Changes between Initial Version and Version 1 of maestro/UserGuides/MapGuideBasics


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Timestamp:
09/29/08 12:33:35 (16 years ago)
Author:
ksgeograf
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  • maestro/UserGuides/MapGuideBasics

    v1 v1  
     1== !MapGuide Maestro User Guides ==
     2This page contains instructions for [wiki:maestro MapGuide Maestro] usage.
     3
     4== Understanding !MapGuide Terminology ==
     5Before you can start using !MapGuide Maestro, you must understand how !MapGuide
     6divides the different parts that make up a map. To understand the !MapGuide Maestro
     7interface, you must also have a knowledgde of the names used in !MapGuide.
     8
     9=== Spatial data and regular data ===
     10Data can come from a number of sources, such as a spread sheet or a database.
     11Some data is spatially enabled, and this means that it has one or more columns
     12of data that describes a geometric entry. Such data is usually called vector data.
     13In spatially enabled data, the non-spatial data is usually called "attributes".
     14
     15Some data has an X and Y column (or LAT/LON), and is thus not spatially enabled.
     16MapGuide can treat such data as if it was spatially enabled though.
     17
     18Another type of data is raster data, which is typically some form of aerial foto.
     19
     20!MapGuide uses [http://fdo.osgeo.org/ FDO] to connect to data, and calls each connection
     21a "!FeatureSource", regardless of what type of data it points to.
     22
     23A "!FeatureSource" does not have any information about how it looks, it's just lines,
     24polygons and points.
     25
     26=== Displaying data ===
     27In !MapGuide a "!LayerDefinition" is used to describe how to represent a layer visually.
     28This distinction between data and representation, means that you can define your
     29"!FeatureSource" once, and display it in red, green and blue.
     30
     31In a "!LayerDefinition" you define how the layer should look in different
     32"!ScaleRanges". A "!ScaleRange" is defined by two numbers, and while the map
     33is displayed at a given scale, !MapGuide will show it as the first matching
     34"!ScaleRange". If you define a "!ScaleRange" 0 - 1000 and one 1001 - 2000, you
     35can display the data differently depending on how close the user is viewing the map.
     36
     37For each "!ScaleRange" you can define a number of rules. This can be used to visually
     38show difference in the non-spatial values, eg. land value, or a broken pipe, etc.
     39The default rule in !MapGuide is a blank rule, which will match all data.
     40
     41If you use rules to display eg. land values with a gradient color, ranging from low
     42land value to high land value, it is called "Theming".
     43
     44An object in the map can also have a "Label", which is displayed on top of the item.
     45This can be used to display road names.
     46
     47You can also set a "Tooltip" on an object, which will be displayed when the cursor hovers
     48over the object.
     49
     50Finally you can set a "Link" on an object, which will open when the user double clicks on the
     51feature (CTRL+click in some places).
     52
     53=== Combining data ===
     54Once you have set up the visual apperance of your layers, you can combine them together in a map.
     55In the map, the layers have a "Drawing Order", which is used to order how the layers are drawn.
     56If you have a county and a subway layer, you might not be able to see the subways if they are below
     57the large county layer. Usually polygons are at the bottom, then lines, then points, and finally
     58labels on top.
     59
     60In !MapGuide, such a collection of layers is called a "!MapDefinition". In a "!MapDefinition",
     61you can also group layers, so the users can easily toggle the visibilty of a number of layers
     62with a single click.
     63
     64In a "!MapDefinition" you can also define what layers should be visible in the legend,
     65and what names should be displayed in the legend.
     66
     67=== Presenting data to the user ===
     68Now that you have a "!MapDefinition", you can set up a frame the user can view the data in.
     69This frame defines what tools the user has (Zoom tool, select tool, measure tool, etc.), as
     70well as what items are visible (legend, overview map, etc.).
     71
     72There are currently two types of frames you can use, one called "!WebLayout" and one called "Fusion Application".
     73Autodesk has named the "Fusion Application" "Flexible Layout", so you may see that term as well.
     74
     75You can read more about choosing between the two, in the chapter named [wiki:maestro/UserGuides/LayoutOrFusion Picking a programming interface].
     76
     77----
     78Next stop is the tour for the !MapGuide Maestro userinterface
     79'''[wiki:maestro/UserGuides/MaestroBasics Navigating in Maestro]'''.