MapInfo Pro

• MapInfo Pro version 15.0 (and 16, too, I believe)
• Geoserver version 2.12.0 publishing WFS data

The WFS layer is opening in MapInfo 15.0 and is editable, as required, but any "Date" fields are not displaying within MapInfo - fields are blank. I can enter a date into one of these fields and save it OK - it's going through to the database store in Geoserver - but it still doesn't appear in MapInfo. All "date" fields are blank upon refresh.

A DescribeFeatureType call on the layer in question includes the following XML showing two fields with types "xsd:date" and "xsd:dateTime"

<xsd:complexType name="nat_dev_polygons_testType">

<xsd:complexContent>

<xsd:extension base="gml:AbstractFeatureType">

<xsd:sequence>

<xsd:element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="proj_id" nillable="true" type="xsd:int"/>

<xsd:element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="proj_stage" nillable="true" type="xsd:string"/>

<xsd:element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="afr" nillable="true" type="xsd:double"/>

<xsd:element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="geostore_update_date" nillable="true" type="xsd:date"/>

<xsd:element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="geostore_update_timestamp" nillable="true" type="xsd:dateTime"/>

<xsd:element maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0" name="geom" nillable="true" type="gml:GeometryPropertyType"/>

</xsd:sequence>

</xsd:extension>

</xsd:complexContent>

</xsd:complexType>

The data for a single record returned by a GetFeature call includes the following XML:

<gml:featureMember>

<GeoStore:nat_dev_polygons_test fid="nat_dev_polygons_test.217073">

<GeoStore:proj_id>35233</GeoStore:proj_id>

<GeoStore:proj_stage>17242690</GeoStore:proj_stage>

<GeoStore:afr>1.724269E7</GeoStore:afr>

<GeoStore:geostore_update_date>2017-11-23</GeoStore:geostore_update_date>

<GeoStore:geostore_update_timestamp>2017-11-23T14:30:44.715</GeoStore:geostore_update_timestamp>

When this data appears in a MapInfo WFS TAB file, the "date" field (of MapInfo type "Date") is empty, and the "dateTime" field (of MapInfo type "Char (32)") correctly displays the timestamp (although as a text string).

• Is this an XML schema problem? The xsd namespace in the XML is coming from: xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" Do I need to reference an alternative namespace / schema in order for WFS data to flow correctly to MapInfo?
• What XML schema mapping is being used by MapInfo? "xsd:date" fields are obviously being cast to "Date" column types in MapInfo - even though the data is then not being read correctly. "xsd:dateTime" fields, on the other hand, are being mapped to "Char (32)" column types in MapInfo. Where is this configuration set, and is it editable?

I note the following (very brief) entry which suggests that the cause is due to the user's system settings - but that doesn't seem right to me. Surely this can be addressed by means other than changing an entire system locale setting...

The following link is no longer available. To access this information, copy the title found in the url into the search tool on the top nav bar, or try searching for key words in the post. https://li360.pitneybowes.com/s/article/MapInfo-Pro-12-5-2-Dates-are-ignored-when-getting-WFS-data?t=1512100875996

Any suggestions (or, better still, proven solutions!) most welcome! 😊

Cheers,

David

Hi Jarred,

The issue seems to have been fixed in MapInfo Pro 12.5.2 64 bit.

From the description I can't see if the fix also has made it into 15.0 which is a 32 bit version but it should not exist in v16.0 64 bit.

Hi Jarred,

I tested both Date and Date/Time field from a same WFS internally here and was able to see and display both date/time field. Can you please try patching to MapInfo Pro 15.0.2.?

We tested on a unpatched versrion MapInfo Pro 15.0 32 bit and 15.2.2 64 bit and able to view the date field. Can you send me the URL and layer to test? If this is a private url, please message me directly.

Hey Jarred,

I checked with engineering and they suspect the problem may have been for WFS 1.0.0 servers only. I tried that server and forced 1.0.0 the dates come back blank.

See Attachment

I set mine to automatic and the dates appear. When I force it to 1.0 they disappear.

Moving forward new features and the majority of bug fixes will be for the MapInfo Pro 64 bit only and unlikely for 32 bit.

What version is your WFS is your server running at?

