SizeVariable | API Reference | ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.31

The size visual variable defines the size of individual features in a layer based on a numeric (often thematic) value. This value comes from one of the following:

An attribute field
The value of an attribute field divided by a normalizationField
A value returned from an Arcade expression specified in valueExpression.

Size is defined in the form of a continuous ramp, which may be applied to renderers in either a MapView or a SceneView.

Symbol size may be applied either thematically, or literally using real-world units. See the following object specification tables for details about each potential use of a size visual variable:

BoundedMinMax - Feature sizes are bounded by min and max data values. Intermediate values are linearly interpolated between the minSize and maxSize.
ThematicStops - Defines between two and six stops at which feature sizes are mapped to data values.
ScaleDependentIcons - Icon sizes are bounded by min and max data values, but the minSize and maxSize (and interpolated sizes) change based on the scale of the MapView.
ScaleDependentStops - Defines the width of polygon outlines at various view scales.
RealWorldSize - Feature sizes are determined based on real-world measurements and units, not thematic values and screen units.

Thematic Icon size	Thematic extrusion	Real world size

For CIMSymbols, the size value is only applied to the largest symbol layer instead of the full symbol. All other symbol layers will scale proportionally.

See also

Examples

// Bounded min/max visual variable (similar to proportional size)
const sizeVisualVariable = {
  type: "size",
  field: "WIND_SPEED",
  minDataValue: 0,
  maxDataValue: 60,
  minSize: 8,
  maxSize: 40
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisualVariable ];

// Thematic stops variable (similar to proportional size)
renderer.visualVariables = [{
  type: "size",
  field: "POP_POVERTY",
  normalizationField: "TOTPOP_CY",
  legendOptions: {
    title: "% population in poverty by county"
  },
  stops: [
    { value: 0.15, size: 4, label: "<15%" },
    { value: 0.25, size: 12, label: "25%" },
    { value: 0.35, size: 24, label: ">35%" }
  ]
}];

// Real world size for 3D objects
const treeSizeVisualVariables = [{
  type: "size",
  axis: "height",
  field: "Height", // tree height
  valueUnit: "feet"
}, {
  type: "size",
  axis: "width",
  field: "Width_EW", // crown diameter from east to west
  valueUnit: "feet"
}, {
  type: "size",
  axis: "depth",
  field: "Width_NS", // crown diameter from north to south
  valueUnit: "feet"
}];
renderer.visualVariables = treeSizeVisualVariables;

Constructors

SizeVariable Constructor new SizeVariable(properties)

Parameter

properties Object

optional

See the properties for a list of all the properties that may be passed into the constructor.

Property Overview

Any properties can be set, retrieved or listened to. See the Watch for changes topic.

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Type	Summary	Class
String	Only applicable when working in a SceneView.	SizeVariable
String	The name of the class.	Accessor
String	The name of the numeric attribute field that contains the data values used to determine the color/opacity/size/rotation of each feature.	VisualVariable
Object	An object providing options for displaying the visual variable in the Legend.	SizeVariable
Number	The maximum data value used in the size ramp.	SizeVariable
Number\|ScaleDependentStops	The size used to render a feature containing the maximum data value.	SizeVariable
Number	The minimum data value used in the size ramp.	SizeVariable
Number\|ScaleDependentStops	The size used to render a feature containing the minimum data value.	SizeVariable
String	The name of the numeric attribute field used to normalize the data in the given field.	SizeVariable
SizeStop []	An array of objects that defines the mapping of data values returned from field or valueExpression to icon sizes.	SizeVariable
String	This value must be `outline` when scaling polygon outline widths based on the view scale.	SizeVariable
String	The visual variable type.	SizeVariable
Boolean	When setting a size visual variable on a renderer using an ObjectSymbol3DLayer, this property indicates whether to apply the value defined by the height, width, or depth properties to the corresponding axis of this visual variable instead of proportionally scaling this axis' value.	SizeVariable
String	An Arcade expression following the specification defined by the Arcade Visualization Profile.	VisualVariable
String	The title identifying and describing the associated Arcade expression as defined in the valueExpression property.	VisualVariable
String	Specifies how to apply the data value when mapping real-world sizes.	SizeVariable
String	Indicates the unit of measurement used to interpret the value returned by field or valueExpression.	SizeVariable

Property Details

axis Property axis String

Only applicable when working in a SceneView. Defines the axis the size visual variable should be applied to when rendering features with an ObjectSymbol3DLayer. See the local scene sample for an example of this.

