Goal

What we'll learn about in this exercise

 

Drawing on the cosmetic layer Adding a selection layer to a map Cloning a view Saving a selection as a new table/layer Creating a new layout window

Changing layout frame options Drawing in layout window Snap tool Adding scalebars to maps


 
1. Copy the Ex02 folder from CLASSES and your working folder with your Oakland map workspace from wherever onto your desktop.  Open the Oakland neighborhoods layer and any other layers you might want in your neighborhood map.

 
2. Use the zoom tools to fill the window with "your" neighborhood.  To change the color of your neighborhood's polygon select it with a single click and then go to layer control and ADD the layer "Selection"  (see Johnson pp. 86ff).  Now change the display characteristics for this layer -- it will be called "Query 1" in the layer listing -- to, say, bright blue.  Make sure the Query 1 layer (which is just a selection from the neighborhoods layer) is just above the neighborhoods layer but underneath other stuff (e.g., streets).  Click OK to return to your map.

 
• NOTE: this query won't be saved when you save the workspace.  To preserve this feature, save the selection to a new file/table.  This creates a new layer containing just one neighborhood and you can use it as a standard background for this project.  FILE>SAVE COPY AS... and select Query 1 (the layer we just created) and save it in your working folder (NOT the Ex02 you copied from the server but the one where you are saving your workspace) as, say MYNHOOD.
• Next we want to replace the Query 1 version with the one we just saved.
• FILE > OPEN TABLE > MYNHOOD.
• MAP > LAYER CONTROL > pick Query 1 > Remove
• Pick MYNHOOD > DISPLAY > change its display characteristics to, say, light blue, etc.
3. Now let's draw a red rectangle around the area shown in our detail map.  MAP>LAYER CONTROL.  Make the "cosmetic" layer editable.  The cosmetic layer is like a piece of tracing paper on top of your map layers.  You can draw on it without affecting the layers beneath.

 
4. Now get the region picker (button pad or OPTIONS>REGION STYLE) and set the region style to no fill and a thin red border.

 
5. Get the polygon tool and draw a rectangle just around the inside of the map window.




6. Now we will create a second map window with contents identical with this one.  The clone map window command does it (MAP>CLONE VIEW).  The new map window will be our locator map.  Zoom out to see all of Oakland (either zoom out tool or MAP>SHOW ENTIRE LAYER>NEIGHBORHOODS).  You might want to drop stuff from this layer (e.g., you might not want to have all the streets).

 
7. Go back to your California map window and make the cosmetic layer editable if it is not already (check on the bottom of the screen).

 
8. Once you are satisfied with both maps open a layout window (WINDOW>NEW LAYOUT WINDOW>Frames for all currently open windows).  Each of your maps appears in a distinct "frame" in the layout (see Johnson chapter 10).  They can be moved around, resized, etc. using the arrow tool.  Each frame is like a polygon in a map -- you can select the frame and then hit OPTIONS>REGION STYLE and change its border and make it "transparent" by setting the fill to none.  When fill is set to none the white area of the frame (that is, the part not filled with map stuff) won't blank out contents of another frame:

9. Create a professional looking finished product by adding border and "title block":

10. First, go to the region picker and set the polygon drawing to black border and no fill.  Then get the polygon tool and draw a big rectangle on the layout and then a rectangle across the bottom and then one just on the right.  Don't worry right now if they don't line up exactly.

 
11. Now zoom in on the bottom right corner so you can see whether the boxes align (they probably don't).  

12. We'll line them up with the help of the "snap" tool.  To turn the tool on, just hit the "s" key.  You should see the phrase "snap on" on the bottom of the screen.  Snap (Johnson 125-6) lets you drag a vertex close to a node in another object and then snaps the thing you are dragging to that node.   To try it out, click on one of your rectangles (it should select, get shaded and grow handles).  First pull the corner way in or out so it is distinctly far from where you want it.  Now decide where you want it to go and grab the handle and pull it over that point and when you get close the cursor should change into an exaggerated cross.  This means you've snapped and if you drop it will go to the corner on the other object.  Repeat with the next rectangle.

 
13. You might have trouble selecting the next one.  Reason?  The one you already fixed is in front of it.  Solution?  Send the one you already fixed "to the back" by selecting it and then LAYOUT>SEND TO BACK  Now you should be able to select the other rectangle.

 
14. When you have your boxes lined up you should put the overall map title in the larger half of the title block and your name and the date in the smaller part.

Options

1. Add a scalebar to one or both of your maps.  FILE>RUN MAPBASIC PROGRAM>SCALEBAR will bring up a little tool menu.  Select the map.  Make the cosmetic layer editable.  Tell Mapinfo to draw a scalebar (Tools > Scalebar > Draw Scalebar).  It will guess at the size of the scalebar.  Note the zoom width of the window and make adjustments to the size of the scalebar to be drawn as appropriate.  Click on OK.
Do you like where Mapinfo placed the scalebar?  Let's move it around.  Get the marqee selection tool  and draw a box around the entire scalebar.  It consists of several separate objects and so we need to be careful to select them all together.  Otherwise we end up taking it apart and making a mess.  Now go get the regular select tool (arrow tool) and point at and click on some piece of the scale bar and DON'T MOVE for a second or so.  The cursor should change to a "cross hair."  This means that it's become a "move" tool.  Now you can drag the entire assembly to wherever it fits best.  If you want to save this scalebar, save the cosmetic layer (MAP>SAVE COSMETIC OBJECTS)  to a table in your work folder (NOT the Ex02 folder from the server but the one where you keep the workspace) called, say, CITYSCALEBAR or NHOODSCALEBAR.
 
2. Add labels to your map.

 
3. Jazz up your map.

 

What to Turn in

Best map you can come up with along the lines of that shown at top of this handout.  Due Friday at start of class.