Layouts are the best way of printing, posting or preparing your maps for presentations. A proper layout enhances the group of objects placed along the map to give a wholesome visual appeal.
Every User has a different specification to add Maps, Browsers, Scalebar, Legends, Titles and other windows on a Layout. This can be customized through MapInfo Pro and saved for future which makes publishing Maps faster with the help of Layout Templates.
The layout template Add-in is auto loaded in MapInfo Pro. It should remain loaded for the User to access the Sample templates and the Custom templates created. MapInfo Pro gives its Users the option to choose a template from the existing gallery or create a new one and save it in the gallery for future consumption.
A customized Layout Template is user defined and contains a Layout window with required placeholders for maps, browsers and other open windows in a specific arrangement for presentation. The Template can contain both static and dynamic content. The static content like text, company logo etc. remains the same whereas the dynamic content is added at the time of use.
Create your own Template
To create a New Template, Go to the Layout Ribbon > Page Menu. From the New Layout drop-down > Choose the Blank Template.
In this Blank Template both static and dynamic objects can be added, and the Layout page saved with the placeholder containers for future use.
Below is the Layout ribbon > Insert section, from where Maps, Legends, Browsers, Text, Images and Scalebar can be added.
Maps:
- Shows the Map layers open
- When selecting a map window that has a legend and/or scalebar, the legend window or scalebar is cloned in the layout window as well
Map Frames:
- Show placeholders or content on a layout. Frames can contain:
- Static elements that can be added at the time of creation for e.g.: shapes, text boxes, images and symbols
- Dynamic elements that are filled at the time of use for example maps, legends etc.
- When selecting an embedded Map window to put into an empty frame, the legends are not cloned if it has any
- Click on the "New Map" to add a layer from all the open maps
The Layout context menu has the below 2 options:
Remove Content: Removes content from the selected frames and leaves the frame which can be filled with a different static or dynamic content to create placeholders.
Delete Selected Frames: Removes selected frames from the layout.
Once a Layout template is created, it can be saved for future use.
The templates created and saved can be shared with anyone in the local network or externally.
Sharing the Custom Templates:
Sharing Internally: This can be done through a shared network location that is set when installing MapInfo Pro through workgroup. The location of files installed should be specified for e.g C:\Shared. These Templates will appear in the Shared section of the gallery.
Sharing a template is very easy.
- Use the Publish Template icon in the gallery. The template will automatically be shared with anyone else who is setup to use the Workgroup Directory
- Use the Save Template button on the ribbon and choose "Shared" as the location in the 'Save to' option
Sharing Externally: This is done through a ZIP file that contains the layout template and associated images. To create the zip file, you can either use the "Save Template" button and choose "Export as ZIP File" or use the "Export Template" button in the gallery. The zip file can be attached to an email or put in a shared drive.
The above image shows the Custom Templates. One is created in MapInfo Pro version 17 and imported for use in version 2019. A ZIP file imported can contain a company logo, text, north arrow, map, browser, legend etc.
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Shweta Shukla
Pitney Bowes Software India
Noida
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