What is the location style?
The location style involves styling all features in a layer with a single symbol. This is designed to only visualize the location of features with no other data-driven attributes overriding the symbol. Location, or geometry, is the only way to distinguish one feature from another. This allows you to treat all the features equally and let their spatial pattern speak for itself on the map.
How to style features by location
In general, there are two ways to style features:
-
Apply symbols to graphics: Use this approach when you need to display the location for temporary graphics in a map or scene. The symbol type must match the geometry type of the graphic. Learn more about how to create graphics in Graphics.
-
Apply a renderer (with symbols) to a data layer: Use this approach to define the style for all features in a data layer in a map or scene. A renderer defines the rules for applying symbols to features, such as how to color or size features based on a data value.
Simple renderer
Location styles are defined with a simple renderer. Using a simple renderer, all visual properties of the symbol (e.g. size, color, opacity, texture, etc.) are fixed for each feature. The primary purpose of the visualization is to show where a feature is located, not specifics about the feature's attributes. For example, if you want to know the locations of weather stations, but you don't need to know additional attribute information about each station, you should render all points with the same symbol.
const renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new SimpleMarkerSymbol({
size: 4,
color: [0, 255, 255],
outline: null
})
});
Symbols
The style for features in a map are defined by a symbol. The symbol should represent the data with either what the symbol represents or how the feature is related to other features with respect to location and the data attributes being mapped.
The symbol chosen for a layer depends on the view in which it is rendered (2D or 3D), and the geometry type of the features in the layer (point, polyline, polygon, or mesh).
2D Symbols
You use 2D symbols to style point, line, and polygon geometries and display them in a map. The main types are marker, linke, fill, picture, and text symbols. See below for more examples.
const symbol = new SimpleMarkerSymbol({
color: "rgba(0,128,155,0.8)",
size: "10px",
outline: new SimpleLineSymbol({
width: 0.5,
color: "rgba(255,255,255,0.3)"
})
});3D Symbols
You use 3D symbols to style point, line, polygon, and mesh geometries and display them in a scene. In a scene, you can choose between two types of symbols:
- 2D symbols such as marker symbols, line symbols and polygon fill symbols.
- 3D symbols such as 3D model symbols, path symbols and extruded polygon symbols.
See below for more examples.
const pointSymbol = new PointSymbol3D({
symbolLayers: [ new IconSymbol3DLayer({
resource: { href: "pin.svg" },
size: 15,
material: {
color: "#4c397f"
},
anchor: "bottom"
})]
});2D examples
Points
To visualize the location of point features in a map, set a simple marker symbol, picture marker symbol, or a CIM symbol in a simple renderer, and set the renderer on the layer. All features will display in the view with the same symbol.
This example visualizes the locations of weather stations.
- Create a simple marker symbol and add it to a simple renderer.
- Set the renderer to a data layer.
const renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new SimpleMarkerSymbol({
size: 4,
color: [0, 255, 255],
outline: null
})
});
Lines
To visualize the location of line features in a map, use a simple line symbol or a cim symbol, and a simple renderer.
This example displays the locations of major highways with one symbol.
Steps
- Create a simple line symbol and add it to a simple renderer.
- Set the renderer to the data layer.
const renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new SimpleLineSymbol({
width: 1,
color: "#fb12ff",
})
});
Polygons
To visualize the location of polygon features in a map, you can use either a simple fill symbol or a picture fill symbol. You can also use simple marker symbol, picture marker symbol, web style symbol, or a cim symbol to visualize the centroid of the polygon.
This example visualizes flash flood warnings in the United States with very transparent polygons.
Steps
- Create a simple fill symbol and add it to a simple renderer.
- Set the renderer to the data layer.
layer.renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new SimpleFillSymbol({
color: "rgba(0,76,115,0.04)",
outline: null
})
});
3D examples
Points
To visualize the location of point features in a scene, set a marker symbol or a 3D model symbol in a simple renderer, and set the renderer on the layer. All features will display in the view with the same symbol. This example shows how to create a globe that displays cities all over the world. The symbol for the cities is a pin marker.
Steps
- Create a marker symbol and add it to a simple renderer.
- Apply the renderer to the data layer so that each feature is displayed with the marker symbol.
const renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new PointSymbol3D({
symbolLayers: [
new IconSymbol3DLayer({
resource: {
href:
"https://static.arcgis.com/arcgis/styleItems/Icons/web/resource/Pushpin3.svg",
},
size: 15,
material: {
color: "#4c397f",
},
anchor: "bottom",
}),
],
}),
});
Lines
To visualize the location of line features in a scene, set a line symbol or a 3D path symbol in a simple renderer, and set the renderer on the layer. This example shows how to style the streets in Manhattan using a path symbol.
Steps
- Create a path symbol with a width and a height of 10 meters.
- Add it to a simple renderer.
- Apply the renderer to the data layer.
const renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new LineSymbol3D({
symbolLayers: [
new PathSymbol3DLayer({
profile: "quad",
material: {
color: [46, 255, 238],
},
width: 10,
height: 10,
join: "miter",
cap: "round",
anchor: "bottom",
profileRotation: "all",
}),
],
}),
})
Polygons
To visualize polygon features in a scene, use a fill symbol or extrude the polygon based on real-world heights. The example below extrudes building footprints with a fixed height to display schematic buildings in a city.
Steps
- Create an extruded polygon symbol and add it to a simple renderer.
- Apply the renderer to the data layer.
const renderer = new SimpleRenderer({
symbol: new PolygonSymbol3D({
symbolLayers: [ new ExtrudeSymbol3DLayer({
material: {
color: "#ffc53d"
},
size: 10,
edges: {
type: "solid",
color: "#a67400",
size: 1.5
}
})]
})
});