====== Map Suite Web Edition Quick Start Guide ====== {{section>upgrade_map_suite_to_10.0}}
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel03.DefaultAreaStyle = AreaStyles.Country1;
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel03.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level10;
==== Map Suite Web "Hello World" ====
In creating our "Hello World" sample application, our first step is to set a reference to the Map Suite Core workspace at the very top of our code, as we will use many classes within that. We do this so that we do not have to use the fully qualified name of the Map Suite classes throughout our code. Setting a reference to the Map Suite workspace can be done in the "code-behind" of the Form by selecting the Form and hitting the F7 function key. Set the reference like this:
using ThinkGeo.MapSuite.Core;
Now let's look at a code sample to bring this concept to fruition. We'll look at Shapefiles relating to the entire world. In our example, we have one such Shapefile:
*The borders of every country in the world ("cntry02.shp")
(**NOTE:** The data used in this sample can be found in the attached sample above at "\AppData" folder)
Our next step is to define and add our layers. All of our sample code is placed in the Page_Load event of the web form. We also will want to put in a check for whether the page is posting back. This is so our Map control can load and render the data only once, during initial load, instead of repeatedly every time a post back to the web server is made. For the sample application we are making here, this check is not actually needed, as there will not be any PostBack in this application. Still, this is a good coding habit for a Web project, so let's put in the code to check for post backs in first. Then, we'll put our other code inside that structure.
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!IsPostBack)
{
// Set the Map Unit. The reason for setting it to DecimalDegrees is that is what the shapefile's unit of measure is inherently in.
Map1.MapUnit = GeographyUnit.DecimalDegree;
// We create a new Layer and pass the path to a Shapefile into its constructor.
ShapeFileFeatureLayer worldLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/Countries02.shp"));
// Set the worldLayer with a preset Style, as AreaStyles.Country1 has YellowGreen background and black border, our worldLayer will have the same render style.
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultAreaStyle = AreaStyles.Country1;
// This setting will apply from ZoonLevel01 to ZoomLevel20, that means we can see the world the same style with ZoomLevel01 all the time no matter how far we zoom out/in.
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
// We need to add the world layer to map's Static Overlay.
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(worldLayer);
// Set a proper extent for the map, that's the place you want it to display.
Map1.CurrentExtent = new RectangleShape(5, 78, 30, 26);
}
}
If you compile and run what you have now, your map should look like the one below. (See Figure 4).
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img09.jpg}}
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//Figure 4. A simple map of Europe.//
So what has occurred here? We have created a layer and added it to the Map, and the Map has rendered it according to its default style parameters. Also, we have used ZoomLevel to display the map the way we want.
**NOTE:** It is important that the ''MapUnit'' property of a Map object be set using the ''GeographyUnit'' Enumeration. This is because Shapefiles only store binary vector coordinates, which can be in DecimalDegree, feet, meters, etc., and our map has no idea about what the unit of measurement is until we set it. This information is normally found somewhere in the documentation or within the supplemental data file as discussed in the section on Shapefiles.
==== Navigate the Map ====
With the above code, not only can you display a map, but you can also navigate it. You can pan by dragging the map, zoom in by double-clicking, track zoom in by drawing a rectangle with your left mouse button mouse while holding the shift key, or zoom in and out by using the mouse wheel. Very powerful for just couple lines of code, isn't it?
That was an easy start! Now, let's add another Shapefile to the sample so that we will have a total of two layers:
- The borders of every country in the world ("cntry02.shp")
- The capitals of the world countries ("capital.shp")
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!IsPostBack)
{
Map1.MapUnit = GeographyUnit.DecimalDegree;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer worldLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/Countries02.shp"));
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultAreaStyle = AreaStyles.Country1;
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer capitalLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/WorldCapitals.shp"));
// Similarly, we use the presetPointStyle for cities.
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultPointStyle = PointStyles.Capital3;
// These settings will apply from ZoonLevel01 to ZoomLevel20, that means we can see city symbols the same style with ZoomLevel01 all the time no matter how far we zoom out/in.
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
// We need to add both of the new layers to the Map's Static Overlay.
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(worldLayer);
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(capitalLayer);
Map1.CurrentExtent = new RectangleShape(5, 78, 30, 26);
}
}
The result is as follows(Figure 5):
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img10.jpg}}
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//Figure 5. Europe map with 2 layers.//
===== How to Use the TextStyle =====
==== Textstyle ====
The TextStyle is used to label items on map. As every Shapefile has a related .dbf file, which includes descriptions for every record, the most common way to use the TextStyle is for labeling. For example, the Shapefile containing capitals of the world has a corresponding .dbf file that contains the field "CITY_NAME". We can use this field to label the cities on our map.
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img11.jpg}}
Map Suite has many TextStyles built in, which will help us quickly design attractive labels for the cities on our map. We can just pick the TextStyle we like and use it.
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!IsPostBack)
{
Map1.MapUnit = GeographyUnit.DecimalDegree;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer worldLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/Countries02.shp"));
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultAreaStyle = AreaStyles.Country1;
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer capitalLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/WorldCapitals.shp"));
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultPointStyle = PointStyles.Capital3;
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
// We create a new Layer for labeling the capitals.
ShapeFileFeatureLayer capitalLabelLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/WorldCapitals.shp"));
// We use the preset TextStyle. Here we passed in the “CITY_NAME”, which is the name of the field we want to label on map.
capitalLabelLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultTextStyle = TextStyles.Capital3("CITY_NAME");
capitalLabelLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
// As the map is drawn by tiles, it needs to draw on the margin to make sure the text is complete after we joining the tiles together.
