How To Change Size Of Legend In R

A quick tour of the Legend Sorcerer
Transparency in legends
Modifying fable properties
Converting map elements to graphics

A legend tells a map reader the pregnant of the symbols used to represent features on the map. Legends consist of examples of the symbols on the map with labels containing explanatory text. When you lot utilise a single symbol for the features in a layer, the layer is labeled with the layer'southward name in the legend. When you use multiple symbols to represent features in a unmarried layer, the field yous use to classify the features becomes a heading in the fable, and each category is labeled with its value.

Legends have patches that show examples of the map symbols. By default, the legend patches are points, straight lines, or rectangles that lucifer the map symbols. You can customize the legend patches, for example, so areas are represented with patches of some other shape, or rivers are drawn with a sinuous rather than a directly line.

A quick tour of the Legend Wizard

The Legend Wizard provides an easy, quick style to add a legend to your map. The wizard allows you to

Choose which map layers you want to be part of the legend.
Ready the number of columns in the legend.
Create and symbolize a legend title.
Create and symbolize a edge and background for the legend.
Customize the shape and size of legend patches.
Prepare the spacing between legend elements.

When you first access the sorcerer, you will come across the list of layers in your map that will brand upwards the legend.

Not all layers demand to exist in the legend. Y'all have the choice to remove any of the layers listed. Y'all can reorder the layer list every bit y'all see fit. This reordering does not affect layer ordering in the table of contents. This panel of the wizard also provides options to set the number of columns in the legend. The wizard does not provide options to determine where columns begin. Yous can further refine your columns by modifying the legend after information technology has been created using the options on the Items tab of the Legend Properties dialog box.

The next panel provides a place for yous to enter a legend title.

Along with typing in the championship text, you can cull the color, size, font, and justification of the text.

The next console offers choices to customize a border, background, and driblet shadow for the legend.

The next to terminal panel gives you lot the opportunity to set patch properties for line and polygon symbols.

Here, you can set the width, height, and shape of the patch for line or polygon features.

Learn more most working with legend patch shapes

The terminal panel allows you to specify the spacing betwixt legend elements.

Every bit you click each spacing input box, the spacing indicator (in red) in the image to the right will conform to show you where the spacing will exist adapted.

Transparency in legends

If you have layers with transparency in your map, ArcMap simulates the transparent colors in your legend. When layers in a data frame are made transparent, the table of contents and the legends in layout view automatically use lighter colors to reflect transparency.

The pick to simulate transparency in legends is gear up on the General tab on the Data Frame Properties dialog box. When this choice is turned on, solid, bright red polygons fatigued on a layer appear in the legend as a light red or pink, depending on the percentage of transparency practical to the layer. However, with the Simulate transparency option off, the fable yet shows the solid cherry polygon symbol, fifty-fifty though the polygons don't announced red on the map considering the layer is transparent.

In addition, you lot can convert the fable to graphics and manually specify the legend patch colors. Using the Centre Dropper tool, you lot can obtain the exact RGB value of a pixel and utilise that color for the fable patch.

Modifying legend properties

Using the Legend Properties dialog box, you tin can

Modify the wording, symbology, and position of the legend title.
Change properties for patches.
Change the reading orientation.
Adjust the spacing between legend elements.
Change the presentation way.
Add or remove columns.
Alter text symbology for selected items.
Determine the interactive beliefs of the legend through its connection with the map.
Decide the interactive behavior of the legend with the current map extent.

The Legend Properties dialog box has five tabs: General, Items, Layout, Frame, and Size and Position.

Legend Properties dialog box General tab

The General tab provides a mode to customize the fable championship, specify legend items, and ready the map connection properties.

Currently, simply one position for the title, above, is supported. You can convert the legend to graphics and rearrange fable components manually if y'all desire to reposition the title. You can also choose not to include a title as part of the legend and create a championship every bit an independent graphic element.

To specify which layers will appear every bit items in your legend, use the buttons between the lists of map layers and legend items. Layers in your map that can be legend items volition appear in the Map Layers list. The layers listed in the Fable Items listing reflect the actual make up of your fable. To reorder one or more items in the fable, select the items in the Fable Items listing, and click the buttons to the correct of the list to move them up and down or to the top or bottom of the listing.

In that location are besides four options bachelor to adjust the behavior of the legend based on changes made to the map:

But display layers that are checked on in the table of contents.
Add a new detail to the legend when a new layer is added to the map.
Reorder the legend items when the map layers are reordered.
Scale symbols when a reference scale is fix.

