, ArcView calculates the Root Mean Square (RMS) error and compares the value with the one you specified in the Error Limit edit box. If the calculated error is less than the specified error limit, Register button is enabled for you to register the map.

Calculated Error    Reports the calculated RMS error. For most accurate map digitizing, we recommend the RMS value to be less than 0.004 inches (or its equivalent units).

Error Report    Lists additional information on RMS error and map transformations. You can obtain information such as the overall RMS error in map and page units, map rotation, skew and page to map transformation scales.

Note:   Map errors are always reported in Distance Units that are set in the View Properties dialog box.

Register    Lets you register your paper map and dismiss the dialog box. This button is enabled only after you have successfully entered a minimum of 4 control points on the paper map, and their corresponding X,Y coordinates in map units. The Register button will not be enabled if the calculated error is larger than the specified error limit.

Cancel    Let you cancel all your changes and dismiss the dialog box with out registering the map.


Enable/Disable Stream Mode

Lets you switch the digitizer input between Point Mode and Stream Mode digitizing. In point mode you click on every point to record its associated x,y coordinate. In stream mode you click on the first point and simply trace over the feature on the paper map. ArcView automatically records vertices at a fixed interval specified by the stream tolerance. The Point mode is the default option.


Stream Tolerance

When you trace features over the paper map in stream mode digitizing, ArcView automatically adds vertices at a specified interval. This menu item or the tool allows you to set the distance between vertices in current map units. You can change the distance any time you wish to, including in the middle of tracing an existing line. In other words, after tracing half the feature, you can increase or decrease the stream tolerance and continue tracing the feature to reflect the new tolerance between vertices.

To set the stream tolerance using the menu

1	From the View menu choose Stream Tolerance. If the menu doesn’t have the Stream Tolerance option, you’ve forgotten to load the digitizer extension. If the Stream Tolerance option is dimmed out, the digitizer driver may not be properly installed.

2	In the dialog that appears, enter the desired tolerance in current map units.

3	Press OK to dismiss the dialog.

To set the Stream Tolerance interactively

1	Click the Stream Tolerance tool [image].

2	In the View window, click and drag out a circle to represent the tolerance distance. The radius of the circle is displayed in the status bar. This radius value becomes the stream tolerance.

Notes

   The stream tolerance value is always entered in the current map units. If the data is in decimal degrees you always enter the tolerance in decimal degrees.

   The stream tolerance value will not be stored with the project file. You must enter the tolerance every time you open the project file.


Accessing popup menu choices while digitizing features

When you are digitizing or editing features using a mouse, you can access popup menus by holding down the right mouse button. You can access the same popup menu choices while digitizing features using a digitizer so that pressing a specific button on the puck executes a specific popup menu command.

In order to assign popup menu choices to puck buttons, you need to use the digitizer driver’s control panel and program one of the buttons to simulate the right mouse click action. This is the button that you'll use to invoke popup menu choices.

To execute a popup command you’ll press two buttons. First you press the button that you’ve programmed to behave like right mouse click. When you press this button, ArcView temporarily maps popup menu choices to buttons sequentially starting from button 1 (or button 0 in some digitizer models). Then you press the button that executes the desired popup menu choice (see table below). Once the popup menu command is executed, ArcView resets all button assignments back to its original state (left click, left double click, etc.).

Popup menu button assignment

Button	Action
Button 1	Delete Last Point
Button 2	Undo Edit
Button 3	Redo Edit
Button 4	---
Button 5	Enable/Disable General Snapping
Button 6	Enable/Disable Interactive Snapping
Button 7	Show/Hide Snap Tolerance Cursor
Button 8	---
Button 9	Snap to Vertex
Button 10	Snap to Boundary
Button 11	Snap to Intersection
Button 12	Snap to Endpoint
Button 13	---
Button 14	Clear Selection
Button 15	Zoom In
Button 16	Zoom Out

Notes

 The button mapping in the above table is based on the ArcView’s default popup menu choices. Altering the popup menu choices in the Customization dialog may alter the button assignment sequence.

 The popup commands will execute only in the correct context. For example, when interactive snapping is off, pressing buttons to snap features may not have any effect.

