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MapInfo Monday: Modifying an embedded Map Window in the Layout

  • 1.  MapInfo Monday: Modifying an embedded Map Window in the Layout

    Employee
    Posted 01-04-2021 14:27
    Happy #MapInfoMonday​, time for the first #MapInfoMonday post in 2021. This time it's a small one.

    Adding a Map Window in the Layout​

    There s a few ways, you can insert a map window into a layout in MapInfo Pro.

    From the Map dropdown on the Layout tab, you can insert a copy of an existing map window, or you can insert a new map by selecting the layers you want in the map.

    I select to insert a copy of an existing map window. This creates a copy of the existing map window and embeds this into the layout. This map window does not exist as a standalone map window.

    The map is inserted using the size of the map window you copied. You can resize the frame with the map window to match the paper in the layout window by dragging the window via the small squares in the corners of the frame.

    Notice that the Layer List in the Explorer window now holds two identical map windows; the original map window and the new one that was cloned and embedded into the layout window. You can tell the difference by the icons next to the window names.

    You can also add a map window to an empty frame in the layout and in this way make the map fill out a predefined frame size. This is how a map is inserted into placeholders when using the Layout Templates.

    Modifying a Map Window in the Layout

    When you want to change the content of the map frame in the layout, you can not do this via the original map window. That map window is not linked to the map window in the layout. This was the way it worked back in the old 32-bit days.

    With the 64-bit versions of MapInfo Pro, you need to activate the map in the frame.

    Right-click on the frame with the map, and select Activate from the context menu.

    You can also activate the map by double-clicking on the frame or by holding the Alt key down while single-clicking on the frame. And finally, you can select an embedded map window in the Layer List to activate it.

    When the map has been activated, you can see a blue border around the map frame. Also notice that when you right-click on an activated map frame, you get access to the context menu and the mini toolbar of the map window.

    Now that the map window has been activated, you can use the standard map tools to zoom and pan the map, and you can use Change View to set the scale to a fixed scale.

    You can change the order of the layers via the Layer List, set an override style for a layer, and add or remove layers from the map window.

    You can also edit features via the activated map window and move labels to a better location and when doing so you can see the exact location the label will appear when printed.

    To deactivate the map window and get back to "Layout"-mode again, click anywhere in the layout window outside the map frame or use Alt + single-click inside the map frame.

    This new way to work with map windows in the layout is a bit confusing at first when moving from 32-bit to 64-bit. But you will quickly appreciate that you no longer have to switch between the map window and the layout window.

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    Peter Horsbøll Møller
    Principal Presales Consultant | Distinguished Engineer
    Precisely | Trust in Data
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