Getting Started and Basic Settings
Credits: L. Meisterlin with Moses Levich (2021)
Included in this tutorial:
Launching ArcGIS Pro
Accessing Global Settings and Options
Creating and Saving a New Project
Accessing a Project’s Settings and Options
Software version in examples: ArcGIS Pro 2.8.0
Launching ArcGIS Pro
Run the ArcGIS Pro application. (If you have not already done so, you will be prompted to sign into your ArcGIS Online account.) By default, ArcGIS Pro opens with a Start dialogue.
the Start dialogue
Within the Start dialogue you can open a recent project or create a new project, with or without the use of a template (project templates provide starting-off points for different workflows in ArcGIS Pro).
EXTRA: The ArcGIS Pro Help description of projects is here.
Accessing Global Settings and Options
To access ArcGIS Pro's settings from the Start dialogue, click through Settings > Options in the lower left corner. The Options dialogue will appear, containing the global settings for the project and for the software (application).
NOTE: Options are categorized between Application and Project. Changes to Application options apply universally in ArcGIS Pro, while changes made to Project options apply only to the current project.
Access global settings and remove default basemap
The example above demonstrates accessing the global settings options and removing the default basemap given to ArcGIS Pro projects.
From the Start dialogue, click through Settings > Options > Map and Scene.
Under Basemap check None.
Click OK, then press the back arrow in the top left to return to the Start dialogue.
Creating and Saving a New Project
To create a new project from the Start dialogue, click Map under New Blank Templates.
In the Create a New Project dialog box that appears, name your new project and choose a location to save it. (Browse to a new folder or directory if necessary. In the example below, the project is saved in ...\Documents\GISTutorials.)
TIP: You can set a default location to save new projects in the ArcGIS Pro Settings, under General > Create Projects.
Creating a new project
Along with the project file (.aprx), a new file geodatabase (.gdb) and toolbox (.tbx) associated with the project will be created by default.
To keep these organized together in a new folder, leave the Create a new folder for this project option checked. (This is helpful in maintaining data links if you move your project and its associated layers between machines.)
Accessing a Project’s Settings and Options
The blue Project tab, at the left of the menu ribbon, includes the typical File menu options (e.g., New Project, Open a Project, Save As..., etc.), as well as the project settings.
To access these settings from within a project, click through the Project tab > Options. Under Current Settings, you can change the project name and the locations of various files and folders associated with your project. (Click OK to close the Options dialogue.)
Current settings for the project