 If you have a four button puck, you may be able to access only the first four choices.

Example

Here's an example on how you would use popup menus while digitizing features. Assume you’ve configured the digitizer puck buttons (using the digitizer driver’s control panel) like this:

Button 1 - Left click action

Button 2 - Left double click action

Button 3 - Middle double click action (to toggle between absolute and relative modes)

Button 4 - Right click action (to execute popup menu commands)

Also, assume that you’ve successfully registered the paper map, zoomed to the extent of the digitizing tablet surface, and are currently editing a polygon theme.

1	Click Button 3 on the puck to switch to relative mode if it is in absolute mode (or press F2).

2	Using the puck (or mouse), select the Polygon  tool [image].

3	Click Button 3 to switch to absolute mode (or press F2).

4	Position the puck at the desired feature on the paper map and press Button 1.

5	Continue pressing Button 1 to digitize several vertices for the polygon.

6	Press button 4 and immediately press button 1 to delete last digitized vertex. Repeat this step to undo several vertices (optional).

7	Press Button 2 to end digitizing the polygon feature.

To undo and redo the polygon that you’ve just digitized:

8   Press button 4 and immediately press button 2 to undo the polygon

9   Press button 4 and immediately press button 3 to redo the polygon

Please note that in step 6, 8, and 9 you use two buttons to execute popup menu commands. The button 4 temporarily assigns popup menu commands to buttons (as shown in the above Popup menu button assignments table). The second button that you press actually executes the appropriate popup menu command and immediately reset buttons to continue digitizing features.

See also

Configuring the buttons on your digitizer’s puck for use with ArcView

Switching between digitizing mode and mouse mode


Configuring the buttons on your digitizer's puck for use with ArcView

Once you have installed and connected your digitizer according to the manufacturer's instructions, you need to configure the buttons on its puck (digitizer pointing device) before you start using it in ArcView.

To configure the digitizer puck buttons, use the digitizer driver’s WinTab control panel.

ArcView requires that you configure your digitizer pointing device buttons as shown below. A digitizer puck button (in digitizing mode) can only have one action unlike a mouse where you can have many actions such a single click, double-click that are assigned to the same mouse button.

Left mouse click action

Configure one button (any button) to perform "Left mouse click" action. This button will be used to perform functions such as recording a point or beginning a line or a polygon feature just like you would use left click with your mouse.

Left double-click action

Configure another button to perform "Left double-click" action. This button will be used to end a line or a polygon feature just like you would press left double-click to terminate the tool using the mouse.

Note   You can use the same button to simulate left click and left double-click actions, that is, you can hold down the <CTRL> key and press the left click button to simulate the left double-click action. This may be useful if you have a pointing device, such as a pen, with a single button.

In addition to the above two buttons, you can optionally configure the following two buttons in order for ArcView to perform special tasks as shown below:

Middle double-click action (optional)

Configure one button to perform "Middle double-click" action. ArcView uses this button to toggle the puck between absolute and relative modes. In absolute mode, you can use the puck to input map coordinates. This means that a location on your paper map is mapped to a specific location in your view document. In relative mode, your puck behaves like a mouse (you can use the puck as a substitute to a mouse) and you can access ArcView's menus, tools and buttons with out physically switching the puck with a mouse. You can toggle between these two modes by pressing on this button.

You can also toggle between absolute and relative modes using the Digitizer as Mouse/Digitizer as Puck menu choice under the View menu or by pressing the F2 key.

Right mouse click action (optional)

Configure another button to perform "Right mouse click" action. ArcView uses this button to access popup menu choices while you are digitizing. To learn more about this option, see Accessing popup menu choices while digitizing features.


Overview of digitizing in ArcView

Digitizing is the process of converting features on a paper map into digital format. When you digitize a map, you use a digitizing tablet connected to your computer to trace over features you are interested in. The X,Y coordinates of these features are automatically recorded and stored as spatial data.

Before you start digitizing features in ArcView, you must follow the steps shown below:

Step 1 - Setup the digitizer and install the driver

To use a digitizing tablet with ArcView, it must have the WinTab compliant digitizer driver software. To find out if a WinTab compliant driver is available for your digitizer, see the documentation that came with the tablet or contact the manufacturer. Also, see supported digitizers in ArcView.

