SHP Connection not displaying

[Anonymous]

I have dropped a saved layer into a blank drawing and it is making the proper SHP connection because the data does show up and I am able to view the table.  However, the connection does not show up under my SHP connections.  I am not able to disconnect the connection because it is not listed or showing up although the data IS connected!  Any suggestions?

[parkr4st]

Drag and drop does not create the connection as in DATA CONNECT

To remove the layer, right click the layer in Display Manager and remove; Y

or

simply uncheck the display check box in DM; the layer is still there, just not visible; check the box to see it again

[gluckett]

the *.layer file is an XML file. Your layer file might point to a SHP file or folder that does not exist on your PC (I.e. like a q:\ drive).

You can manually edit the .layer file in Notepad and change the path (if you can find it) before dragging and dropping the layer in. That way the SHP will connect correctly.

[Anonymous]

I am still having problems with this issue and they are getting worse.  I have done a LOT of work to stylize some shapefile data and as I complete them, I save the layer using Display Manager, which is not only supposed to save the styling, but save a 'pointer' back to the shapefile database. (BTW this layer is not an XML file and actually has the extension of .layer)  Once the layer is saved, you can simply drag and drop it into a drawing.  This only seems to work sporadically and I can never figure out why.  The styling would show up in my Display Manager window but it would show an "!" symbol with an error that it couldn't connect to the data.  The data has not been moved or changed in any way.  Other times, it connects and works just fine.  In order to avoid this error, I found that I could connect to the data manually before I dropped the layer in and that seemed to work UNTIL TODAY!  I now cannot get it to work at all and this is sooooo frustrating!  How can something that worked in the past suddenly stop working when there have been no changes AT ALL?  I even contacted our local authorized ACAD training facility and they are at a loss as well!  Can anyone help me with this?????  A repair to my installation has not helped at all.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I now cannot get it to work at all and this is sooooo frustrating

So you don't see now the dataconnection within the MAPCONNECT dialog at all? Or is the connection active?

Do you see the data in the datatable? If so you can select one of the datarows, that should zoom you to the object and select it (I'm just thinking about limits specified in the SHP dataset that might zoom you out as far as the single entities are not visible because they are too small now).

To check the zoom-area after the drag & drop from the .layer-file use the command _ID twice, one time in the lower-left corner and the other time in the upper-right corner ... are the coordinated correct/estimated? ...or far away from your SHP-dateset?

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't you know it...it's working now! This is very frustrating but I will post EXACTLY what is happening the next time it gives me problems. In the meantime, I am going to get with our IT person and make sure that we aren't having network connection problems. Thanks for your response though!

Amy

[Anonymous]

Well, I found one problem and I think it may have something to do with the size of my data and the coordinate system. I created all of these layers using LAT/LON Nad27 data. If I keep that same coordinate system in my drawing, when I drag and drop they work fine. But I just tested it, setting my drawing coordinate to State Plane Texas South and tried to drag in my layers. One of my layers came in just fine and the other gave me the error that it could not connect to the data. The layers are identical but point to different data. But the layer that worked contained much less data than the one that didn't. How in the world can I fix this?

Amy

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

to see if it depends on coordinate systems you can try to create a new drawing, do not assign any coordinate system to it and do the drag & drop from the layer file. If the SHP has a CS (a PROJ file) then you can see at least what CS is assigned then to your drawing and if you can see the geometry or not.

When the connection to a drawing without CS works, but the connection to a drawing with a predefined CS does not work then you might have a problem with the transformation between 2 different CS.

If the emtpy drawing test works let us know the 2 CS that do not work together (and as I'm not familiar with the US coordinate systems I hope you get someone here in the forum who knows the CS's and how they interact.

- alfred -

[gluckett]

Sometimes there isn't a direct match between the coordinate system defined in the SHP's *.prj file and those in AutoCAD Map.

You may have to "tell" the shapefile what coordinate system it is in, even though one shows in the menu.

You can override the Coordinate System even though it is the same one technically.  Just make sure you choose one that is the same as what is in the PRJ file.

[parkr4st]

amy

plese help if you would with some terminology

data file set with the *.shp, prj,dbf, etc  --  call it the data.  This becomes a layer in the display manager.

*.layer file  --  call it the *.layer file

with the data set there is the *.shp file

as gluckett stated

within the *.layer (an XML file) there is the *.shp listed.  open the *.layer in notepad as noted above and enter ctrl&F (find) and

enter the string <Name>DefaultFileLocation</Name> and enter.  it should go to that line.

The next line down should read the full directory path to the the *.shp.  i.e. (i grabbed one )<Value>C:\AAAAData\AAAGIS_Data\NBFD_GIS\NBFD_shp\NBFD_TownLine.shp</Value>

If the directory path is wrong, open windows explorer, find the file and in the top of WE click on the directory path and copy it and

paste into the *.layer file between the <value> paste* .shp here  <value> and save the *.layer file (use a new file name if you want to preserve to original)

This should get the *.layer to point to the correct *.shp. 

Open the *.prj for the *.shp and make sure it is the Coord system you want.  If not let us know and we can get that straightened out.

If your data is on a server or remote drive, consider puttting a copy onto your local drive  or put the *.layer on the server in the same directory.  Just keep those files close together so the *.layer can find the *.shp quick and easy like. 

can you clarify "The layers are identical but point to different data"?  *.layer(s) or the data layers in Display Manager?

"But the layer that worked contained much less data than the one that didn't"  how much is less?  (10Kb vs 1204056 kb for example)

dave