Possible Value	Description
width	The diameter of the symbol from east to west.
depth	The diameter of the symbol from north to south.
height	The height of the symbol.
width-and-depth	Applies the size visual variable to both width and depth axes.
all	Applies the size visual variable to all axes.

Possible Values:"width" |"depth" |"height" |"width-and-depth" |"all"

Default Value:"all"

See also

RealWorldSize

declaredClass Inherited Property declaredClass Stringreadonly Inherited from Accessor

The name of the class. The declared class name is formatted as esri.folder.className.

field Inherited Property field String Inherited from VisualVariable

The name of the numeric attribute field that contains the data values used to determine the color/opacity/size/rotation of each feature.

legendOptions Property legendOptions Objectautocast

An object providing options for displaying the visual variable in the Legend.

Properties: customValues Number []|null|undefined

Overrides the legend values with values specified here. This is typically used to round values interpolated from the SizeVariable to rounded numbers.

showLegend Boolean|null|undefined

Indicates whether to show the visual variable in the legend.

title String|null|undefined

The title describing the visualization of the visual variable in the Legend. This takes precedence over a field alias or valueExpressionTitle.

maxDataValue Property maxDataValue Number

The maximum data value used in the size ramp. Features whose field or valueExpression return a value equal to or higher than the value defined in maxDataValue will be rendered at the size defined in maxSize.

maxSize Property maxSize Number |ScaleDependentStopsautocast Autocasts from String|Object

The size used to render a feature containing the maximum data value.

When setting a number, sizes are expressed in points for all 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers; size is expressed in meters for all 3D volumetric symbols.
String values are only supported for 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers. Strings may specify size in either points or pixels (e.g. minSize: "16pt", minSize: "12px").
When an object is used, the size of features whose data value (defined in field or valueExpression) is greater than or equal to the maxDataValue for the given view scale.

minDataValue Property minDataValue Number

The minimum data value used in the size ramp. Features whose field or valueExpression return a value equal to or lower than the value defined in maxDataValue will be rendered at the size defined in minSize.

minSize Property minSize Number |ScaleDependentStopsautocast Autocasts from String|Object

The size used to render a feature containing the minimum data value.

When setting a number, sizes are expressed in points for all 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers; size is expressed in meters for all 3D volumetric symbols.
String values are only supported for 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers. Strings may specify size in either points or pixels (e.g. minSize: "16pt", minSize: "12px").
When an object is used, the size of features whose data value (defined in field or valueExpression) is greater than or equal to the minDataValue for the given view scale.

normalizationField Property normalizationField String

The name of the numeric attribute field used to normalize the data in the given field. If this field is used, then the values in maxDataValue and minDataValue or stops should be normalized as percentages or ratios.

stops Property stops SizeStop[]autocast Autocasts from Object []

An array of objects that defines the mapping of data values returned from field or valueExpression to icon sizes. You must specify 2 - 6 stops. The stops must be listed in ascending order based on the value of the value property in each stop.

target Property target String

This value must be outline when scaling polygon outline widths based on the view scale. If scale-dependent icons are desired, then this property should be ignored.

See also

ScaleDependentStops

type Property type Stringreadonly

The visual variable type.

