Table Tactics

Use new commands in ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 to refine table selections.

You can manipulate a selected set of records by retaining or weeding out records using two new commands added to the ArcMap application in ArcGIS Desktop 9.3. Open the attribute table and click the Show Selected button on the table frame (or use the shortcut Ctrl + Tab to switch between these views). Click the desired records to highlight them from the selected ones. To select nonadjacent records, click the first record, hold down Ctrl, and click the rest of the records to be highlighted.

To use the new table commands, right-click the space in the table to the left of any row to invoke the context menu. Two new commands on that menu, Reselect Highlighted and Delete Highlighted, will be enabled.

To retain the highlighted records and unselect all other records, click the Reselect Highlighted command from the context menu. You can also use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + R. You can eliminate some selected records while retaining the balance of the previously selection. After changing the table to display only selected records and selecting the records to be eliminated, right-click the left side of the table to open the context menu and choose the Delete Highlighted command. This command deletes the highlighted records and retains the rest of the selection.

Toggle between displaying field names and field aliases by holding down Ctrl and right-clicking a field name.

The shortcuts in the following table will help speed common operations on attribute tables.