Simple symbology

Simple symbology is the default and the right choice when you want every feature of a layer drawn the same way. One stroke color, one fill, one icon if it's a point layer. No conditional logic, no class breaks. The layer is a uniform set of features on the map.

Inputs

• A layer (data layer reference, derived layer, or ArcGIS service) on the map.
• A fill for areas and points. Color, opacity.
• A stroke for lines and polygon outlines. Color, width, opacity, dash pattern.
• An icon for point layers (optional). A built-in icon, an uploaded image, or a Maki-style sprite.
• A size for points (radius) or lines (width).

How to set it

1. Open the map in the builder.
2. In the layer list, click the layer's Style action.
3. Pick Simple as the symbology mode (it's the default).
4. Adjust the fill, stroke, and size pickers.
5. Save the map.

That's it. No expressions, no class lists.

When to step up

Move to Categorical when different feature values should look different (e.g., status of an inspection). Move to Graduated when a numeric value should drive size or color (e.g., parcel acreage). Move to Scale classes when the same layer should look different at different zoom levels.

Notes

• Stroke width is in pixels. Constant on screen, not on the ground. For ground-distance stroke (a 1-meter buffer rendered as a thick line), use a small derived buffer layer instead.
• Opacity stacks. A stroke at 50% opacity over a fill at 50% opacity is the natural blend; don't try to compensate with brighter fills.