How to 'Erase' (without the Erase
Tool)
(How to 'Erase' if all you
have is the ArcView License)
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The ArcView license level of ArcGIS (which is the version
of ArcGIS that you get if you get a Student Evaluation copy) does not include
the ERASE tool. However, a work-around can be done with tools that are included
to accomplish the same effect...
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If you want to 'Erase' some line features:
-
Use the Intersect tool to intersect your
lines with the erase Polygons
-
In the resulting output Line layer, use Select by
Location to select all lines that are contained in the original
erase Polygon layer
-
Start an Edit Session
-
Delete the selected lines
If you want to 'Erase' some polygon features:
-
Use the Union tool to union your polygons
with the erase Polygons
-
In the resulting output Polygon layer, use Select
by Location to select all polygons that are contained in the
original erase Polygon layer
-
Start an Edit Session
-
Delete the selected polygons
One of
the downsides of this workaround is that the fields from the erase polygon layer
will be added to your output layer. You can minimize this by:
-
Open
the Layer Properties for your erase polygon layer
-
Select the
Fields tab
-
Turn off
(Clear All) all the fields so they are not visible (and do not
end up in your output)
-
Intersect
or Union as needed (see above)
-
-
Then
after you’re done, to turn them back on... (Select All)
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