How to edit a representation
A representation defines the manner in which
the classes of a map with a class domain, a group domain or a picture domain, or
the values of a map with a value domain or the image domain
should be represented on the screen and on a printer. When a map is shown by an attribute column, the domain of the attribute column determines the (default) representation. A representation is a service object of a domain.
Representations can be edited:
Mind:
- System representations such as the representations gradual Pseudo or Gray are read-only and cannot be edited.
- Some special display possibilities exist for point maps and point attributes that use a Value domain or an ID domain.
- Maps that use a Bool, Bit, ID or the Color domain do not have a representation.
For more information, see Additional Info below.
Opening a representation editor
Depending on the type of the representation you open, either the Representation Class editor or the Representation Value/Gradual editor will be opened.
To open a representation editor from the Main window:
- in the Catalog, double-click a representation,
- in the Catalog, click a representation with the right mouse button, and choose Open from the context-sensitive menu,
- in the Catalog, select a representation, then open the Edit menu in the Main window and choose the Edit Object command,
- in the Operation-tree or the Operation-list, double-click the Edit item and select any representation,
- drag any representation from the Catalog to the Edit item in the Operation-tree or the Operation-list.
To open a representation editor from a map window:
- in the Layer Management pane of a map window, double-click the word "Legend",
- choose the Representation command from the Edit menu of a map window.
To open a representation editor from the domain Class/ID editor:
- click the Representation button in the toolbar, or
- choose the Open Representation command from the File menu.
Tips:
- For descriptions on how to use the Representation editors, see Representation Class editor : functionality and Representation Value/Gradual editor : functionality.
- When you opened a representation editor from a map window, and you want to see how the changes you made in the representation editor actually look in your map:
- keep the representation editor open,
- click the Redraw
button in the map window,
- continue to change the representation in the representation editor and to redraw the map window until satisfied.
When a map with a class or group domain is displayed in a map window, you can also directly edit specific classes of the representation that is currently used.
Double-clicking classes in the Legend of the Layer Management pane:
- Display the map in a map window;
- Expand the Legend in the Layer Management pane of the map window if necessary;
- Double-click a class in the Legend;
- An Edit Repr Item dialog box will appear in which you can directly change colors, polygon patterns, segment line types, line widths, point symbols, etc.
The map window will directly show the map in the changed representation.
Double-clicking mapping units in the map window:
- Display the map in a map window and make sure that the Info check box in the map's Display Options dialog box is marked;
- Open the Layers menu in the map window, choose the Double-Click Action command and select the Edit Representation option;
- Then, double-click the pixels, polygons, segments or points in the map: each time an Edit Repr Item dialog box will appear in which you can directly change colors, polygon patterns, segment line types, line widths, point symbols, etc.
- The map window will directly show the map in the changed representation.
- Continue double-clicking units in the map and editing the representation of that class until satisfied.
See also Map window : advanced functionality.
Opening a representation class as a table (advanced)
Advanced users may wish to edit a representation class in table form:
For more information, see the Open/Show As Table dialog box.
Additional information
Dealing with system domains, system representations and read-only representations:
The Representation command on the Edit menu of a map window is grayed out when for instance:
- you displayed a value map that uses a system domain and you accepted the default system representation in the map's Display Options dialog box,
- when you selected a system representation in a map's Display Options dialog box,
- when you selected a read-only representation in a map's Display Options dialog box.
System representations (e.g. Pseudo or Gray) are always read-only and read-only objects cannot be edited.
You have two options to solve this 'problem':
- Create a new representation:
Reopen the map's Display Options dialog box, and click the create button
next to the Representation list box.
The Create Representation dialog box will appear:
- in case a value map uses system domain Value and you want to create a representation value (which works in values), you should CLEAR the Use Percentages check box in the Create Representation dialog box.
For more information on creating representations, see the Create Representation dialog box.
You can edit the new representation as usual.
- Change the domain of a map from a system value domain to a user-defined value domain:
When values in a map (domain type Value) have a specific meaning, are in a specific range and should be represented by specific colors or ranges of colors, it is advised to create a user-defined value domain.
To convert a map with system domain Value to a map with a user-defined value domain, see How to change the domain of a map.
Tips:
Symbols for point maps:
- For point maps with a class domain, you can use Single Symbols or create a representation class as described above. In the Edit Item (point) dialog box in the Representation Class editor, you then define symbol type, point size and colors for the points.
- For point maps with a value domain, you can click the Symbols button in the Display Options - Point Map dialog box. In the Symbol dialog box, you can then define symbol type, point sizes, colors, etc.
- For point maps with an ID domain and which have a linked attribute table, you can use the options Single Symbol, Symbols by Attributes, Symbols as Arrows, Symbols as Graphs as available in the Display Options - Point Map dialog box.
To store the display settings of point maps with a value or an ID domain, you can save the map window as a map view.
Colors for maps with a Bool, Bit, ID, or the Color domain:
Maps with a Bool, the Bit, an ID, or the Color domain do not have a stored representation on disk.
- For maps with a Bool domain or the Bit domain, you can interactively select colors in the Display Options dialog box of the map each time you display the map.
You can save the display settings of a map by saving the map window as a map view.
- Maps with an ID domain can be shown in 7, 15, or 31 colors to inspect the map itself. In most cases however, you will display an ID map by one of its attributes as stored in the map's attribute table; to do so, select the Attribute check box in the Display Options dialog box of the ID map and select an attribute column.
- Raster maps or attributes with the Color domain store colors in each pixel or in each field of the column, so no representation is needed.
See also:
Representation Class editor : functionality
Representation Value/Gradual editor : functionality
ILWIS objects : representations
How to create a representation