 Install the driver according to the instructions provided by the digitizer manufacturer. If you have problems installing the driver, refer to the digitizer manual that came with your digitizer. Also, see troubleshooting digitizers.

 Use the driver control panel and configure the digitizer puck buttons.

Step 2 - Prepare your paper map

See Preparing the paper map for digitizing.

Step 3 - Start ArcView and load the digitizer extension

Assuming that you have successfully configured your digitizing tablet, identified control points on the paper map and placed the map on the tablet, you are now ready to start ArcView and load the digitizer extension.

Step 4 - Prepare the view to digitize

At this point, create a new view or open an existing view you wish to digitize into. You now have to prepare the view for digitizing by specifying the map units and the projection used by the paper map you are about to digitize from. See Preparing the view you’ll be digitizing into.

Step 5 - Register the paper map

To digitize features in ArcView, first you need to register your paper map in real-world coordinates so that you can digitize features directly in geographic space.

To register the paper map for the first time, see To register the paper map.

To register the paper map using ARC/INFO tic files, see To register the paper map using tic files.

Step 6 - Start digitizing features

You are now ready to digitize features in ArcView. If you want to digitize features into a new theme, choose New theme from the View menu to create a new theme. If you want to edit an existing theme, make it active and choose Start Editing from the Theme menu. If you just want to add graphics to your view without creating a theme, go ahead and digitize.

All the editing and drawing tools that you can use with the mouse are available using the digitizer. Choosing the correct tool is very important in order to be productive and to digitize features accurately. For example, to avoid double-digitizing the shared boundaries of a polygon, choose the AutoComplete tool [image] instead of a polygon tool [image].

To learn more about editing and drawing tools, see:

Editing polygon themes

Editing line themes

Editing point themes

Note    Digitizing tablets operate in two modes - digitizing (absolute) mode and mouse (relative) mode. You must get familiarized with these modes and learn how to toggle between these two modes before digitizing features. See Switching between digitizing mode and mouse mode.


Preparing the paper map for digitizing

Your map should be reliable, up-to-date, flat, and not torn or folded. Paper actually expands or shrinks according to the weather. To minimize distortion between digitizing sessions, experienced digitizers often copy paper maps to a more stable material like mylar.

If your map has a grid or a set of known ground points, you can use these as your control points. If not, choose at least four distinctive locations such as road intersections, and mark them on your map with a pencil. Give each one a unique number and write down its actual ground coordinates. The more control points you identify, the more accurate your digitizing will be. You’ll use these control points to register your map to the geographic space in your view. If you don’t know the actual ground coordinates for your control points you will still be able to digitize your map, but only in page units (e.g. inches), so you won't be able to register the features you digitize with existing themes not in page units.

Place your map on the tablet and attach it with masking tape. Don’t worry about aligning the map precisely on your tablet. ArcView corrects any alignment problems when you register the map and tells you about such adjustments in the error report.


Preparing the view you'll be digitizing into
Preparing the view you’ll be digitizing into

Before you register the paper map and start digitizing features, you must prepare the view by specifying the units that you want to use, and set the projection used by the paper map you are about to digitize from. If you don’t set this information correctly, your newly digitized features may be incorrectly stored and you may not be able to correct the problem after digitizing features.

To set units and map projection for your view

1	From the View menu choose Properties.

2	In the dialog that appears, click the Projection button

3	In the dialog that appears, set the projection properties so they match the projection used by the paper map you’ll be digitizing. If necessary use the custom projection parameters to match your paper map’s parameters.

4	Press OK

5	Set the desired Map Units from the dropdown list .By default, the map units are meters.

6	Press OK

When you digitize features (with map projection set to the view), ArcView will automatically convert their coordinates, store them in decimal degrees, and display them in your view using the projection you specified. Once you've finished digitizing, you can choose any projection to display the new features  you've added because their coordinates are stored in decimal degrees. This means that you'll be able to register your new spatial data to any themes based on data sources stored in decimal degrees.

