Flattening / Merging layers in Mapinfo PLEASE HELP!!!

[whitneyag]

I am in desperate need to find out how to merge several or all layers
after creating a map in mapinfo.

Can you please give me specific directions.

Thank you in advance!

[Aladar]

Hey, you can use "append rows to table" in main/table menu in mapinfo.
Only make sure that your tables have same structure.

[Chris & Tybie]

where do i find append rows in table?
can you give me specific instructions? thanks so much!

[Mats Elfström]

Hi witneyag!

Aladar is right, you must know that all tables have the same structure.
Also, to maintain some data logic, the tables must represent the same
kind of entities.

That said, you understand that merging, or flattening a map in some
sense is not possible. Because it can be built from so many kinds of
sources. Roads, houses, railroads, landscape, properties, power lines
and so on that do not share the same set of attributes at all.
One instance when merging tables is logically sound is when they
represent geographically adjacent data sets, for instance if data has
been delivered per map sheet or digitized from map sheets.

Do not confuse this with merging or flattening layers in a photoshop
image or so. In that case you just stack pixel values on top of each
other. A GIS map on the other hand is a representation of data sets,
and the data sets must be compatible if merging them will make sense.

Perhaps you knew all this and I am stating the obvious here, but did it anyway.

Regards, Mats.E

2008/10/1 Chris & Tybie <waterw...@rogers.com>:

[Chris & Tybie]

Thanks for the info, I didn't know that.

I am not well versed at Mapinfo. What I am trying to accomplish in the end
is getting the final map from a PC to a Mac vector file without having to buy costly software to add on.

I have found a way to export files as an auto cad (vector drawing) and this
opens easily on my Mac however it will only save or export 1 layer this way.

If I can flatten all layers first, this would be ideal.
I understand that each table contains data. I am not interested in keeping the data
available and understand this will be lost after flattening layers.
I guess since I am familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator, I may be confusing this.
I was hoping this was possible...

[David R Sherrod]

I (and others on the MI-List) may still not have much understanding of what
you're trying to do. "Vector" to GIS folks means something different than
it does to graphics people. To me, it sounds like you may be hoping to do
the following.

You've got MapInfo open, with one or several layers in the workspace, and
you'd like to get that into a graphics file for the Macintosh. I write
"graphics" where you used "vector," on the presumption that what you're
hoping for isn't a raster image (bit map) but instead something where lines
and regions can be treated as manipulable features.

If so, then this from the pulldown menu:
FILE-->Save Window As . . .
And then as your file type choose Windows metafile (suffix wmf) or enhanced
metafile (suffix emf).

That will export the MapInfo window into a single layer product, but one
that can be opened in Illustrator (for example), and the lines can be
changed for their stroke weight or color, and regions can be modified for
different fills. Any raster image in the background (of the MapInfo
workspace) will be translated as a raster image backdrop in the wmf file.
On the Macintosh, Illustrator 10 and higher (CS2, CS3) can open the
metafile (dot-wmf). You can re-layer it in Illustrator by selecting
features of same line weight or fill color or whatever and then placing
those into their own layer (llustrator-wise). From there you can ding with
it to heart's content and save it as pdf, eps, native illustrator or (as
exported file) a jpeg, tif image and so on.

You'll find that the conversion can be more problematic than what I've just
written, depending on the size of any raster image backdrop and the extent
of the GIS layers beyond the viewable window area in MapInfo. (The polygons
may not be clipped at the limits of the window). Regions (polygons) come
across as polygons (that's handy), but a coherent line in MapInfo is
translated as its numerous line segments in the metafile, a nuisance in
many instances. When it's been real important to me to get some MapInfo
GIS linework into a graphics setting, I've converted the lines to polygons
before "FILE-->Save Window As metafile" and then cleaned up the details in
Illustrator.


Dave Sherrod
-----------------------------------------



Chris & Tybie
<waterwings51@rog
ers.com> To
Sent by:
mapinfo-l@googleg mapi...@googlegroups.com
roups.com cc


10/01/2008 04:23
AM

Subject
Please respond to [MI-L] Re: Flattening / Merging
mapinfo-l@googleg layers in Mapinfo PLEASE HELP!!!
roups.com

[NVTunis]

>I have found a way to export files as an auto cad (vector drawing) and this opens easily on my Mac however it will only save or export 1 layer this way.

 

When we have to go from MI to AutoCad, we have to do it a table at a time. Takes time but I havent found any other way to do it.

~~Becky
www.rockintranch.net
http://sittinnspinnin.blogspot.com/

[Bill Thoen]

Chris & Tybie wrote:
> If I can flatten all layers first, this would be ideal.
> I understand that each table contains data. I am not interested in
> keeping the data
> available and understand this will be lost after flattening layers.
> I guess since I am familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator, I may be
> confusing this.
> I was hoping this was possible...