For SizeVariable the type is always "size".

useSymbolValue Property useSymbolValue Boolean

When setting a size visual variable on a renderer using an ObjectSymbol3DLayer, this property indicates whether to apply the value defined by the height, width, or depth properties to the corresponding axis of this visual variable instead of proportionally scaling this axis' value. View an example of this.

valueExpression Inherited Property valueExpression String Inherited from VisualVariable

An Arcade expression following the specification defined by the Arcade Visualization Profile. Expressions in visual variables may reference field values using the $feature profile variable and must return a number.

The values returned from this expression are the data used to drive the visualization as defined in the stops. This takes precedence over field. Therefore, this property is typically used as an alternative to field in visual variables.

See also

Arcade - Visualization Profile

valueExpressionTitle Inherited Property valueExpressionTitle String Inherited from VisualVariable

The title identifying and describing the associated Arcade expression as defined in the valueExpression property. This is displayed as the title of the corresponding visual variable in the Legend in the absence of a provided title in the legendOptions property.

valueRepresentation Property valueRepresentation String

Specifies how to apply the data value when mapping real-world sizes. See table below for supported values.

Value	Description
radius	The point data value represents the radius of a circular feature.
diameter	The point data value represents the diameter of a circular feature.
area	The point data value represents the area of a feature.
width	The polyline data value represents the width of a line.
distance	The polyline data value represents the distance from the center line (one half of the width).

Known Limitations

This property is not supported for flat (2D) line symbols driven by real world sizes in 3D SceneViews.
Data values must refer to the planar size of the feature in the units of the view's spatial reference.

Possible Values:"radius" |"diameter" |"area" |"width" |"distance"

valueUnit Property valueUnit String

Indicates the unit of measurement used to interpret the value returned by field or valueExpression. For 3D volumetric symbols the default is meters. This property should not be used if the data value represents a thematic quantity (e.g. traffic count, census data, etc.).

Known Limitations

This property is not supported for flat (2D) line symbols driven by real world sizes in 3D SceneViews.
Data values must refer to the planar size of the feature in the units of the view's spatial reference.

See also

RealWorldSize

Method Overview

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Return Type	Summary	Class
	Adds one or more handles which are to be tied to the lifecycle of the object.	Accessor
SizeVariable	Creates a deep clone of the SizeVisualVariable.	SizeVariable
	Modifies the SizeVariable in place by flipping the sizes in the stops.	SizeVariable
*	Creates a new instance of this class and initializes it with values from a JSON object generated from an ArcGIS product.	SizeVariable
Boolean	Returns true if a named group of handles exist.	Accessor
	Removes a group of handles owned by the object.	Accessor
Object	Converts an instance of this class to its ArcGIS portal JSON representation.	SizeVariable

Method Details

addHandles Inherited Method addHandles(handleOrHandles, groupKey) Inherited from Accessor Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.25 Accessor since 4.0, addHandles added at 4.25.

Adds one or more handles which are to be tied to the lifecycle of the object. The handles will be removed when the object is destroyed.

// Manually manage handles
const handle = reactiveUtils.when(
  () => !view.updating,
  () => {
    wkidSelect.disabled = false;
  },
  { once: true }
);

this.addHandles(handle);

// Destroy the object
this.destroy();

Parameters

handleOrHandles WatchHandle|WatchHandle []

Handles marked for removal once the object is destroyed.

groupKey *

optional

Key identifying the group to which the handles should be added. All the handles in the group can later be removed with Accessor.removeHandles(). If no key is provided the handles are added to a default group.

clone Method clone(){SizeVariable}

Creates a deep clone of the SizeVisualVariable.

Returns

Type	Description
SizeVariable	A deep clone of the size visual variable that invoked this method.

Example

// Creates a deep clone of the visual variable
let renderer = renderer.visualVariables[0].clone();

flipSizes Method flipSizes()

Modifies the SizeVariable in place by flipping the sizes in the stops. This is designed for scenarios where you want small numbers (such as rankings 1, 2, 3) to be rendered with larger icons. This function is particularly useful for flipping the sizes of a SizeVariable after it has been returned from a method in the sizeRendererCreator module.