For example, suppose you've got an existing view containing various themes. The data sources for these themes are in decimal degrees, and the view is displayed using the UTM coordinate system (i.e. the view's projection property is set to UTM). You've got a paper map showing some features that you want to add to this view by digitizing. You look at the paper map and find out that it uses the Albers projection, so you choose Properties from the View menu and change the projection property of your view to be Albers. You register the map and digitize features into a new theme. Once you've finished digitizing, you set the view's projection property back to being UTM. In this way, your new theme will be correctly registered with your existing themes.

What if I don’t know what projection my paper map is in?

You can still digitize your map even if you don't know what projection it is in. The coordinates you digitize will be not be converted to decimal degrees as you digitize. Instead, they will remain in whatever projection your map uses. This means that you can't change the projection with which your new spatial data is displayed. It also means that you won't be able to register this spatial data with existing themes unless they were digitized from the same paper map or use the same map projection as your paper map.

You get the same results if you know what projection your paper map is in but forget to set the projection of your view to match it.

What if I can’t set the projection property of the view I will be digitizing into?

If your view already contains themes, and these themes are based on spatial data that's not in decimal degrees, you won't be able to set the projection property of the view (because a view can only be displayed with a different projection if the spatial data it contains is in decimal degrees). In this case, as long as your paper map is in the same projection as the spatial data that's already on your view, you can digitize the paper map, and the new spatial data you create will register correctly to the existing themes.

For example, suppose you have a view containing some themes based on data sources that are in UTM meters. You want to add a new theme to this view from a paper map that also uses UTM. You can't set this view's projection property, but you can still go ahead and digitize the map. The new spatial data you create will be stored in UTM meters, the same as your existing data sources.

See also

Preparing the paper map for digitizing

Questions about digitizing


Frequently asked questions about digitizing
Questions about Digitizing

What do you need help with?

I am creating some new data from a paper map that is in Albers projection.  I have created a new view and am ready to digitize. Do I have to set the projection property of this view?

I have a paper map in UTM. I want to digitize data from this map as a new theme in an existing view. The other themes in this view are based on data sources that are in UTM meters. The view projection property is not set. When I digitize, what units will the new data be stored in?

I have a paper map in UTM. I want to digitized into an existing view. The view’s projection property is currently set to UTM, although the existing data source themselves are in Decimal Degrees. When I digitize, what units will the new data be stored in?

The Digitizer Setup menu item is grayed out.

The Register button is not enabled in the Digitizer Setup dialog box.

I can’t access menus/buttons and tools with the digitizer puck.

After successful registration, I can’t see the cursor when I move the puck.

Map features are coming in backwards while digitizing.

I cannot access popup menu choices using puck buttons.

See also

Supported digitizers

Troubleshooting digitizers


I am creating some new data from a paper map that is in Albers projection.  I have created a new view and am ready to digitize. Do I have to set the projection property of this view to Albers?

You can choose from two options at this point:

Set the view’s projection property to be Albers (i.e., set the projections section of the view properties to match your paper map). ArcView will store the map you digitize in decimal degrees (longitude/Latitude). This is the recommended option.

Advantage - Once you have digitized your map, you will be able to change the projection it is displayed in when ever you want.

Don’t set the view’s projection property. ArcView will store the map you digitize in Albers.

Advantage  -  You don’t need to worry about projections at all.

Disadvantage  - You won’t be able to change the projection for this theme later. Once it is digitized in  Albers, it can’t be changed to some other projection, such as UTM.


I have a paper map in UTM. I want to digitize data from this map as a new theme in an existing view. The other themes in this view are based on data sources that are in UTM meters. The view projection property is not set. When I digitize, what units will the new data be stored in?

The digitized map will be stored in UTM meters.


I have a paper map in UTM. I want it digitized into an existing view. The view’s projection property is currently set to UTM, although the existing data source themselves are in Decimal Degrees. When I digitize, what units will the new data be stored in?

The digitized map will be stored in Decimal Degrees. When the projection is set, ArcView automatically converts the digitized data and stores in Decimal Degrees.


The Digitizer Setup menu item is grayed out.

Unless the correct WinTab driver is installed, and working correctly in Windows, ArcView does not allow you to register your map and therefore, the Digitizer Setup... menu item is grayed out.