In that case (i.e. you don't care about the data) then what you can do
is alter the table for each layer and leave only one field --call it
'id' and make it an int type. Then append table 2 to table 1, table 3 to
table 1, table 4 to table 1, etc. Finally, you import table 1 to
AutoCAD. The steps from the menu are Table > Maintenance > Modify table
structure, and then to combine layers/tables use Table > Append rows.

But really, I think you'll find all this to be more work than just
importing tables to AutoCAD one by one. There may also be a way to
import several at a time through the Universal Translator (See Tools >
Universal Translator) but I don't know if this is supported for AutoCAD.)

[NVTunis]

The Universal Translator will only let you do one table at a time also as far as I can see. There is another simpler way, again if you dont care about the table attributes or connected data, you can copy and paste. You decide on one table as your base, select all from another table, make your base table editable again and paste. The biggest problem with this, is if you have overlapping lines or polygons, you are never assured which one is going to end up on top.

~~Becky

[Fonseca, Milton]

Hello witneyag,

Here is another approach, try SVG. There is a tool called MI2SVG created by Bill Thoen that can create "vector/graphics" that can be imported into Illustrator without too much hassle. You can find the tool at http://www.gisnet.com/notebook/SVG_mapping.php.

Good luck!

Milton

[Søren Breddam]

Universal Translator can translate several files at a time. Just use Shift or Ctrl to point out the tab files ;-)

 

Regards

Søren

 

 

---

Fra: mapi...@googlegroups.com [mailto:mapi...@googlegroups.com] På vegne af NVTunis
Sendt: 1. oktober 2008 17:08
Til: mapi...@googlegroups.com
Emne: [MI-L] Re: Flattening / Merging layers in Mapinfo PLEASE HELP!!!

[NVTunis]

Ohhh, Thanks! I will have to remember that! I trade files often with someone who uses AC, it will come in handy :)

[Carsten Andersen]

Hi,

the same thing David has explained, using wmf or emf, can often be
achieved by converting the map (from layout window, I think...) to a
PDF-file, using a PDFWriter/Creator, (works like a printer) and then
import it in Illustrator, where it can be modified by selecting
vectors by style.

Regards,
Carsten

> 2008/10/1 Chris & Tybie <waterwing...@rogers.com>:

> > where do i find append rows in table?
> > can you give me specific instructions? thanks so much!
>
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Aladar <slavo.sa...@gmail.com>
> > To: MapInfo-L <mapi...@googlegroups.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 8:57:12 PM
> > Subject: [MI-L] Re: Flattening / Merging layers in Mapinfo PLEASE HELP!!!
>
> > Hey, you can use "append rows to table" in main/table menu in mapinfo.
> > Only make sure that your tables have same structure.
>
> > On Oct 1, 6:18 am, whitneyag <waterwing...@rogers.com> wrote:
> >> I am in desperate need to find out how to merge several or all layers
> >> after creating a map in mapinfo.
>
> >> Can you please give me specific directions.
>

> >> Thank you in advance!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Danny]

Another simple approach might be to copy and paste each of the layers
into the Cosmetic Layer. Then do a "Map-Save Cosmetic Objects..." to
a TAB file. Then you'd be able to export that TAB file.

So ...

1. Make Cosmetic layer editable
2. Query from each layer. Easiest way might be to open a browser
window for each layer, do a Query-Select All, then switch to map
window and Paste. Repeat for each layer.
3. Map-Save Cosmetic Objects ...
4. Export TAB.

Having said all that, I agree with other contributor who suggests
trying to "File-Save Window As ...", which will allow various raster
and vector export formats. You could also try "printing" to a
postscript file, which could be imported into graphics package.

Good luck.

-Dan

[Warren Vick]

Hello,

I think some of the terminology you have used has caused a bit of
confusion. "Flattening" is not something normally used in MapInfo-speak.
However, I assume you want to fold several vector data layers into one.

As someone mentioned, you can achieve this by copy/pasting from each
layer into the cosmetic layer and then finally saving the cosmetic layer
to a new table. However, you will loose an attribute data attached, so I
would not say this was best practice.

Assuming all your layers are from table with the same structure, the
best way is as follows:

1) File > Save Copy As... on one of your layers and choose a name for
your single output table. You can also change the projection here if you
wish.
2) MapInfo Pro does not work like most Windows applications so that copy
you have just saved is not open. Go to the File menu and choose the top
entry from the "recently used" items to open it.
3) Choose Table > Append rows to table. Select a layer to add and then
select you new output layer as destination. Repeat this for all layers,
but be careful not to do any more that once or you will get some
duplicates.
4) Finally, save your output table.

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Warren Vick
Europa Technologies Ltd.
http://www.europa.uk.com

-----Original Message-----
From: mapi...@googlegroups.com [mailto:mapi...@googlegroups.com] On

[Ben]

Question: how do we select several points in several layers and paste it in one layer. Instead of selecting one layer at a time and paste? anyone?

[peter...@health.qld.gov.au]

As far as I know, and from a logical perspective I suppose, you can only select records, data, etc from one layer at a time.
You can append records from one table to another in a "bulk" action, if table structure is the same, but that is a bit different from what you are asking.