RELATIVE PATH IN ARCGIS

When you add a layer to a map, ArcMap stores its path in the map document. When you open a map, ArcMap locates the layer data it needs using these stored paths. If ArcMap cannot find the data for a layer, the layer will still appear in the ArcMap table of contents, but of course it will not appear on the map. Instead, ArcMap places a red exclamation mark (!) next to the layer name to indicate that its path needs repair. You can view information about the data source for a layer and repair it by clicking the Source tab in the Layers Properties window.

Paths can be absolute or relative. An example of an absolute path is C:\GEOSOLUTION\USCities. To share map documents saved with absolute paths, everyone who uses the map document must have exactly the same paths to map layers on his or her computer. Instead, the relative path option is favored.

Relative paths in a map specify the location of the layers relative to the current location of the map document on disk (.mxd file). Because relative paths do not contain drive letter names, they enable the map and its associated data to point to the same directory

structure regardless of the drive or folder in which the map resides. If a map document and associated folders are moved to a new drive, ArcMap will still be able to find the maps and their data by traversing the relative paths.

 

On the Menu bar, click File, click Map Document Properties. Notice the option is set to

“Store relative pathnames to data sources.” This is for the current map document only

  

check the box at the right of  'store relative pathnames to data source.
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