Example

// flips the size ramp when a checkbox is clicked in the app UI
checkbox.addEventListener("change", function() {
  const renderer = layer.renderer.clone();
  const sizeVariable = renderer.visualVariables[0];
  sizeVariable.flipSizes();
  layer.renderer = renderer;
});

fromJSON Method fromJSON(json){*}static

Creates a new instance of this class and initializes it with values from a JSON object generated from an ArcGIS product. The object passed into the input json parameter often comes from a response to a query operation in the REST API or a toJSON() method from another ArcGIS product. See the Using fromJSON() topic in the Guide for details and examples of when and how to use this function.

Parameter

json Object

A JSON representation of the instance in the ArcGIS format. See the ArcGIS REST API documentation for examples of the structure of various input JSON objects.

Returns

Type	Description
*	Returns a new instance of this class.

hasHandles Inherited Method hasHandles(groupKey){Boolean} Inherited from Accessor Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.25 Accessor since 4.0, hasHandles added at 4.25.

Returns true if a named group of handles exist.

Parameter

groupKey *

optional

A group key.

Returns

Type	Description
Boolean	Returns `true` if a named group of handles exist.

Example

// Remove a named group of handles if they exist.
if (obj.hasHandles("watch-view-updates")) {
  obj.removeHandles("watch-view-updates");
}

removeHandles Inherited Method removeHandles(groupKey) Inherited from Accessor Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.25 Accessor since 4.0, removeHandles added at 4.25.

Removes a group of handles owned by the object.

Parameter

groupKey *

optional

A group key or an array or collection of group keys to remove.

Example

obj.removeHandles(); // removes handles from default group

obj.removeHandles("handle-group");
obj.removeHandles("other-handle-group");

toJSON Method toJSON(){Object}

Converts an instance of this class to its ArcGIS portal JSON representation. See the Using fromJSON() guide topic for more information.

Returns

Type	Description
Object	The ArcGIS portal JSON representation of an instance of this class.

Type Definitions

BoundedMinMax Type Definition BoundedMinMax

Defines a size visual variable with minimum and maximum bounds. When an object with this specification is applied to the visualVariables property of a renderer, then feature sizes are bounded by min and max data values. Features with values greater than the provided max value are assigned the specified maximum size. Likewise, features with values less than the provided min value are assigned the specified minimum size. Features with values between the min and the max are assigned a corresponding size that is linearly interpolated between the min and max size values.

The properties for this size visual variable type are defined below.

Properties: type String

Value must be size.

field String

optional
See field.

normalizationField String

optional
See normalizationField.

valueExpression String

optional
See valueExpression.

valueExpressionTitle String

optional
See valueExpressionTitle.

maxDataValue Number

See maxDataValue.

maxSize String|Number

The size used to render a feature containing the maximum data value.

When setting a number, sizes are expressed in points for all 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers; size is expressed in meters for all 3D volumetric symbols.

String values are only supported for 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers. Strings may specify size in either points or pixels (e.g. minSize: "16pt", minSize: "12px").

minDataValue Number

See minDataValue.

minSize String|Number

The size used to render a feature containing the minimum data value.

When setting a number, sizes are expressed in points for all 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers; size is expressed in meters for all 3D volumetric symbols.

String values are only supported for 2D symbols and 3D flat symbol layers. Strings may specify size in either points or pixels (e.g. minSize: "16pt", minSize: "12px").

Examples

// thematic size defined with min and max data values
const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  field: "POPULATION",
  // features with this value or lower will be assigned the size defined in minSize
  minDataValue: 5000,
  // features with this value or higher will be assigned the size defined in maxSize
  maxDataValue: 1000000,
  minSize: "6px",
  maxSize: "80px"
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

// 3D thematic extrusion
const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  field: "POP_POVERTY",
  normalizationField: "TOTPOP_CY",
  minDataValue: 0.10,  // 10% of population in poverty
  maxDataValue: 0.35,  // 35% of population in poverty
  minSize: 10000,  // extruded by 10,0000 meters
  maxSize: 500000  // extruded by 500,000 meters
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

RealWorldSize Type Definition RealWorldSize

Defines a size visual variable where data values are interpreted as real-world sizes based on a given unit. Features are then sized according to the real-world measurements, not thematic values and screen units.

