Hi Jennifer, I'll try to explain the SHP file handling in MapInfo:
When opening the SHP file, MapInfo generates a TAB file that points to SHP file. When showing the SHP file inside MapInfo, it creates a MAP+ID file on the fly that shows the geographical content of the SHP file, while the tabular data (the DBF) is not imported, but read directly from the DBF. If you try to close MapInfo, edit the SHP file in arcview and then reopen the TAB file, you will see, that the MAP+ID files are created again to reflect the new content. So, when opening a SHP file in MapInfo you are really doing a kind of live-import process, which is also why you can't edit the TAB file on it's own, since any changes would be lost, if the base SHP file was updated. Strangely enough, inside the TAB file there is metadata with "IsReadOnly" = "False". This is indeed false, since it IS readonly. Kind regards Uffe Kousgaard www.routeware.dk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Minnick, Jennifer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Uffe Kousgaard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Mapinfo-L" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 6:38 PM Subject: RE: MI-L MI-ArcView Shape Files (.shp) To continue the original question because I've often wondered the same thing... MapInfo seems to create a tab file when you open a shapefile so as far as I understand it the program is not trying to edit a shapefile but a tab file it has just created. So back to the original question, why can't you do anything to that tab file until you save again with "save copy as"? So what is read-only, the newly created tab file? Jennifer Minnick Senior Manager, National GIS Services STUDLEY 300 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 Tel: (212) 326-8663 Fax: (212) 326-1034 -----Original Message----- From: Uffe Kousgaard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 3:48 AM To: Mapinfo-L Subject: Re: MI-L MI-ArcView Shape Files (.shp) This is because they are read-only: MapInfo Corp. hasn't implemented editing capabilities of SHP files. Regards Uffe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Cooper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 9:43 AM Subject: Re: MI-L MI-ArcView Shape Files (.shp) List, I have found that either using the Universal Translator or even opening the Shape files into 7.0, that I have to "save a copy as" for the tables to be editable. They appear after the translation, but you can't do anything with them. Anyone know why? Alan --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 15635 --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 15636 --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 15652