Take a quick look at the following:

The tablet is not turned on or incorrectly connected to the computer. For example, connected to the wrong COM port.  The tablet driver is not a WinTab compliant driver. Refer to your digitizer documentation (look for WINTAB.DLL or WINTAB32.DLL file under \windows\system (or system32 on NT) directory.

The system.ini and/or win.ini files are not properly configured.  Sometimes, turning off your computer and restarting it would initialize the driver correctly. Also, try turning the tablet off and turn it on.

If you still have problems, refer to your digitizer manual and install the digitizer driver correctly. Most digitizer drivers come with a Tablet Manager that allows you to test whether the driver is installed correctly.


The Register button is not enabled in the Digitizer Setup dialog box.

There are several reasons why the Register button is grayed out:

You must digitize a minimum of 4 control points on your map.

You must enter correct real-world coordinates for these control points.

The calculated error should be less than the value in the Error Limit edit box. In this case, re-digitize control/map points to minimize errors or increase the Error Limit value to be larger than the calculated average error.


I can’t access menus/buttons and tools with the digitizer puck.

The digitizer puck has two modes: Absolute and Relative. In Absolute mode you can only access the drawing area of the view document. You must switch the puck mode to Relative to access the ArcView’s user interface area. Click on the puck button that you configured to behave like a "Middle double_click" to toggle between Absolute and Relative modes. You can also use your mouse and pick on the "Digitizer as Mouse" menu item under View menu.

A typical scenario would be:

Use mouse (or puck in relative mode) to select a desired tool.

Digitize features.

Click on the puck button that is configured to switch modes to relative mode.

Select another tool.

Click on the puck button that is configured to switch modes to absolute mode.

Continue digitizing features.


After successful registration, I can’t see the cursor when I move the puck.

ArcView does not automatically zoom to the extents of your registration coordinates. You must manually zoom to the digitizer extents to see the cursor on the screen.

There are several ways to do this:

Select Zoom In tool and in absolute mode, click two points on the opposite extents of your paper map.

Add a theme (and make it active theme) that has the extents of your map and select Zoom to Active Themes button.

Save the control points to a file in the Digitizer Setup dialog box. Create a table from the saved control point file. Make an Event Theme from that table and zoom to the extents of the event theme.


Map features are coming in backwards while digitizing.

Make sure you entered the correct real-world coordinates for your control points. If you mismatch these coordinates, it may register your map incorrectly.


I cannot access popup menu choices using puck buttons.

To execute a popup menu choice, you need to press two buttons. First press the button that is configured to act as a "Right mouse_click". This will temporarily map button 1 to ‘n’ with popup choice 1 to ‘n’. Now press the desired button to execute the popup choice. See the Popup menu assignment table for button assignments. Once the popup choice is executed, the buttons will be reset to its original state. Please note that some of the popup menu choices are valid only under certain conditions. For example, "Delete Last Point" popup choice is valid only while you are digitizing a line or a polygon feature.


RMS error

The Root Mean Square (RMS) error represents the difference between the original control points and the new control point locations calculated by the transformation process. The transformation scale indicates how much the map being digitized will be scaled to match the real-world coordinates.

The RMS error is given in both page units and in map units. To maintain highly accurate geographic data, the RMS error should be kept under 0.004 inches (or its equivalent measurement in the coordinate system being used). For less accurate data, the value can be as high as 0.008 inches or its equivalent measure.

Common causes of high RMS error are - incorrectly digitized control points, careless placement of control points on the map sheet, and digitizing from a wrinkled map. For more accurate results when digitizing a control point, check that the crosshairs of the digitizer puck remain centered on the control point.


Stream mode digitizing

How to digitize features in stream mode

Before you start digitizing features in stream mode, you must complete the following set of tasks:

 Set up the digitizer tablet. See Supported digitizers in ArcView.

 Prepare your map for digitizing. See Preparing the paper map for digitizing.

 Prepare the View you'll be digitizing. See Preparing the view you’ll be digitizing into.

 Register the paper map. To register the paper map for the first time, see To register the paper map. To register the paper map using ARC/INFO tic files, see To register the paper map using tic files.