Data values must refer to the planar size of the feature in the units of the view's spatial reference. This will properly render each feature's size alongside all other features in other operational layers and the base layers.

The object specification for this object is provided below.

Properties

axis String

optional

See axis. Only applicable when working in a SceneView.

type String

Value must be size.

field String

optional

See field. The field name containing the planar size of the feature in the units of the view's spatial reference.

normalizationField String

optional

See normalizationField.

valueExpression String

optional

See valueExpression. The expression must return the planar size of the feature in the units of the view's spatial reference.

valueUnit String

optional

See valueUnit.

valueRepresentation String

optional

See valueRepresentation.

See also

Examples

// real-world size for 3D buildings
const sizeVisVar = {
  // The type must be set to size
  type: "size",
  // Assign the field name to visualize with size
  field: "HEIGHT",
  valueUnit: "feet"
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

// real-world size for 2D tree canopies
const sizeVisVar = {
  // The type must be set to size
  type: "size",
  // Assign the field name to visualize with size
  field: "CANOPY",
  valueUnit: "feet",
  valueRepresentation: "diameter"
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

// real-world size for 3D using axis property
const crownRenderer = {
  type: "simple", // autocasts as new SimpleRenderer()
  symbol: sym, // set from the code snippet in step 3
  visualVariables: [
     {
       type: "size",
       axis: "height", // specify which axis to apply the data values to
       field: "Crown_Height",
       valueUnit: "feet"
     },
     {
       type: "size",
       axis: "width",
       field: "Width_EW",
       valueUnit: "feet"
     },
     {
       type: "size",
       axis: "depth", // specify which axis to apply the data values to
       field: "Width_NS",
       valueUnit: "feet"
     }
   ]
};

ScaleDependentIcons Type Definition ScaleDependentIcons

Defines icon sizes in a size visual variable based on minimum and maximum bounds similar to the BoundedMinMax case. However, this specification allows the developer to specify various min and max sizes based on the MapView.scale.

Features with values greater than the provided max value are assigned the specified maximum size for the given view scale. Likewise, features with values less than the provided min value are assigned the specified minimum size for the given view scale. Features with values between the min and the max are assigned a corresponding size linearly interpolated between the provided min and max size values for the given scale value.

The object specification for this object is provided below.

Known Limitations

Scale-dependent size visual variables are currently not supported in SceneView. ::

Properties

type String

Value must be size.

field String

optional

See field.

normalizationField String

optional

See normalizationField.

valueExpression String

optional

See valueExpression.

maxDataValue Number

See maxDataValue.

maxSize ScaleDependentStops

An object defining the size of features whose data value (defined in field or valueExpression) is greater than or equal to the maxDataValue for the given view scale.

minDataValue Number

See minDataValue.

minSize ScaleDependentStops

An object defining the size of features whose data value (defined in field or valueExpression) is less than or equal to the minDataValue for the given view scale.

See also

Sample - Create a FeatureLayer with client side graphics

Example

// scale-dependent size
const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  field: "pop2000",
  minDataValue: 500000,
  maxDataValue: 33000000,
  // minimum size to render minDataVal at specified view scales
  minSize: {
    type: "size",
    valueExpression: "$view.scale",
    stops: [
     { value: 1128,      size: 12 },  // smallest marker will be 12pt at 1:1128 scale
     { value: 288895,    size: 12 },
     { value: 73957191,  size: 7 },
     { value: 591657528, size: 1.5 }  // smallest marker will be 1.5pt at 1:591657528 scale
   ]
 },
 // maximum size to render maxDataVal at specified view scales
 maxSize: {
   type: "size",
   valueExpression: "$view.scale",
   stops: [
     { value: 1128,      size: 60 },  // largest marker will be 60pt at 1:1128 scale
     { value: 288895,    size: 60 },
     { value: 73957191,  size: 37 },
     { value: 591657528, size: 19 }  // largest marker will be 19pt at 1:591657528 scale
   ]
 }
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

ScaleDependentStops Type Definition ScaleDependentStops

Defines feature sizes and outline widths in a size visual variable based on the MapView.scale. It also provides the specification of the minSize and maxSize properties in a ScaleDependentIcons size visual variable.

