Multiple map windows + multiple layout windows in one workspace

[Marty Rocks]

I would consider this to generally be bad practice, but one of my colleagues insists on setting up their projects in this way as it 'works for them'.

Like I said, I consider it to be bad practice (and potentially a headache when it comes to fixing a workspace in 6 months time that has dozens of tables rather than 4 or 5) but perhaps I'm wrong on this. What are other Mapinfo users opinions on this?

Marty

[MattC]

I generally have multiple layout and map windows per workspace, and I
don't consider it bad practice. Name each of the windows in a logical
way and it's easy to organize the workspace. You need multiple map
windows if you're making a map that has inset maps, photographs/logos/
raster images in a legend, etc.. Maybe you need the same map but with
an aerial image - clone the layout window and the map windows add your
aerial and make the necessary stylistic changes. I think the MapCAD
tool set even has a function to apply cosmetic layer changes globally
to all map windows in the workspace. Obviously there is a limit to
the number of windows you would want in a workspace, as you mentioned
that fixing a broken workspace can get tricky, and things can get
disorganized when someone else has to open the workspace. But if your
project calls for a set of maps that are closely related, and you feel
one workspace makes sense, I wouldn't immediately dismiss the idea as
a bad practice.

[college.atlas]

Agree with Matt. This is routine for me. I'm often generating route maps with as many as 100 sheets. Naming windows and layouts is key.

This is a handy bit of Mapbasic you can type into the mapbasic window.

Set Window FrontWindow() Title "Sheet1"

[Sue Beetlestone]

I'd agree too - I do lots of maps with insets - I'd hate to try and manage with one map and one layout per workspace!

Window Manager is really useful.

Sue

Susan D Beetlestone
Uwch Swyddog GIS Corfforaethol /Senior Corporate GIS Officer & PSMA Principal Contact
BPU IT
Cyngor Sir Powys/Powys County Council
Neuadd y Sir/County Hall
Spa Rd East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys
LD1 5LG
Telephone 01597 82 6938
e-mail sus...@powys.gov.uk

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "MapInfo-L" group.To post a message to this group, send
email to mapi...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, go to:
http://groups.google.com/group/mapinfo-l/subscribe?hl=en
For more options, information and links to MapInfo resources (searching
archives, feature requests, to visit our Wiki, visit the Welcome page at
http://groups.google.com/group/mapinfo-l?hl=en

-----------------------------------------
Cyngor Sir Powys County Council
www.powys.gov.uk

Mae'r e bost hwn ac unrhyw atodiad iddo yn gyfrinachol ac fe'i
bwriedir ar gyfer y sawl a enwir arno yn unig. Gall gynnwys
gwybodaeth freintiedig. Os yw wedi eich cyrraedd trwy gamgymeriad
ni ellwch ei gopio, ei ddosbarthu na'i ddangos i unrhyw un arall a
dylech gysylltu gyda Cyngor Sir Powys ar unwaith.

Mae unrhyw gynnwys nad yw'n ymwneud gyda busnes swyddogol Cyngor
Sir Powys yn bersonol i'r awdur ac nid yw'n awdurdodedig gan y
Cyngor.

This e mail and any attachments are confidential and intended for
the named recipient only. The content may contain privileged
information. If it has reached you by mistake, you should not copy,
distribute or show the content to anyone but should contact Powys
County Council at once.

Any content that is not pertinent to Powys County Council business
is personal to the author, and is not necessarily the view of the
Council.

[MattC]

>This is a handy bit of Mapbasic you can type into the mapbasic window.
>Set Window FrontWindow() Title "Sheet1"

This is indeed useful, so much so that I add it to the right click
(shortcut) menus for layout, map, and browser windows. Here's a
simple code snippet:


Alter Menu "MapperShortcut" Add
"Window Titler" Calling WinTitler,

Alter Menu "LayoutShortcut" Add
"Window Titler" Calling WinTitler

Alter Menu "BrowserShortcut" Add
"Window Titler" Calling WinTitler

...

Sun WinTitler

Dim sWinTitle as String

If WindowInfo(FrontWindow(), WIN_INFO_TYPE) = 1 Then
sWinTitle = "M:"
End If

If WindowInfo(FrontWindow(), WIN_INFO_TYPE) = 2 Then
sWinTitle = "B:"
End If

If WindowInfo(FrontWindow(), WIN_INFO_TYPE) = 3 Then
sWinTitle = "L:"
End If

Dialog
Title "Window Title"
Control EditText
Position 5,5
Width 150
Height 11
Value sWinTitle
Into sWinTitle
Control OKButton
Control CancelButton

If CommandInfo(CMD_INFO_DLG_OK) Then
If sWinTitle <> "" Then
Set Window FrontWindow() Title sWinTitle
End If
End If

End Sub

[Marty Rocks]

Cheers for the feedback folks!