Once you’ve successfully completed the above tasks, follow these steps:

1	Click the Stream Tolerance tool [image]. In the view, click and drag out a circle to represent the stream tolerance distance. The radius of the circle is displayed in the status bar. This radius becomes the stream tolerance distance. Alternatively, select Stream Tolerance from the View menu and type in a value in current map units.

2	Select the desired tool to digitize features (for example, select the line/polygon tool).

3	Press F2 to switch to Digitizer mode (if it's not already in that mode).

4	Press F3 to switch to stream mode (if it's not already in that mode).

5	Click the digitizer puck button to start digitizing the line. See How to configure digitizer puck buttons.

6	Trace the line over the paper map and click the button to end the line.

To learn more about editing and drawing tools, see:

Editing polygon themes

Editing line themes

Editing point themes

Tip  If you want to pause tracing while in the middle of digitizing in stream mode, press F3 to temporarily switch to point mode. When you are ready, press F3 again and continue tracing the line.

Notes

 Digitizing tablets operate in two modes - digitizing (absolute) mode and mouse (relative) mode. You must get familiarized with these modes and learn how to toggle between these two modes before digitizing features. See Switching between digitizing mode and mouse mode.

 You can either digitize in Point mode or in Stream mode. Press F3 to switch between these two modes. The Point mode is the default choice.


Supported digitizers

ArcView supports all digitizers that have a WinTab compliant Windows driver. WinTab is an open industry standard for digitizers in the Microsoft Windows environment. To see if your digitizer will work with ArcView, you need to find out whether your digitizer supports WinTab compliant digitizer driver.

Note    The digitizer support is not available on UNIX platforms.

The following is a partial list of digitizers for which hardware vendors provide WinTab drivers. Please note that most hardware vendors are currently in the process of writing WinTab compliant drivers and this list may not be up-to-date. Contact your digitizer hardware vendor for the most current status of the WinTab drivers.

The list also shows if we have tested the digitizer, and under which Windows versions. (1) indicates we have successfully tested this digitizer with ArcView. (2) indicates that we may have encountered some problems working with the WinTab drivers specifically in ArcView. In such cases, see the troubleshooting digitizers for any workarounds. A blank indicates that we have not tested these digitizers at ESRI and we assume that using the correct WinTab driver with these digitizers should work with ArcView.

Manufacturer	Models	Win 95	Win NT
Acecad	A-1812	(1)
Altek
Aristo	Geo Board	(1)
Calcomp	3300 series (DrawingBoard III) 3400 series (DrawingBoard II) 3100 series (DrawingSlate) 3200 series (DrawingSlate II) EstiMat Roll-up	(1)   (1)   (1)	(1)   (1)   (1)
Digirule	The RAT Model 1000	(1)
Gtco	Ultima II Roll-up Sketch Master AccuTab Super L II	(1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)	(1)   (1)   (1)   (1)   (1)
Hitachi	HDG 1212E	(1)	(1)
Kurta	XGT series	(1)
Numonics
Summagraphics	SummaExpression SummaExpert                 SummaFlex                        SummaPad                    SummaSketch II SummaSketch III SummaSketch FX  SummaSketch LC961 SummaGrid IV MicroGrid III	(1)	(1)
Wacom	ArtZ II series	(1)	(1)


Switching between digitizing mode and mouse mode

Digitizing tablets generally operate in two modes, absolute (digitizing) mode and relative (mouse) modes.

In absolute mode, the location of the tablet is mapped to a specific location on the screen. In other words, the movement of the pointing device on the tablet surface causes the screen cursor to move precisely to the same position. You digitize features in absolute mode. When you are in absolute mode, you cannot access the ArcView’s user interface to select menu choices, buttons, and tools because the screen cursor is locked to the drawing area of the view.

In relative mode, the tablet pointing device behaves just like a mouse. There is no correlation between the position of the screen cursor and the surface of the digitizing tablet. You can access ArcView's user interface menu choices, buttons, and tools when you are in relative mode.

ArcView allows you to toggle between absolute and relative modes so that you can use the digitizer pointer device to digitize features as well as to access the user interface choices (as a substitute to the mouse).

