Organizing the Contents pane
Within the Contents pane, the information is organized into a nested or tree structure. The top-level is the name of this particular map. Underneath it are the various layers or files that make up this map, listed in a particular order, determined by the selection chosen under the search box. Since we're viewing our layers by drawing order, these are listed in the order in which they are stacked up to make the map (we'll look at the other options later). Notice that each item has a small triangle to the left, which allows you to expand or collapse each item. Each layer can be expanded to view the symbology for that layer or collapsed to view just the layer name.
A key element of working with any mapping or design software is layer management. ArcPro lets you easily see your data layers, along with symbology and other details, in the Contents pane. The buttons underneath the Search bar change the way in which the data layers are displayed—by drawing order, file location, selectability, edit status, snapping, labeling, and chart content. Hover your mouse over each button to find out what it does. For now, make sure Drawing Order is selected:
As we can see in, Figure 2.2, the Contents pane tree begins with US Counties, the name of this map. Underneath that the data layers that compose this map are listed. In this map, there is only one data layer so far, US Counties. Underneath the layer name is a colored square representing the symbol for that layer.
In complex maps, you may want to condense the Contents pane in order to see more information. You can reveal and hide the legend information (for example, the symbol properties, such as shading for areas or the shape used for the point) for a layer by clicking on the triangle next to the layer name. Click to reveal the legend; click again to hide it.
Across the top of the window, you'll see tabs labeled US Counties and North America. US Counties and North America are map frames, which are essentially individual maps made up of one or more map layers. In ArcMap, these were displayed as separate data frames within the same Contents pane. In the case of the project file you just opened, each tab contains one map. This will allow you to create and combine maps into a variety of layouts, which will be discussed later in the Transitioning to the layout view section. A Map Frame can comprise any of the data files (for example, shapefiles, coverages, and rasters) that can be added to ArcPro.
Click the North America Map tab to view it. When you are done, click the US Counties Map tab.
In the ArcPro work environment, the ribbon and tools are anchored to the top of the program window. The tabs are context-sensitive and will change depending on what you are doing. You may notice some tabs appear when you click on certain things and disappear when you click away.
Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the menus and buttons located within the ArcPro window. To find out a button's name (and functionality), move the cursor over it. After a few seconds, the button command name will appear near the button and a brief description of the command will appear in a pop-up box near the tool. You may notice that some menu items and buttons are grayed out, or appear and disappear. Some menus and buttons are available only during specific situations.
By default, ArcPro does not display all of the available tools. To see a full list of available tools, click Project|Options|Customize the Ribbon.