Anyone who has had the good fortune to attend a DeLorme-hosted XMap training class will be well aware of the emphasis placed by the instructor on project management in XMap, and on the need to fully understand the functionality of the Map Data tab. Typically a training class will include a sizable amount of time covering the basics of XMap’s file management system and will offer advice for making your XMap experience more productive and efficient.
Before offering some suggestions as to how best to use the Map Data tab, it might be wise to provide a brief introductory explanation as what a “project” actually is.
A project is a file that stores certain settings with XMap and records a specific map view that can be reloaded at later date. Projects, which are assigned a .xmp suffix, are saved in the Projects folder in your DeLorme Docs folder which, for XMap 6 users, is in “My Documents” on your local computer, and for XMap 5 and previous users, is at the root of your local hard drive (typically C:\DeLorme Docs).
Projects are typically intended for local use only and should not be shared or sent to another user. As we will soon discuss, a project may contain references to additional files that are stored on the host computer and these will not be available after the project file is transferred and opened on another machine. For sharing the contents of a project file, the Map Data tab includes the Transfer File function, which has been covered in previous Tab Tip articles.
So what is saved in an XMap project file?
- The Current Data Zoom Level and the Coordinates Representing the Geographic Center of the Map
It is often mistakenly assumed that the project records the geographic extent of map; however this is not the case. If you change your computer’s screen resolution from one XMap session to the next, you may notice that objects that previously appeared are now outside of the viewable map area. Instead, a project simply remembers the latitude and longitude at the center point of the map window. - Map Datasets
The availability of map datasets is indicated by the datasets list in both the Primary and Secondary map windows in the Map Data tab. This list includes the vector base map datasets that have been installed, aerial imagery, USGS quads (3DTQ), etc., as well as XMap’s Reference Data. The list may include a number of sample datasets that are installed by default and it is usually wise to remove these before saving or creating your first project file.
XMap has been designed to automatically look for any available map datasets in several locations, including in the Downloads folder in your DeLorme Docs folder, on your local DVD drive, or from the location from where the software was originally installed. To modify this list, click the Data button, select Base Data and either Add or Remove locations as needed. - The Visibility of the Map Datasets
Check boxes in both the Primary and Secondary Map windows of the Map Data tab offer the option to turn off the selected dataset. This allows the data connection to remain active while disabling the visibility of the dataset in the map window. - Draw Layers/Routes/XData Datasets
It is often assumed that if a draw object is added to the map in XMap, it is automatically added to the current project file. This is not the case. Draw objects are saved in a draw layer, a separate file that is saved in the Draw folder in the DeLorme Docs folder. Objects in a draw layer appear on the map because the project file contains information about the layer name and where it is saved. If the connection to this file is broken by moving the file, renaming the folder, or physically sending the project file to another user, the draw layer will not appear on the map. The same is true of routes and XData datasets. - Customized Map Features
The Map Features section of XMap’s Options window allows the contents of the vector base map datasets to be customized. Unnecessary features can be turned of to create a base map that optimizes the view of the data that you are trying to portray. These settings are saved as part of your project file. - GIS Layers
As with draw layers, GIS layers are independently managed using the functions of the GIS tab. The project file retains information about which layers are currently in the Workspace of the GIS tab, and whether the layers are visible on the map. - Print Layout Features
When printing a map, the Layout Tools menu in the Print tab offers several options for customizing the design of the page. These include a map heading, scale bar, image (often used to insert a company logo) and several others. If you save your project after these print features are added, they will appear on all maps printed from that project. This feature allows the project file to act as a template for printing and eliminates the need to manually add these objects for each printed map.
One important consideration when working with projects is that a single draw layer or GIS layer can be a component of multiple projects. If it is edited within one project, those edits will appear in every project that contains a reference to that layer.
While there is no prescribed way to use projects within XMap, there are, as with any file management system, certain guidelines that may help you manage your data and workflow more effectively.
- Keep in mind that there is no limit to the number of projects that can be saved. It is a good idea to maintain a project for each task you are working on or for each region or territory that you cover.
- Having said that, keep your projects organized, give them logical names and delete them when they are no longer needed. Remember that if you delete a project file, you are not deleting the layers to which it refers, only the project file itself.
- If you make changes to a project but want to restore it to its original state, simply use the file menu to reopen the current project and, when prompted, choose not to save your changes.
- Develop a master project from which all additional projects can be created. This allows the subsequent projects to inherit all of the features and settings from the original. Begin by establishing the settings that reflect how you will typically use XMap: remove unnecessary dataset connections in the Map Data tab, modify the custom features list to match your preferences, add print layout items as needed, and adjust the zoom level of your map view to encompass the full extent of your territory. Now each time you embark on a new task, simply open this master project, zoom to an area of interest and use the Save As function in the File menu of the Map Data tab. The alternative is to create a new project for each situation, however this is not usually the best approach as it will reset the project to the default settings and reestablish all of the original dataset connections.
It has been said that if you don’t understand the functionality of the Map Data tab in XMap, you run the risk of jeopardizing all of your hard work, or at the very least, of making your job much more difficult. Of all of the features of XMap, Map Data is the one component which is essential to even the most basic operation of the software.
