Determining rotation of rectangle features for Data Driven Pages in ArcGIS Desktop?

Question

I am trying to generate a large number of plans using the Data Driven Pages in ArcGIS Desktop.

I have created an index layer comprising a series of rectangle features that correspond to set scales on my layout page (eg 1:100, 1:500, etc). Due to the odd arrangement of the features I laid out the plans with rectangles that are often rotated. There wasn't a particular feature that I could use alternatively to create a nice layout using strip or grid tools.

I can see in the data driven page there is an option to include rotation. However I cannot figure out how to measure the rotation of the rectangle features.

Is there a way to do this automatically in the attribute table, similar to the way you can calculate geometry?

Answer 1

To do this using an Advanced or Standard level license of ArcGIS Desktop you could use the Calculate Polygon Main Angle tool which:

Calculates the dominant angles of input polygon features and assigns the values to a specified field in the feature class.

Use this tool on the same feature class that you are using as the source for the index layer of your Data Driven Pages.