Using ArcCatalog

Browsing through
the Catalog
Browsing through geographic
data in the Catalog is easy,
whether you’re looking for
something specific or simply
seeing what’s there. The Catalog
tree displays all the items in the
Catalog and illustrates the
hierarchy in which they are
organized. When you select an
item in the Catalog tree, the
Contents tab lists the items it
contains. By pressing the Up and
Down arrow keys on your
keyboard, you can quickly select
the items displayed above or
below the currently selected item
in the Catalog tree. The Up One
Level button on the Standard
toolbar selects the next item up
in the Catalog tree’s hierarchy.
Sometimes, the Catalog’s list of a
folder’s contents will not match
the folder’s actual contents—for
example, after you receive a map
as an e-mail attachment and you
save it in a folder. You can
update, or refresh, the Catalog’s
list of the folder’s contents by
selecting the folder in the
Catalog tree, clicking the View
menu, then clicking Refresh.
When you know exactly which
item you want to work with and
where it’s located, it’s quicker to
select it by typing its path than by
browsing through the u
Selecting items in the
Catalog tree and the
Contents list
1. Click the Contents tab.
2. Click an item in the Catalog
tree that contains a subset of
items, such as a folder or
feature dataset.
The items it contains are
listed in the Contents tab.
3. Double-click an item in the
Contents list that contains a
subset of items.
The items it contains are
listed in the Contents tab.
4. Double-click an item that
contains a subset of items in
the Catalog tree.
The items it contains are
listed in the Catalog tree.
5. Double-click an item that
does not contain other items,
such as a shapefile or table,
either in the Contents list or in
the Catalog tree.
Maps open in ArcMap, and
XML documents and file
types open in the appropriate
application. A Properties
dialog box will appear for all
other items.
6. Click an item that doesn’t
contain other items in the
Catalog tree.
Its properties and thumbnail
are listed in the Contents tab.
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40 USING ARCCATALOG