I agree that naming map windows is key, and perhaps this is where I'm coming from in that I now find myself responsible for overseeing maps created by 20+ people (none of which are GIS professional users, but rather see GIS as ancillary to their main jobs). As a result, not all the staff have the inclination to do this (despite being told how important it is). 

They all have basic training in Mapinfo (provided by me, a self-taught GIS professional so it's good for the basics but not great); but are for the most part still quite insular and 'short-term thinking' when it comes to creating maps. For them its a case of 'create a map for a report as quickly as possible then forget about it'.

Subsequent users aren't taken into account and when further revisions are required it can be a bit of a mess when locating the correct map and layout window from a workspace which contains 50+ map windows and layout windows.

Anyone else in the same boat or is my situation an anomoly?

[college.atlas]

Now I remember Marty. You had the enquiry about documented standards,

Ah. Well a couple of things come to mind.

Why aren't these people victims of their own folly? Surely if THEY spent hours trying to resurrect a damaged workspace they'd be more careful with their work. i would make them the "subsequent users" wherever possible.

Why are tables moving? As you've eluded previously tables should be kept in a structured location so that movements are minimised or prevented.

Also on the "many mappers and layouts to one workspace" idea, at least, if one TAB file is moved then you only need to correct this issue in ONE workspace not hundreds(possibly). 

I'm being partially facetious and partially serious. 

I know it's hard to force process on people but you can make them responsible. Being responsible has a way of making process important. If there's no consequence(responsibility) for failing to follow process they will not take it seriously.

I have actually had to bring two departments into room and introduce them to each other so that the department causing all the problems had to explain why not following process was good for the company and it was OK for the other department to clean up their mess in front of the CEO.

Things changed quickly after that.

[Marty Rocks]

Thanks for this Matt - I'm not very au fait with mapbasic - any chance you could walk me through how to use the below code - specifically the alter menu aspect. I've opened the mapbasic window, copied and pasted and nothing.

Also cheers for the input college.atlas, much appreciated. If multiple map windows and layouts seem to be standard then I'll give that a trial run and see how we go.

Cheers!

Marty

[Sue Beetlestone]

Hello Marty

 

We have getting on for 300 users of varying levels of expertise here – but most of them fall into the same category as yours – GIS is not the main focus of their job. Our base –mapping and corporate layers never move location and can only be edited by their respective custodians.

Users create their own map layers and share them with colleagues (enabled but also restricted by a set of Active Directory groups). When we carry out their training we emphasise the importance of not moving layers and of naming layers and workspaces meaningfully and systematically – also using the tools Mapinfo provides such as Window Manager and Named Views (that can help reduce the number of map windows people think they need).

We have an e-mail group by means of which I circulate news about new or updated datasets – and which also allows me to dish out gentle hints!

Our training includes guidance about managing data and about how MapInfo tables and workspaces work as well as the basics of map creation. We follow this up with more specific training tailored to the needs of the user eg, thematic mapping, SQL queries etc.

 

Of course it doesn’t always work and inevitably we sometimes end up disentangling or rebuilding workspaces  and occasionally asking for deleted tables to be restored from backup.

 

Maybe your users are more anarchic than ours!

 

Sue

 

Susan D Beetlestone
Uwch Swyddog GIS Corfforaethol /Senior Corporate GIS Officer & PSMA Principal Contact

BPU IT
Cyngor Sir Powys/Powys County Council
Neuadd y Sir/County Hall
Spa Rd East
Llandrindod Wells
Powys
LD1 5LG
Telephone 01597 82 6938
e-mail sus...@powys.gov.uk

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the
Google Groups "MapInfo-L" group.To post a message to this group, send
email to mapi...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, go to:
http://groups.google.com/group/mapinfo-l/subscribe?hl=en
For more options, information and links to MapInfo resources (searching
archives, feature requests, to visit our Wiki, visit the Welcome page at
http://groups.google.com/group/mapinfo-l?hl=en

[Andy Harfoot]

In addition to the Window Manager, there is the Window Helper tool (only for MI 10.5 and above) that can be downloaded here:

http://www.pbinsight.com/support/product-downloads/item/windowhelper

This is excellent for managing large numbers of document windows in MapInfo

Andy

-- 
Andy Harfoot

GeoData Institute
University of Southampton
Southampton
SO17 1BJ

Tel:  +44 (0)23 8059 2719
Fax:  +44 (0)23 8059 2849

www.geodata.soton.ac.uk

[Marty Rocks]

Thanks Andy and Sue.

My workplace does indeed seem a bit more anarchic than yours I think. We've gone from having a few people who were quite good with Mapinfo and data management to 20+ users who aren't in a short space of time. One problem is lack of training which I'm slowly but surely dealing with.

Compounding the problematic adjustment period is the fact that a few of the 'higher ups' still perceive GIS to be a last minute add-on to a project who don't understand that its slightly more complicated than 'drawing a line on a map'.

Trying to change that but its an uphill battle!

Cheers all.

Marty