Well I have to admit that Richard's method works like a charm - I'd used
bolt-on programs from day one so I've never actually had to do it the hard
way before.
I still think it should be a lot easier and more automated than this. Just
as an example, the Discover add-on gives you a dialogue box that asks for
the scale you want to plot at and the size of the paper you're plotting to.
It then adds a region to a temporary layer in your mapper, the region being
the area that can be plotted at the specified scale and paper size. You can
move the region around, and keep respecifying scales and/or paper sizes
until you've got something you're happy with.
Next, it asks if you want to add a grid, a scalebar, and a title block to
your layout, and lets you fill in the lines on your title block. It even
adds some automatic things like projection and date info. Finally, it
creates the layout window and places all of the map items exactly where you
told it to.
Is this too much to ask of MI?
Cheers,
Tim
_____________________________
Tim Warman
Geologist & GIS Specialist
Richard C. Slade & Associates
North Hollywood, CA
(818) 506-0418
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Greenwood [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2000 2:49 PM
To: Tim Warman; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: MI Scaling maps for layouts
Maybe I'm throwing on too late here, but producing maps at a specific scale
can be accomplished in 30 seconds by anyone possessing basic arithmetic
skills:
1. Assuming you have a map window open that shows generally the area you
need to plot, create a new layout. Double click on the mapper frame to see
what the approximate scale is. Lets say it's 1"=187.9', so the closest
standard scale would be 1"=200'.
2. with the mapper frame properties still open, make the frame width an
even number (so you don't have to dig around for your calculator). Say the
frame is 29.67" wide, so make it 30.0" wide.
3. Now you have a 30" wide frame and you want to plot a map at 1"=200'
scale map; so (without the aid of a calculator) I can derive that the frame
should show 6000'. Switch back to the map window and use the little
magnifying-glass-with-the-question-mark tool to set the mapper window width
to 6000'.
4. As for a scale & north arrow, I maintain a set of fancy north
arrow/scale/logos at all the standard scales, which I can slap into any
layout.
If you think plotting to scale in MapInfo is hard, DON'T use AutoCAD. I
find MI the fastest and easiest tool I have for plotting simple maps (ones
without complex labeling or hatching).
Rich
At 01:34 PM 9/1/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>Spencer,
>
>To illustrate what the problem with producing scaled maps in MI is, try
>producing a map of a specific geographic feature on an A4 sheet, at the
>maximum standard scale that will fit on the page, with a title block, a
>north arrow and a decent-looking scale in under 5 minutes. I can do it
using
>one of the many available bolt-ons, but I'm fairly certain that it's not
>possible with MI alone.
>
>Any decent mapping program should have this as one of it's most basic
>capabilities.
>
>Cheers,
>Tim
>_____________________________
>Tim Warman
>Geologist & GIS Specialist
>Richard C. Slade & Associates
>North Hollywood, CA
>(818) 506-0418
>
>Maybe I'm missing something here....
>
>In a Layout window, if you "double-click" on a frame which contains a Map
>window, the dialog box that appears contains a place to type in the
>exact scale you want. Its accuracy depends upon having selected the
>correct paper size, but A4 was a paper-size choice in my "Page Setup".
>
>Hope this helps
>Spencer
>
Richard W. Greenwood, PLS
Greenwood Mapping, Inc.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(307) 733-0203 fax: 733-4018
http://www.GreenwoodMap.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put
"unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