There are several ways you can toggle between these modes:

 Use the F2 function key.

 From the View menu, choose Digitizer as Puck or Digitizer as Mouse.

 Use the WinTab manager control panel and configure one of the tablet pointer device buttons to simulate middle double click action. Once the button is configured correctly, you can press this button to toggle between absolute and relative modes.

An example to zoom to the extent of the digitizing tablet surface

Assuming that the digitizer is configured correctly, here is an example that will zoom the view to the extent of the digitizing tablet surface:

1	Press F2 to switch to relative mode if you are in absolute mode.

2	Click the Zoom In tool [image].

3	Press F2 to switch to absolute mode.

4	Place the puck on the lower left corner of the tablet surface and press the button that you have programmed to behave like left mouse click action (the cursor may not be visible on the screen).

5	Move the puck to the top right corner of the tablet surface and press the same button (the cursor may not be visible on the screen).

6	Press F2 to switch back to relative mode.

Tip    To quickly tell what mode you are in, while moving the digitizer pointing device on the tablet surface, look at the ArcView’s status bar. If you see the tablet’s X and Y coordinates (updating as you move the puck) you are in absolute mode. Also, in absolute mode, the screen cursor may be invisible or is locked to the drawing area of the view. If the screen cursor moves freely (similar to mouse) and is visible outside the view, the digitizer is in relative mode.

See also

Configuring the buttons on your digitizer’s puck for use with ArcView


To register the paper map

To register the paper map

1	From the View menu choose Digitizer Setup. if the menu doesn’t have a Digitizer Setup option, you’ve forgotten to load the Digitizer extension. If the Digitizer Setup option is dimmed out, the digitizer driver may not be properly installed. See Troubleshooting digitizers.

2	Specify how much error you will allow by entering a value in the Error Limit field (optional). The default value is 0.004 inches (or its equivalent units).

3	If you’ve set the projection for your view, go to step 4. If the view is not projected, go to step 5.

4	In the Units drop-down list, select the units that you want to use to enter ground coordinates for your control points. You may choose to enter ground coordinates either in Decimal Degrees or in the projected units that you’ve specified for the View. Use the View Properties to change the current map units.

5	Click the digitizer puck icon and using your digitizer tablet’s pointing device, digitize at least four control points you identified on your paper map. A record appears in the dialog for each control point you digitize (when you move the puck, you’ll see the tablet X,Y coordinate updates in the dialog box).

6	Type in the actual ground coordinates for the control points in the X Coordinate and Y Coordinate fields. Alternatively, if these control points are represented in your view,  click on the mouse icon and click these control points using the mouse (you use the mouse to pick these points on the screen or press F2 to use the puck as a mouse). Once you specify the true coordinate location for a control point, ArcView adds a mark (asterisk) at the beginning of the row indicating that the control point has been entered and its ground coordinates are now know. Continue picking points on the screen or typing in the ground coordinates for all subsequent control points.

7	Once you’ve entered at least four control points and their true coordinates, ArcView displays the error at each control point in the Error field. It also calculates the Root Mean Square (RMS) error and displays the information as calculated error.

8	Compare the calculated error with the value specified in the Error Limit edit box. It should be lower than the Error Limit. If the calculated error is larger than the Error Limit, you cannot register your map, and you’ll have to do one of the following:
 Re-digitize control points on your paper map.
 Re-enter the corresponding ground control points.
 Increase the value in the Error Limit edit box and press TAB key.
Note    Substantial increase in error tolerance may lead to poor quality digitizing.

9	Click the Save button (optional) to save the ground coordinate values for future use. For example, by saving these values, you’ll be able to load them into the Digitizer Setup dialog if you re-register this map, or another map that uses the same control points.

10	Click on the Register button. This will register your map and dismiss the dialog box.

Notes

 If the digitizer puck buttons are not configured correctly, ArcView displays a warning message after registering the map. If you see this message, use the digitizer driver’s WinTab manager setup program to re-configure buttons before you start digitizing features.

 Once you register your map, use Zoom In tool [image] and zoom to the extents of the paper map. Otherwise, you may not see the cursor when you move the puck on the digitizer tablet.

 After registering the map, If you change the view projection or current map units you must re-register the map using new units.

