Identify map features by clicking in AutoCad Map 2012

[tmgovind]

Hi

I am using Autodesk Map Enterprise 2012 on Windows 7 Prof Win 64 bit laptop with 4GB RAM.

I successfully imported OS MasterMap of UK for the City of Reading from a ShapeFile set to British National Grid using Data>>Connect. I am not using any of the Infrastructure Models. I used the Properties (pr) command to see the details associated with an object. These are the problems i came across:

a) The pr command lists exhaustive details of a map feature  - Object layer, line style thickness, etc and also displays the attribute details. Is it possible to display only the map attributes by suppressing the associated AutoCAD related details of the object?

b) While the display of map features on the screen is very fast, it takes about 3 seconds to query every feature and i can see the query window getting slowly refreshed(i.e window getting repainted). Does Map 2012 make use of  shape file indexes to retrieve the features? The same SHP file when used in ArcGIS ArcMap 10 (in the same system) takes NO time to retrieve attributes as i keep clicking the objects using the Identify tool. It is instantaneous. Am i missing something? I exported this data to SDF format and tried the same but it continues to take 2-3 seconds.

c) Is it possible to give column aliases for all the columns in a Shapefile ?

d) Can i selectively decide which columns to display to the end user? I have about 20+ columns and i do not want to show all the columns?

e) Finally, when i use the pr command, i have to click on an object which in turn selects it. Immediately, Map 12 puts resize handles on all the vertices of the object. I find this to be a bit annoying. Can i query i.e use Identify features WITHOUT selecting those features? I just want Map12 to display the associated details without selecting or showing the resize handles?

I would appreciate if someone can explain these things to me.

Regards

Govindarajan

GIS Consultant

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

>> The pr command lists exhaustive details of a map feature

Can you tell me, what (long) command stands in your version behind "PR"? In my opinion it's a shortcut and in my (german) version this stands for PRÜFSTANDARDS (in english version = CHECKSTANDARDS)

>> Does Map 2012 make use of  shape file indexes to retrieve the features?

>> The same SHP file when used in ArcGIS ArcMap 10

Be careful! First: YES, Map uses index-files, but there are often conflicts on character-sets for which ArcGIS/ArcVIEW and Map3D built the index. So we had he problem, when a SHP-dataset was modified by ArcGIS, then opened in Map3D we got the wrong attributive-records for a geometry-item ... or modifications where written to attributes while this attributive records where never touched.

So my words in trainings for using SHP with ArcXXX and Map3D ==> delete the IDX-file before opening with the "other" product. Each will look for the IDX-file and if it does not find any, it creates one. 😉

>> Is it possible to give column aliases for all the columns in a Shapefile ?

IMHO no, you can create calculated fields and give them (other) column-names, but if that makes sense? What for do you need this?

>> Can i selectively decide which columns to display to the end user?

Not without development

- alfred -

[antoniovinci · Accepted solution]

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alfred.neswadba wrote:

Can you tell me, what (long) command stands in your version behind "PR"?

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It is the command PROPERTIES as you can check writing _PR (with the underscore)...

@  tmgovind

If you _MAPEXPORT a new shape for the end user, then you can customize the number and aliases of columns, by means of a shape editor like Mapwindow_GIS.

You can hide the "resize handles" by setting GRIPS = 0 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> It is the command PROPERTIES as you can check writing _PR (with the underscore)...

No, the underscore does not help anything for shortcuts 😉

With or without undersore in german version of Map the CHECKSTANDARD gets initialized.

Back to the property-window: it's quite slow, but not getting the attributive data, it does calculations/analysations ==> and polygons having large number of vertizes makes it real slow (also hatches or polylinies, ...).

I prefere having the datatable-view open for viewing/modifying the attributive data. Select a geometry does (real fast) select the corresponding record in the datatable, a select-click on a table-record does also a fast select (and zoom-to) geometry.

HTH, - alfred -

[tmgovind]

Thanks! That was really useful. Now the query is really fast!