Hi Matt,

Thanks for following up on this for me. You're quite correct - I'm using WFS version 1.0.0 (nominating "Prefer Version 1.0" as per your screen capture.) The plan is to have MapInfo editing data via WFS-T which, as I understand it, is only supported using WFS 1.0, is that correct?

When I remove the 1.0 constraint, MapInfo accesses data using WFS 1.1.0. Date fields are displayed correctly - but the data is not editable.

I will attempt a patch to 15.0.2 - but that's easier than it sounds because the environment I'm working in is very "locked down." It will take a day or two to make this happen.

There is a mix of MapInfo versions within this organisation. Not all users will require write access (i.e. WFS-T) so WFS 1.1 should suffice for many. However it would be helpful to know how to distribute the licenses amongst the users, and whether any licences need to be upgraded to support WFS-T editing.

Could you please confirm for me:

1. which MapInfo versions support WFS-T editing
2. which versions of WFS are required in each case (to enable WFS-T)
3. which of those MapInfo versions correctly display WFS date fields?

(I'm looking at a fair bit of black-box testing otherwise...)

Thanks in anticipation!

Cheers,

David

Hi David,

MapInfo Pro 15.0.2 32 bit will not fix the issue of displaying date fields if version 1.0 is selected for editing. It appears only the 64 bit versions fully patched has this issue corrected. You are correct that 1.0 is supported for editing only.

To the best I can answer

1. All Supported versions 12.5.2, 15.2.4, 16.0.2. WFS 1.0 only
2. Please see MapInfo Pro Help:Refer to: WFS Server Requirements - Support versions 1.0.0 for edits only. MapInfo Pro does not support (WFS) 1.1 for edits per the help guide.
3. 15.0.2 as long as 1.0 version is not selected, otherwise 12.5.2, 15.2.4, 16.0.2 64 bit versions are able to display date fields.

If you have any further questions regarding WFS, WFS-T please log a case with software.support@pb.com

Thanks for that, Matt,

A succinct and helpful summary - saved me hours of black-box testing and digging through Help and User Guides!

From here we should be able to assemble a plan to shuffle, reallocate and upgrade MapInfo licenses throughout the organisation accordingly.

Cheers,

David

Hi David,

Per engineering: We are going to try to fix the date display issue in the upcoming patch 15.0.3 for the 32-bit version. The bug has been entered as :

MIPRO-96534 - CUSTOMER ISSUE: Dates are null when fetched from a WFS 1.0.0 server

Note we can’t commit to this but we will try.

There is a workaround for 32 bit Pro 15.0, albeit not a good one since it involves changing a system setting. In the Control Panel, select Region and change the Short date to yyyy-MM-dd , then do a WFS table refresh (or do this before creating the table). Unfortunately this would need to be done every time we fetch data from the server, so I’m not sure how useful it would be.

Since you mentioned using WFS-T to edit the data we’ll also test that we can edit dates properly.

Regards,

Hi David,

I had a some additional questions.

1. The problem was addressed in the 64-bit version in 16.0.1 or higher. Is using the 64-bit version an option for you?
2. If you need to use 15.0.x, is WFS-T working for you for your server (aside from the date issue)? In other words, are you able to use 15.0.x to edit your WFS tables?

Your answers will help us determine the appropriate action to take.

Thank you.

Hi Matt,

Understand the intent / aspiration for a 15.0.3 patch, but won't hold you to it :-)

Hi Barry,

Answering your questions:

1. Is using the 64-bit version an option for you?

There is a wide and eclectic mix of MapInfo versions deployed throughout the organisation I'm representing. The short answer is: yes. We will review current license distributions and seek to have the (relatively few) data editors using 64-bit versions, accessing and editing a WFS-T 1.0 service (including being able to see date fields.) Other read-only users can, if necessary, use version 15 and access a read-only WFS 1.1 service.

It's not the prettiest of solutions, but it can be made to work. Also, the wheels turn slowly here, so this will buy some time to plan / manage license upgrades, etc, in future.

2. are you able to use 15.0.x to edit your WFS tables?

Yes we can. In fact it is possible to update the (invisible) date fields with new data and have this write back to the PostGIS database (under the Geoserver WFS-T server.) But upon refresh the user sees empty date fields again, which is a bit off-putting.

Thanks for your continued interest in this matter. If you have any other questions, let me know. I'll stay tuned for any further conversations.

Cheers,

David

David,

Please see my e-mail response.

Thanks again.