Yep, always frustrating to suffer such constraints. Can you not define the layer in mapserver as an ogr layer rather than a native shapefile, and use ogr's pseudo-sql to cast/retrieve the value as a numeric more suitable for labeling with?
http://www.gdal.org/ogr/ogr_sql.html Then in your mapfile use connectiontype ogr, as in: http://mapserver.org/input/vector/ogr.html (see example 4 with shapefiles joined in an ogr query) I agree it would be nice to have mapserver able to do this, but until then there should be some workaround (like this) that will suffice. Cheers, Brent --- On Wed, 3/10/10, Stephan Holl <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Stephan Holl <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [mapserver-users] LABEL-formatting options > To: [email protected] > Cc: [email protected] > Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 9:09 PM > Hello Brent, > > [email protected], > [20100309 - 23:49:56] > > > Hi Stephan, > > > > Can you not add an appropriate column automatically as > the shapefile > > is generated? > > > > Tools such as dbfscript (http://www.whitetown.com/dbf-script/) or > > perhaps script something with the shapelib libraries > or tools or the > > ogr tools? > > Yes, it is possible. > > But: I think it is a feature which mapserver should deal > with. > > > > > I have found that using Postgis rather than shapefiles > gives you the > > ability to easily manage such issues as the data > retrieved by > > mapserver is derived from an SQL query which allows > the creation of > > virtual "columns" for labels on the fly. > > In our case we do not have a chance to use any DB at all, > since the > infrastructure permits it. The data are retrieved from > caclculations, > which are itself done on a (remote) server. > > > > > Treating this sort of problem as a data management > problem, in terms > > of supplying the desired data derived on the fly from > the stored > > data, allows a tool such a Postgis to do what a > database is designed > > for. A script using shp2pgsql or ogr2ogr to > automatically turn your > > shapefile into a Postgis table, and render this using > mapserver > > instead of the shapefile should fix your problem. > > As said, the specific infrastructure (sadly) does not allow > to use > PostGIS and the like (yet).... > I am after a more general approach (in > order to make MapServer a little better), for my usecase it > is easy to > add a 'display'-column with the right decimal values > trimmed. > > Cheers > > Stephan > > > > On Behalf Of Stephan Holl [[email protected]] > > > Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 7:54 AM > > > To: [email protected] > > > Subject: [mapserver-users] LABEL-formatting > options > > > > > > Hello mapservers, > > > > > > we are using MapServer for visualizing shapefiles > with > > > double entries > > > inside. > > > > > > Mainly this are contour-lines from waterdepth. > The double > > > values have > > > 32 decimal places and mapserver tries to render > them _all_ > > > along a > > > contourline. > > > This does not look nice... > > > > > > Is there an option to trim the values with a > dedicated > > > mapfile-parameter, e.g. where a prinft-syntax can > be used > > > to format the > > > values? > > > > > > The shapefiles are generated automatically so > adding > > > another column with > > > trunc()ed or round()ed values is no option. > > > > > > Are there any options to format > label-values/strings? I > > > have not found > > > anything in the docs. > > > > > > TIA > > > > > > Stephan > > > > > > -- > > > Stephan Holl <[email protected]> > > > | Tel.: +49 (0)541-33 508 3663 > > > Intevation GmbH, Neuer Graben 17, 49074 OS | > AG > > > Osnabrück - HR B 18998 > > > Geschäftsführer: Frank Koormann, Bernhard > Reiter, > > > Dr. Jan-Oliver Wagner > > > _______________________________________________ > > > mapserver-users mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users > > > > > > -- > Stephan Holl <[email protected]> > | Tel.: +49 (0)541-33 508 3663 > Intevation GmbH, Neuer Graben 17, 49074 OS | AG > Osnabrück - HR B 18998 > Geschäftsführer: Frank Koormann, Bernhard Reiter, > Dr. Jan-Oliver Wagner > _______________________________________________ mapserver-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users
