Splitting/Deleting/Hiding Sections of Map In ArcMap Layout View For Printing?

Question

I have a map of a large area, in that area, I have parcels.

I want to split the map, basically in half at a certain parcel, but I can't find a way to "Cut" or "Delete" the other half of the map that I don't need, in Layout View, for my final, printed map.

I can clip at the data frame level, but the parcels are a layer within another layer, so it would cut part of that larger container off, and I don't want to to do this.

Clipping all the layers individually would cause me to lose all my symbology.

Is there really no way to choose very specific parts of the map to appear in the layout view for printing other than manipulating the layers (and therefore the data and the symbology) in the data view?

Answer 1

You have two potential Options...if I understand the question.

Use the "Dataframe Clipping" Option.

Basically by drawing a polgyon or using an existing layer the dataframed is "Clipped" only showing those features contained within the chosen boundary.

To set this up:

Right-click the "Layers" dataframe and head to properties. Select "Data Frame" from the tabs and look for the "Clip Options" at the bottom of the tab window. Select "Clip to Shape" from the drop-down list Choose "Specify Shape" from the new button that appears

Here you can either: Use the existing dataframe extent to "Clip" or choose an existing layer to clip from.

Hitting "Ok" will then take you back to the main tab, here you can select which layers you want to be omitted from the clip, things like basemaps or background information.

If that isnt what you are looking for and you want more control or a series of polygons to be clipped (like two halves of a study area), the Data Driven Pages might offer a better set of tools.

First create a series of polygons defining the areas you want to show in your clips. Turn on the Data Driven Pages Toolbar and activate it.

You can then play around with the options in the Toolbar to choose the layer you want to use as the template for the view etc.

You can also use the steps in the first part of this answer to define the "Clipping Boundary" as the extent of the Data Driven pages.

Answer 2

This is more of a workaround than a solution but here it goes. In the customize tab at the top ribbon, go to Toolbars>Draw. The draw toolbar lets you add elemets similar to what you might see on Illustrator or Photoshop--graphics stuff unrelated to your data/layers. You can add rectangles from that Draw menu and change their outline, fill, color etc. Whatever you need to do to manipulate how they appear when they hide the stuff in your datagrames that you dont want to show.

I hope I'm understanding your question.