The object specification for this object is provided below.

Known Limitations

Scale-dependent size visual variables are currently not supported in SceneView.

Properties

type String

Value must be size.

The value is always "size".

valueExpression String|null|undefined

This value must be $view.scale.

target String|null|undefined

optional

This value must be outline when scaling polygon outline widths based on the view scale. If scale-dependent icons are desired, then this property should be ignored.

Possible Values:"outline"

stops SizeStop []|null|undefined

An array of objects that define the size of the icon (or alternatively the width of the polygon outline) at the given scale value. You must specify 2 - 6 stops. The stops must be listed in ascending order based on the value of the value property in each stop. When the MapView.scale equals the value in a stop, then icons (or outlines) will be rendered with the corresponding size.

See also

Sample - Create a FeatureLayer with client side graphics

Examples

// scale-dependent size
const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  field: "pop2000",
  minDataValue: 500000,
  maxDataValue: 33000000,
  // minimum size to render minDataVal at specified view scales
  minSize: {
    type: "size",
    valueExpression: "$view.scale",
    stops: [
     { value: 1128,      size: 12 },  // smallest marker will be 12pt at 1:1128 scale
     { value: 288895,    size: 12 },
     { value: 73957191,  size: 7 },
     { value: 591657528, size: 1.5 }  // smallest marker will be 1.5pt at 1:591657528 scale
   ]
 },
 // maximum size to render maxDataVal at specified view scales
 maxSize: {
   type: "size",
   valueExpression: "$view.scale",
   stops: [
     { value: 1128,      size: 60 },  // largest marker will be 60pt at 1:1128 scale
     { value: 288895,    size: 60 },
     { value: 73957191,  size: 37 },
     { value: 591657528, size: 19 }  // largest marker will be 19pt at 1:591657528 scale
   ]
 }
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

// scale-dependent size targeting polygon outlines
const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  valueExpression: "$view.scale",
  target: "outline"
  stops: [
    { value: 1128,      size: 3 },  // outline widths will be 3pt at 1:1128 scale
    { value: 288895,    size: 2 },
    { value: 73957191,  size: 1 },
    { value: 591657528, size: 0 }  // outlines widths will be 0pt at 1:591657528 scale
  ]
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

ThematicStops Type Definition ThematicStops

Defines two or more stops at which feature sizes are mapped to data values in a size visual variable. Setting two stops will have the same effect as creating a BoundedMinMax size visual variable. Adding additional stops allows you to map specific sizes to data values. Sizes are interpolated linearly between stop values.

The object specification for this object is provided below.

Properties

type String

Value must be size.

field String

optional

See field.

normalizationField String

optional

See normalizationField.

valueExpression String

optional

See valueExpression.

stops SizeStop []

An array of objects defining the thematic size ramp in a sequence of data or expression stops. At least two stops are required. The stops must be listed in ascending order based on the value of the value property in each stop.

See also

Examples

const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  field: "POPULATION",
  stops: [
    { value: 5000, size: "6px" },
    { value: 1000000, size: "80px" }
  ]
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];

const sizeVisVar = {
  type: "size",
  valueExpression: "( $feature.TOT_VOTES / $feature.REG_VOTERS ) * 100",
  stops: [
    { value: 30, size: "6px" },
    { value: 70, size: "60px" }
  ]
};
renderer.visualVariables = [ sizeVisVar ];