Tip    You can display tic files as event themes in your view.

See also

To register the paper map using tic files


To register the paper map using tic files

If you have ARC/INFO tic files in INFO or dBASE formats, or if you’ve saved the ground coordinate values in the previous ArcView session, you can directly use them to register your map.

To register the paper map using tic files or to re-register the map

1	From the View menu choose Digitizer Setup. if the menu doesn’t have a Digitizer Setup option, you’ve forgotten to load the Digitizer extension. If the Digitizer Setup option is dimmed out, the digitizer driver may not be properly installed. See Troubleshooting digitizers.

2	Specify how much error you will allow by entering a value in the Error Limit field (optional). The default value is 0.004 inches (or its equivalent units).

3	If you’ve set the projection for your view, go to step 4. If the view is not projected, go to step 5.

4	In the Units drop-down list, select the units in which tic files are stored. You may load tic files that are stored either in Decimal Degrees or in the units that you’ve specified for the View. Make sure that the units you select matches the units in which tic files are stored. Use the View Properties to change the current map units.

5	Click the Load button.

6	In the dialog that appears, choose the desired tic file type from the File Types list.

7	Navigate to the directory that contains the tic file you want to load, and select it.

8	Press OK to display the X,Y values in the X and Y Coordinate fields.

9	Select the first record, click on the puck icon, and digitize the corresponding control point on the paper map. Do this for at least four of the control points that were specified in the tic file (when you move the puck, you’ll see the tablet X,Y coordinate updates in the dialog box).

10	Once you’ve entered at least four control points and their true coordinates, ArcView displays the error at each control point in the Error field. It also calculates the Root Mean Square (RMS) error and displays the information as calculated error.

11	Compare the calculated error with the value specified in the Error Limit edit box. It should be lower than the Error Limit. If the calculated error is larger than the Error Limit, you cannot register your map, and you’ll have to do one of the following:
 Re-digitize control points on your paper map.
 Re-enter the corresponding ground control points.
 Increase the value in the Error Limit edit box and press the TAB key.
Note    Substantial increase in error tolerance may lead to poor quality digitizing.

12	Click on the Register button. This will register your map and dismiss the dialog box.

Notes

 If the digitizer puck buttons are not configured correctly, ArcView displays a warning message after registering the map. If you see this message, use the digitizer driver’s WinTab manager setup program to re-configure buttons before you start digitizing features.

 Once you register your map, use the Zoom In tool [image] and zoom to the extents of the paper map. Otherwise, you may not see the cursor when you move the puck on the digitizer tablet.

 After registering the map, If you change the view projection or current map units you must re-register the map using new units.

 ArcView ignores tic ID numbers in you tic file and sequentially assigns a unique label ID for every row in the tic file. You cannot edit the tic ID# field to assign a new number.

Tip    You can display tic files as event themes in your view.


Troubleshooting digitizers

In general, you may encounter two types of problems with digitizers:

 While installing the WinTab driver supplied by the hardware vendor

 While working with WinTab drivers within ArcView

If you’ve problems installing the digitizer driver, please refer to the troubleshooting section in the digitizer manual that came with your digitizer. It is also a good practice to refer to the readme file that came with the digitizer driver. If you still have problems installing the driver, please contact the digitizer manufacturer’s technical support. ESRI technical support do not assist you with the driver installation related problems.

If you’ve installed the digitizer driver successfully (i.e., you can use the digitizer pointing device as a mouse in Windows) and if you have problems with these drivers within ArcView, then refer to the on-line FAQ on digitizers for any workarounds. If you don’t find any information there, contact ESRI’s technical support for the latest information (and any workarounds) with these drivers.

Note    Digitizer support is not available on UNIX platforms.

Before you call ESRI technical support, please read the following troubleshooting tips to fix some of the common problems.

Always install latest drivers

The driver diskette(s) that came with your digitizer tablet may not have the latest drivers as digitizer manufacturers constantly upgrade their drivers. It is always a good practice to contact your hardware vendor to obtain the latest drivers for your operating system. In most cases, these drivers are distributed free of charge and you may be able to download from their FTP and Bulletin Board Services.