Y'all tin can choose to only brandish layers that are checked on in the table of contents. If a layer's visibility is turned off, it volition automatically be removed from the legend; otherwise, layers will be shown in the legend whether or not they are visible on the map. You lot tin also have the legend add a new item to the legend automatically when a new layer is added to the map. Another selection is to reorder legend items automatically whenever the map layers are reordered in the Table of Contents. Lastly, you lot tin can cull to calibration symbols in the legend when a reference scale is set up in the map. This will match the size of line and betoken symbols in the legend to the size of line and betoken symbols on the map. This only applies when the map has a reference scale. Without a reference scale set up, the size of symbols in the map and the legend will remain abiding.

On the Items tab, you lot can customize individual legend items, modify text symbology, change how items interact with the current map extent, and modify column settings at the particular level.

While working in the Items tab, you lot can apply changes to one or more items at a time. When you lot select multiple items from the list, the changes you make will apply to all the selected items. Settings you lot exercise non change will remain the same as they were for each individual item.

To change the text symbol used past some or all of the items, use the font controls next to the item listing. You tin can utilise these changes to all the text associated with the selected items, or simply to detail text items. These include the layer name, the heading, the label, and the clarification. Use the driblet-downwardly menu to select which text items you lot would like to modify.

You can as well change all the text symbology in the legend at once by using the font controls on the Draw toolbar while the legend is selected in your layout.

The Map Extent Options allow you to control how eligible fable items interact with the current map extent. If the Only show classes that are visible in the electric current map extent check box is checked, a legend detail course will only announced in the legend if a feature from that class is in the current extent. If no features from that legend item are in the electric current extent, the entire item volition be removed from the fable. You tin also add together feature counts to your legend by checking the Show characteristic count cheque box.

The number of features from that legend item class that are in the electric current extent will appear after that class' characterization. If a legend particular does not have labels, the count will announced after the patch. Yous tin set the text that will appear before and after the feature count by typing in the text boxes. Yous tin also set whether or not you lot would like to display a thousands separator by checking or unchecking the Show thousands separator check box. If Data Driven Pages is enabled, you can cheque the Use current index equally the map extent (data driven pages) bank check box to use the extent of the current alphabetize characteristic as the electric current map extent. By default, the current extent of the data frame is used. If the information frame is clipped, the current clip shape will be used as the extent. Layers that are excluded from the clip volition still use the full extent of the data frame.

This tab is likewise where you can control the number of columns in your legend. Yous do this past placing items in new columns and setting the number of columns for each detail. To place an particular in a new column, select information technology from the list and check the Identify in new column check box. You can also enter the number of columns y'all want to apply for each legend item. Utilise these properties on individual legend items to achieve your overall desired cavalcade configuration.

To change the legend item style, double-click the item listed in the Legend Items list box. This takes you to the Legend Detail Selector dialog box.

Hither, you can select and preview the fable way you want to use for the chosen legend item. Every bit y'all select an organisation from the left, you lot will see a preview on the right. To make farther modifications, click Properties. This brings up the Fable Particular Properties dialog box. Using this dialog box, yous tin further customize the system and appearance of legend items.

Legend Item dialog box Arrangement and General tabs

The Arrangement tab provides six options for the arrangement of the patch, characterization, and description. The Full general tab allows you to hide, brandish, and change the text symbology of the layer proper name, labels, headings, and clarification. Yous tin can also override the default patch for line and polygon features. Other options on the General tab include the ability to prove classes from a specific heading if the layer has been divided nether headings on the Symbology tab of the Layer Properties dialog box and to prevent items from being split across legend columns.

On the Layout tab, y'all can set the default fable patch, set the spacing betwixt legend elements, set up the fitting strategy, and set up the legend to read right to left.

You can fix the default width, superlative, and shape of the patch for line and polygon features for all legend items. To override the default legend patch, open up the Fable Item Properties dialog box for an item and cheque Override default patch.

Acquire more about working with legend patch shapes

Yous tin can also specify the spacing between legend elements. As you click each spacing input box, the spacing indicator in the epitome to the right volition update to show you where the spacing will exist adjusted.

Afterwards applying these values, the legend will resize to meet them. However, if you resize the fable afterwards the values will adjust appropriately.