// Change the number to another one (for example 0) and you can see the difference.
capitalLabelLayer.DrawingMarginPercentage = 50;
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(worldLayer);
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(capitalLayer);
// Add the label layer to Map.
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(capitalLabelLayer);
Map1.CurrentExtent = new RectangleShape(5, 78, 30, 26);
// Set the background color to make the map beautiful.
Map1.MapBackground.BackgroundBrush = new GeoSolidBrush(GeoColor.GeographicColors.ShallowOcean);
}
}
The result is as follows (Figure 6):
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img12.jpg}}
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//Figure 6. Europe map with TextStyle.//
Now that we know how to render text and render symbols, let's define two different ZoomLevels in one single layer, and create our own custom Style and TextStyle.
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!IsPostBack)
{
Map1.MapUnit = GeographyUnit.DecimalDegree;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer worldLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/Countries02.shp"));
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultAreaStyle = AreaStyles.Country1;
worldLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer capitalLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/WorldCapitals.shp"));
// We can customize our own Style. Here we passed in a color and a size.
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultPointStyle = PointStyles.CreateSimpleCircleStyle(GeoColor.StandardColors.White, 7, GeoColor.StandardColors.Brown);
// The Style we set here is available from ZoomLevel01 to ZoomLevel05. That means if we zoom in a bit more, the appearance we set here will not be visible anymore.
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level05;
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel06.DefaultPointStyle = PointStyles.Capital3;
// The Style we set here is available from ZoomLevel06 to ZoomLevel20. That means if we zoom out a bit more, the appearance we set here will not be visible any more.
capitalLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel06.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
ShapeFileFeatureLayer capitalLabelLayer = new ShapeFileFeatureLayer(MapPath("~/App_Data/WorldCapitals.shp"));
// We can customize our own TextStyle. Here we passed in the font, the size, the style and the color.
capitalLabelLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultTextStyle = TextStyles.CreateSimpleTextStyle("CITY_NAME", "Arial", 8, DrawingFontStyles.Italic, GeoColor.StandardColors.Black, 3, 3);
// The TextStyle we set here is available from ZoomLevel01 to ZoomLevel05.
capitalLabelLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level05;
capitalLabelLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel06.DefaultTextStyle = TextStyles.Capital3("CITY_NAME");
// The TextStyle we set here is available from ZoomLevel06 to ZoomLevel20.
capitalLabelLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel06.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
capitalLabelLayer.DrawingMarginPercentage = 50;
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(worldLayer);
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(capitalLayer);
Map1.StaticOverlay.Layers.Add(capitalLabelLayer);
Map1.CurrentExtent = new RectangleShape(5, 78, 30, 26);
// Set the background color to make the map beautiful.
Map1.MapBackground.BackgroundBrush = new GeoSolidBrush(GeoColor.GeographicColors.ShallowOcean);
}
}
Can you imagine what the map will look like now? Figure 7 below is the result. At first it looks the same as it did in Figure 6. Now zoom in, and watch the map change to resemble Figure 8 as you do.
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img13.jpg}}
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//Figure 7. European cities with two ZoomLevels, before zooming in.//
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img14.jpg}}
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//Figure 8. European cities with two ZoomLevels, after zooming in.//
==== Using the Map in an Update Panel ====
If you put the map within an update panel, you can take advantage of AJAX. To make this clearer, we will walk you through a sample.
First, let's add a marker on the map. Our first step is to add a reference to the ''MapSuite.WebEdition'' namespace at the very top of our code:
using ThinkGeo.MapSuite.WebEdition;
Next, drag a button to the page and leave the name set to the default "Button1". Double-click that button and write the following code in the ''Button1_Click'' method:
protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!Map1.MarkerOverlay.FeatureSource.InternalFeatures.Contains("Marker"))
{
// Add a new feature as a marker
Map1.MarkerOverlay.FeatureSource.InternalFeatures.Add("Marker", new Feature(0, 52));
// Set the marker style, and make it available all over the zoomlevels.
Map1.MarkerOverlay.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultMarkerStyle.WebImage = new WebImage("../../theme/default/img/marker_blue.gif", 21, 25);
Map1.MarkerOverlay.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20;
}
}
Let's run the application and click the button. You will see a marker appear near London. (Figure 9)
{{webedition:QSG_WebEdition2_Img15.jpg}}
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//Figure 9. Add a marker to the map.//
We have now added a marker to the map; however, you will find that the map flickers every time you click the button.
The following code in "Default.aspx" shows how we can put the map control and the button within an update panel to solve the flickering problem. You can also put the button outside the update panel; see the following sets of example code for details:
**Aspx code 1: Put both the map control and button into the update panel.**
**Aspx code 2: Put only map in an update panel.**
===== Summary =====
You now know the basics of using Map Suite Web Edition and are able to start adding this functionality into your own applications. Let's recap what we have learned about the object relationships and how the pieces of Map Suite work together:
- It is of the utmost importance that the units of measurement (feet, meters, decimal degrees, etc.) be set properly for the map, based on the requirements of your data.
- Shapefiles (and other data sources like Oracle, Postgre, SQL 2008, etc.) provide the data used by Map Suite to render a map.
- A Map is the basic class that contains all of the other objects that are used to define how the map will be rendered.
- A Map has one-to-many Layers. A Layer contains the data (from shapefile or other data sources) for drawing.
- A layer can have one-to-many ZoomLevels. ZoomLevels help to define ranges of when a layer should be shown or hidden.