VIEWER INSTRUCTIONS

4. Turning Layers ON and OFF

The check box next to each layer indicates whether or not the layer is currently drawn in the Map Display. An unchecked box indicates a layer is turned off; a checked box indicates it is on. Click in a box to change its status. Notice that the group names also have a check box. You can use the group check box to quickly turn off all layers in a group that are currently visible on the map.

The order of layers within the TOC is important, because the layers at the top draw on top of those below them. If you turn on a layer but don't see it displayed in the map, it could be that another layer listed above it in the TOC is covering the layer you wish to view. To make the layer you are interested in visible, you'll need to determine which layer(s) are covering it and turn them off.
Hint: Turning off a group name's check box will quickly turn off all layers belonging to that group.

In certain cases, layer names are masked in gray and the visible properties are locked.

These layers in gray are scale-dependent layers, meaning that they are only available to view within certain ranges in map scale. This is useful in providing readable and coherent maps. For example, when the map is zoomed way out, only the major highways are displayed, but as you zoom in, more roads become visible by default and are drawn in the Map Display.

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