KML Contents

E-mail this topic Print this topic

The KML content you've added is considered a layer in ArcGIS Explorer. As such, you can toggle its visibility, zoom to the extent of all its features, and control the transparency of its text and symbols. As you may know, KML and KMZ files can contain a hierarchical organization of places in folders and subfolders. When you add KML content to ArcGIS Explorer you'll only see its topmost element in the Contents window. In some cases, this element represents a single place, but in many instances it's the topmost folder, within which are places and/or subfolders that contain places as well. You can see and manage the entire KML contents by clicking the node representing the KML content you added or by right-clicking and selecting KML Contents on the context menu that appears:

Selecting KML Contents in the context menu or simply clicking the KML layer in the Contents window displays a floating window that displays the organization of the selected KML or KMZ file. Each folder and subfolder appears with a small plus (+) or minus (-) sign icon to its far left and a check box for toggling the visibility of the places within it. Each place also has its own check box. To expand a folder or subfolder click its icon.

Note   As in the Contents window, checking or unchecking a place's check box in the KML Contents window will toggle its visibility immediately.

If you double-click a place in the KML Contents window you'll fly to the place; once there click its placemark to display descriptive information in a popup window next to the location, for example:

At the bottom of the popup window you'll see links to tasks to which you can send the KML feature.

KML Contents context menu

When you right click an item in the KML Contents window, you'll see a context menu appropriate to the item. In some cases, you'll see all the items in the illustration shown below, in others, only some will appear:

	Fly to	Navigates to the spatial extent of the place. Note that animation is involved and this may affect performance. You may wish to increase Point-to-Point Speed in the Options dialog's Flight Characteristics panel to satisfy your requirements.
	Show Popup Window	Shows descriptive information associated with the place in a popup window on the map.
	Play Tour	Flies to all nodes in the selected folder. You can use this button to fly from one location to another in the order that the KML author specified.
	Tour Visible Nodes	In contrast to Play Tour, flies only among locations that are marked as visible (checked on).
	Animate...	Displays the Animate window to play time-based data animations. For more information see Working with time-based KML data.

You can use these buttons to fly from one visible location to another in the order that the KML author specified or stop the tour of places in mid-flight. Clicking the Fly button restarts the tour.