Annotations are textual and symbolic labels that display important information about network features on the web map. They can help you add clear, readable text to the map so you can identify network features, document design intent, and provide additional context for planning or editing workflows.

Networks Editor supports three types of annotations: Free annotations, Feature-linked annotations, and Block annotations.

Free annotations and feature-linked annotations are standard Esri annotation concepts. Block annotations are a Networks Editor concept that groups multiple feature-linked annotations into a single annotation block.

Free Annotations

Use free annotations to add text that is not connected to a specific network feature. In our example, we add a construction note for a proposed network extension during planning.

To create a free annotation:

1.Go to Edit > Annotations.
The Annotations tab opens.

2.Click Free, then choose the Layer and the Annotation Class from their respective drop-down menus, then type in the text to be displayed on the map.

To ensure the correct display of annotations on the map, zoom in to an appropriate scale.

Annotations are only visible when their associated layer is active and visible. Ensure that the layer is turned on in the Layer tab.

3.Place your newly created annotation on the map using one of the methods listed below.

4.Click on the map to place the annotation at the desired spot.
Your construction note is now created and saved to the InfoText layer.

You can place the same annotation multiple times by clicking different locations on the map. To place the annotation only once, press Esc after the first placement.

Feature-Linked Annotations

Feature-Linked Annotations are annotation features that maintain a dynamic relationship with the features they describe. When the linked feature's attributes or geometry change, the annotation is automatically updated to remain consistent.

You can create feature-linked annotations only when the selected feature has the feature-linked annotations configured. See Esri documentation for more info.

In this example, a utility designer is reviewing a street section with several underground cables. To make one specific line easier to identify, they create a feature-linked annotation that displays information such as the cable specification and year: NAEKBA4x150 / 2010.

To create a feature-linked annotation:

1.Go to Edit > Annotations.
The Annotations panel opens.

2.Under Feature-Linked, click Select Single Feature, then click the electricity line on the map.
The feature is selected and its relative information is shown in the panel.

3.Choose the suitable layer and annotation class configuration for your asset from their respective drop-down menus, in our example we choose Electricity Line Annotation and the annotation class LV Line.
The text field shows the created annotation.

4.Click on the map to place the annotation at the desired spot.
Your cable specification and year annotation is now created and saved to the web map.

You can rotate the annotation to the desired angle before placement by dragging the Rotation bar or typing in the angle degree.

If you delete a feature, its feature-linked annotation is automatically deleted.

If the selected feature is a line feature, the annotation is automatically rotated to match its rotation angle before placement.

Block Annotations for Parallel Lines/Cables

Create multiple labels as a single text block for parallel line features.

For a block annotation to be created, the selected feature must have a feature-linked annotation configuration.

In this example, a utility designer is reviewing a street section with multiple underground utility lines running close to each other. Labeling each line separately would make the map difficult to read. So, they sketch through nearby lines and creates block annotations, then places them on a free area on the map.

To create a block annotation:

1.Go to Edit > Annotations.
The Annotations panel opens.

2.Under Feature-Linked, click Select Multiple Features, then draw a line intersecting all the parallel line features on the map.
The selected lines are highlighted on the map and their information is shown in the panel.

The Annotation Class drop-down list is filtered to show only the classes that are valid for the selected feature's subtype. When you create a block annotation, Networks Editor considers the relationship rules of the selected feature. If exactly one valid rule matches, the corresponding annotation class is used. If multiple rules are valid, the first matching class is selected as the default. This allows you to configure which annotation subtype is used by default for each layer subtype. To read more, visit ArcGIS Pro documentation.

3.Click on the map to place the annotation block at the desired spot.
Your block annotation is now created and saved to the web map.

In a block annotation text, features are ordered geographically to match their visual arrangement on the map.

When creating a block annotation with leaderlines, the system automatically places leaderline anchors at the intersection points, to point precisely to where the features intersect with the identified geometry.

Block Annotations Behavior:

•Block annotations support only one line per feature-linked annotation.

•Block alignment follows the rotation of the placement location.

•Label order follows map orientation.

•Block annotations work with line, point, and area features.

Block annotations use the first available annotation layer and its first annotation class.

See also, Edit Annotations.