You tin too adjust the manner fable items fill the bounding box. By default, legend items will take up the entire frame. Legend items will grow or shrink equally you resize the legend frame and the bounding box will grow or shrink when items are added or removed from the fable. Withal, if the Stock-still Frame option is selected, the frame size volition remain fixed, and as fable items are added or removed, they volition adapt to fit within. It is important to remember that this means it will effort to brand the legend as compact every bit possible, not that it volition try to have up the entire bounding box. Instead of resizing fable item elements to make full the frame; font size, default patch size, and gap measurement values will be used as maximum values. Afterwards the entire frame is taken upwardly using these values, legend items volition brainstorm to drop. The post-obit symbol will announced if any items have been dropped from the legend Overflow indicator .

When plumbing fixtures the legend into the frame, column settings for individual legend items will be respected unless Automatically Adjust Number of Columns is checked. With Automatically Adjust Number of Columns checked, cavalcade settings for individual items will be overridden and a new column volition be fabricated whenever the entire height of the legend frame is taken upward.

If Compress Contents to Fit is checked, legend contents will shrink in an attempt to fit more items on the legend until a minimum font size is hit. Once this font size is hitting by any fable text item, the legend will begin dropping fable items that do not fit.

When a border, background, or drop shadow is added to a legend with Fixed Frame enabled, they volition resize to surround the legend items and not the bounding box.

Example of legend background, border, and drop shadow adjusting to fit around legend items with Fixed Frame enabled

Yous tin can enable text wrapping on labels and descriptions past checking the boxes Wrap labels and Wrap descriptions, respectively, and setting maximum width values. The label and description widths will exist used along with patch and gap measurements to set up your total column width. If a column does not accept labels or descriptions, the characterization and clarification widths will not be added to the total width of those columns. Text will wrap subsequently it reaches the limit using standard character breaks. If a piece of text doesn't fit, it will exist truncated with an ellipsis. The measurements y'all set for description and label width will remain constant even if you resize the legend frame. They will not adapt proportionately like other measurements.

By default, the legend is set up to read left to correct. To have it read correct to left, bank check the Right to left reading check box.

Finally, the dialog box contains 2 standard tabs for setting the frame (border and groundwork) and the size and position of the legend.

Converting map elements to graphics

You might want to catechumen a map element, such as a legend, to graphics if y'all want more precise control over each item that composes the map element.

It is important to note that one time you lot convert a map chemical element into a graphic, it is no longer continued to its original data and volition not respond to changes made to the map. For case, with a legend element, if you make up one's mind to add some other layer to the map later the legend has been converted to a graphic, the legend will not automatically update. It will take to exist deleted and rebuilt again using the Legend Wizard. Therefore, information technology is a skilful thought to convert elements to graphics merely afterward your map's layers and symbology are finalized.

The image below shows a legend that has been converted to a graphic:

You tin can further ungroup the legend graphics so the individual elements (the patches, text, and and so on) that compose the legend can be edited individually.

How to change the number of columns in your legend

Though you can set the number of columns in your fable when you are first creating it using the Legend Wizard, you may find that you lot desire to farther refine your columns. You tin can do this using legend properties.

Double-click the legend to bring upwardly the Legend Backdrop dialog box.
Select the layer from Legend Items that yous want to start a cavalcade.
Bank check the Place in new column check box.
Echo this for each additional layer in which you want to start a column.

How to change the properties for a single legend detail

Double-click the legend to bring up the Legend Properties dialog box.
Click the Fable tab on the Legend Properties dialog box.
Correct-click the item from Legend Items in which you lot want to edit and click Properties.
Make your changes using the System and Full general tabs.

How to turn on transparency simulation in your legend

Right-click the data frame in the table of contents and click Properties.
Click the General tab.
Check the Simulate layer transparency in legends check box.
Optionally, uncheck the Simulate layer transparency in legends check box if you do non want transparency simulation in your legend.

Adding mixed-format text to fable descriptions

Edit the form descriptions and enter some formatted text. To add together a description, right-click the layer to which yous want to add descriptive text in the tabular array of contents, click Backdrop, then click the Symbology tab on the Layer Properties dialog box.
If you are using the Single symbol method, click the Description button. If you are using a cartoon method other than Charts, right-click a symbol after you have specified its symbology options and click Edit Description.
The text you enter here appears next to that symbol in the fable; the text won't appear in the table of contents. If you lot want your clarification to be on more than one line, insert a line break by pressing CTRL+ENTER while on the Clarification for Legend dialog box.
Click OK on the Layer Properties dialog box to apply the symbology to your layer.