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written by Nigel
James
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MAPINFO How to... | |
No. 2: Multiple maps on a single layout | |
(References to tables, folders etc., are not applicable outside the Map Room, so if you are located elsewhere, you should substitute your own) | |
This explains how to use MapInfo to place multiple maps on a single layout. In this example, a location map with Oxfordshire highlighted in colour is added to the map created in How to No.1. How to No.1 should be followed first if you do not know how to create the first map layout. | |
1. Your first map (in this example the map of Oxford area created in How to No.1) should be complete and on a layout. You can now add the location map to the same layout. 2. To create the location map, Open the table overview.tab , but in the Open table dialog, change Preferred View to New Mapper. 3. The overview table will now be in a separate map window. Zoom in to SE England as with the main map, and add the adm_area table. When you open the table, make sure that the new mapper window has a blue title bar, indicating that it is the active window. In the Open Table dialog, the Preferred view should be set to Current mapper. Zoom in again so that Oxfordshire and the immediately surrounding counties are displayed. 4. The next step is to highlight Oxfordshire. You can change the colour of an entire layer by using the Style override function, but this changes all the objects (in this case counties) in the layer. To change an individual object (county) the layer has to be editable, and the tables are read-only, so cannot be editied. To be able to edit objects, you save a copy and use that as a new layer. As it is a copy it can be edited. 5. To make a copy of Oxfordshire, click once on the county to select it, then open the File menu and click Save copy as… In the Save Copy As dialog, click Selection to highlight it, then click Save As… 6. Save the table in your own user folder. Give it a suitable filename, such as Oxon.tab and save it. 7. You can now put your Oxfordshire layer into the location map. To do this, open the table (which will be in your own folder) and set Preferred view to Current mapper. 8. Initially the map will seem no different, as the new layer is identical in style to the adm_areas table. However it can be edited, so open the Layer control and click the Oxon layer. Click the Editable checkbox and then click OK. When you click on Oxfordshire now, you will see the four sizing handles appear, which show that the layer is editable. Take great care not to move or resize the county! 9. To change Oxfordshire (to red, for example), make sure it is still selected and click the Region style button on the Drawing toolbox. Set the fill pattern to solid (black square) and the foreground colour to red. Click OK and Oxfordshire is now red. Deselect it and then open the Layer control again and uncheck the editable checkbox. 10. Click the Window menu, then click the Layout window name in the list at the bottom of the menu. 11. Click the Frame tool (yellow square) button on the Tools toolbar. 12. Drag a square or rectangle the approximate size for the new map on the layout. When you release the mouse a dialog will appear where you can select the map window. Check the correct map window is selected and click OK. 13. The new map will appear. It can be resized and moved as explained in How to No. 1. 14. The new map can be placed on top of the existing map. To add a drop shadow, click once on the new map with the left mouse button to select it, then click again with the right mouse button. In the pop-up menu click Create Drop Shadow. Set the size etc as required and click OK to add it to the map. To label Oxfordshire, use the text tool and add a label. It is better to add labels to the layout as the font size will be correct. If you add text to the map window, it will resize when you resize the window and may end up to large or too small. 15. Remember that all map windows must be open when you are using your workspace, so do not close any windows. If you do they will not appear on the layout. |
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This is a brief and specific guide to this topic, for more general information, see: MapInfo - an easy guide for new users | |
Nigel
James
Bodleian Library 2001 |