Spatial Manager Desktop™ - FAQs: Maps, layers, views

Introduction

• Objective of this section
  • To use maps and workspaces. To manage the layers that include the maps. To modify the visual appearance of layers and maps. To navigate through the maps using certain tools to change the display views

• Topics in this section
  • Maps and workspaces: opening and saving maps, workspace organization and management of maps and map background
  • Layers. Management and styles: loading of layers in a map, arrangement of layers, layer visualization, defining the selected layer, renaming and deleting layers, modifying styles (borders, fills and patterns, lines, point styles and transparency) and user symbols
  • Layers split: thematics and data discrimination
  • Views and navigation: navigation tools, views and using mouse controls
  • Maps and layers properties

How can I handle multiple Maps in Spatial Manager Desktop™?

You can keep open as many Maps as you want in Spatial Manager Desktop™ (only limited by the amount of your system memory), each one located inside its own Workspace. Using the Tabs in the Workspaces, you can:

• Sort the Workspaces: by dragging and dropping the Tab of a Map to the desired location
• Use the Workspaces contextual menu (mouse right-click on the Tab) to:
  • Open another Map (Open map). It will be open in a new Workspace
  • Save the Map under your right-clicked Tab (Save map)
  • Save the Map under your right-clicked Tab using a different name and/or at another location (Save map as)
  • Save all open Maps (Save all maps)
  • Close the Map under your right-clicked Tab (Close). You will get a warning if this Map has changed
  • Close all open Maps (Close all). You will get a warning for every modified Map to close
  • Close all open Maps except that is under your right-clicked Tab (Close all except this one). You will get a warning for every modified Map to close
  • Copy the file path of the Map under your right-clicked Tab to the Windows clipboard (Copy map file path). This function will be disabled if the Map is a new Map and has not been saved yet
  • Open the folder containing the file of the Map under your right-click Tab (Open map file location). This function will be disabled if the Map is a new Map and has not been saved yet

How can I stylize a Map in Spatial Manager Desktop™?

You can stylize the Layers in a Map and the Map background color in Spatial Manager Desktop™. These parameters will be saved when you save the Map

• To stylize a Layer in the Map, go to the "Layers" ribbon, select a Layer and apply styles as follows:
  • Set up the fill style parameters for polygonal type Features (if any, in the Layer)
    • Select the fill pattern
    • Select the foreground color (except if you have chosen the "Solid" pattern)
    • Select the background color
    • Select the opacity/transparency for the background
    • Select the line style for the edge (stroke width and stroke style), and select whether or not you want to draw the edge
  • Set up the line style parameters for linear type Features (if any, in the Layer)
    • Select the line style (stroke width and stroke style)
  • Set up the point style for point type Features (if any, in the Layer)
    • Select the point type from the predefined point types list or by selecting an image from disk and by defining its insertion base (this image will remain in the point type list, along with the current instance of the application, to select it whenever you want)
• To change the Map background color, go to the "Start" ribbon

File:MLV-5.png

Can I set up any default style value for new Maps or new Layers in Spatial Manager Desktop™?

Yes, in the "Options\Workspaces" window of Spatial Manager Desktop™ you can set up some default style values for new Maps or new Layers:

• Default Map background color
• Layer style defaults:
  • Default line color
  • Default fill background color. For this parameter, you can choose a "Fixed color" or the "Random color" option, which lets the application apply random background colors for polygons in new Layers
  • Default point style, that you can choose from the predefined point types list

Furthermore, you can choose the "Antialiasing" option, to display the Maps on the screen using a "smoothing" mode

Related links

• Loading and applying styles to SHP files