Setting Up the Layout 

Choosing the Desired Area 

1. Search for a location using the search box or pan across the map to find your specific area of interest. You may, or may not, create a study area as well; depending on what you would like to include in the final map.  
2. Select the  tab in the top left corner of the window. 

Note: It is best practice to set the approximate required zoom level in the map tab before moving over to the Layout tab - this may depend on:   

1. The area you would like to include  
2. Specific points or polygons you would like included in your map layout 
   

Sizing and Orientation 

1. Size: Select the dropdown to set the canvas size to one of the standard sizes in the dropdown list or specify a custom width and height in inches.  
2. Orientation: select portrait or landscape to change the orientation of the map canvas. 
3. The default page layout is letter size in landscape orientation.   
   

Adding a Map to the Layout Canvas 

1. Navigate to the Add Map  tool  
   
2. You will then be prompted to select some basic map features and settings which include: 
   
1. Style: To change the basemap, click on the map thumbnail and select the map style that best suits your requirements. It is worth noting that Roads, Aerial + labels, and Aerial is sourced from Google meaning it is great for current imagery, but their zoom levels are limited and not as custom as the Sitewise basemaps. If the zoom levels are too restrictive, SW Streets and SW Aerial + labels are good replacements. 
2. Zoom: This gives you the flexibility to choose what area you want the map to display, you have 3 options: 
   
1. Zoom to your study area (default): This will load any pre-created study areas for you.  
2. Current View: This will load based on how you have panned and zoomed in the map tab before navigating to the layout tool.  
3. Select a fixed zoom in miles or kilometers: This gives you the ability to set a strict range/ratio. 
3. Map Detail: This slider increases the detail of the map. For example, street names and icons will show up larger depending on the size selected (1 is the default). 
   
4. Layout Options:  
   
1. Fill page (recommended): Choosing this option will fit the map to the entire page. 
2. Auto-refresh your map: This option will automatically update your layout if changing your zoom level and location on the Map tab. 
3. Scalebar: Will add a scale bar for referencing size and distance on the map. 
4. Legend (recommended): You will need to first enable map layers in order to access this option. Will add a legend on the map with all selected map layers. 
5. Study Areas: If you created study areas prior to navigating to the layout tool, then ensure you click the dropdown to open these settings. 
   
1. Fill study areas: Will include the Study Area bodies on the map, rather than just the borders. 
2. Study area shapes: Will include the Study Area outlines.  
3. Pushpins: Will add a pushpin to the center of each study area. 
4. Labels: will label the distance metric used (10 min, 5 mi, etc.) on each study area. 
6. Map Layers: Enabling map layers will provide you with a check box list for all map layers in the current mapset (the currently enabled layers will be included by default when checking the Map Layers box). Adding map layers to your initial map will also add a legend to the map canvas by default. It is best practice not to add too many layers when first creating the map to reduce processing time when the map is rendering. You are still able to add layers after the map has been added to the canvas. See the [Managing Layers] section for more details. 
   
3. Once the settings are finalized, click the  button. 

Reviewing the Added Map 

Basic Layout Tools 

1. Anchor Text/Icon : Allows you to add a text or icon box to the map, anchored to a selected point. See the Managing Labels section for more details. 
2. Pan Map : Enables you to pan around on the map canvas by clicking on a specific point and dragging the map to your preferred placement 
3. Zoom In : Once selected, click and drag to create a box. This box will form the map area/view that you will zoom into.  
4. Zoom Out : Clicking this tool will zoom out the map.  
5. Add Legend to Map : Select to add a legend to the map window. The legend will consist of all layers added and currently displayed on the map. Legend tools are identical to Anchor Text tools (we will link it on upload).  
6.  Add a Map Scale : Selecting this allows you to add a scale bar to the map canvas by clicking and dragging a box. This is dynamic; therefore, the size of the box will determine the distance intervals of the scale bar.  
   
7. Border & Box Options: To make use of the border options, first select a map element, such as the map canvas itself, legend box, scale bar, text or icon boxes. Once selected you will be able to: 
1. Increase the Line Width  of the box’s border 
2. Change the Border color or Stroke Color    
3. Set of Opacity  of the item 
4. You can also create a measure line using the Ruler  tool, the above border and box options can help you customize the look of the measure line. 
   
8. Batch Label : This allows you to add labels for all points or polygons of a specific layer based on any of the fields in the layer’s table such as status, open date, ownership, etc. You can also specify the text and text box options when selecting this tool. See the Managing Labels section for more details. 

Saving/Exporting Layout 

Saving 

1. Navigate to the top left and click the ‘Save Layout’ button 
   
2. Within the ‘Save Layout’ you need to action the following: 
   
1. Layout Name: Choose a descriptive name so you can easily access this layout if required in the future.  
2. Save/Overwrite: Save a copy of your layout or overwrite the existing layout. Save a copy is recommended to avoid overwriting any layout by accident.  
3. Share: If you want other users in your organization to have access to this layout you can share it on a group-by-group basis.  
4. Template: Choose whether or not to make it a template which can be saved for future use. It is best practice to remove any map specific elements such as batch or anchor labels from the layout before saving them as a template.

Exporting 

1. Navigate to the top left of the layout tab and click the Create Map Output button. 
   
2. From here you can select the export format and the output name 
   
3. Once you have clicked ‘Create’, there will be an option to download the layout on the bottom right. 
   
4. Click the download icon to save your map. 

Tips 

1. All map elements, like scale bars, legends, and even the map itself, can be moved by selecting, dragging, and dropping the box at the desired location. 
2. All map elements can be resized by dragging one of the anchor points that are visible when the element has been selected. 
3. Text, Icons, labels and scale bars are automatically resized when resizing their respective boxes.  

What's Next