TopoL Carto

TopoLCarto project is a collection of all items, which are used within the application. They include references to printed data, preview window state and its content, current presentation characteristics, references to map composition printing templates etc. Users are able to create new projects, edit projects, and save its current state for future use.

Project and project templates

TopoLCarto project is a collection of all items, which are used within the application. They include references to printed data, preview window state and its content, current presentation characteristics, references to map composition printing templates etc. Users are able to create new projects, edit projects, and save its current state for future use.

The most important part of a project is a collection of references to printed data - data catalogue. This catalogue include references to raster images and vector spatial data (databases TopoL data blocks and ArcView Shapefile collections). These references can be divided into user-defined folders (catalogues) for easier data management. Disk folders with listed data sources can be also considered as a catalogue. The application provides functions to insert and remove data sources from these catalogues.

Project templates can be defined for needs of repetitive mass processing of data with a standard structure (captured using the same technology). Project templates include data model description for data catalogues and sources, which form such a project. Data menu can be also specified for the selection of model items, so that references to data can be inserted and removed in an easier way. It is possible, for example, to retrieve predefined folder structure with data sources in one step. Other items can be included into project templates, which will be used by users, including printing templates. These printing templates, which define individual map composition, can also reference printed data using data model references instead of references to particular data sources.

Data display

TopoLCarto enables users to preview printed data in the preview window. Several functions for zoom scale definition are available. Individual data tables (TopoL object groups, ArcView Shapefiles), raster images or whole catalogues can be easily inserted into preview. Presentation characteristics might be defined including user-defined cartographic symbols and text styles. Implemented manager for spatial reference system transformations makes possible to view data and print in different co-ordinate systems (JTSK, S42, S52, and WGS84) in one window/map view. Common map sheet systems (Base Maps of ČR, SMO, Gauss-Krüger, cadastral maps - Gusterberg, St. Stephan, Gellerthegy) are also available for display in preview window. Users are able to deduct co-ordinates and map sheet names in preview window. These data are displayed in separate tool windows, which can be easily docked into toolbars placed around the main application window.

Printing templates and their definition

Print templates are used for map composition definition. They can consist of map views, simple text descriptions and blocks, graphical objects (lines, rectangles, ellipses), various arrows and images (in BMP, JPEG, WMF, and EMF formats). The application includes built-in editor of print templates for map compositions. Wide range of object properties (e.g. view content, presentation characteristics for different data tables or raster images) can be defined during template editing using "Object properties" tool. Users can mark some of these object properties (e.g. text in a text description) to be variable. Variable properties are specified before printing using one of TopoLCarto functions. Such properties could be advantageously used for repetitive prints, for which they only change in dependence on selected data and viewport (e.g. project name text description, processing and print datum). A printing template is stored in a file. It is again possible to use it for the same data or data with the similar data model. During a project template definition, references to printing templates are included in the project template for future use.

Printing of map composition

Users are able to select for printing one of print templates included in the project or use another file with a print template definition. After print template selection, printed viewports for each map view as well as map template parameters can be specified. A printer device can be selected in a standard way. If the selected printer uses smaller paper format than it is required for the selected map composition, printing area is automatically divided into several paper sheets. TopoLCarto enable users to define parameters for this division, especially margin overlays. It is also possible to specify colour corrections (based on gamma correction coefficients or a colour table) to remove colour distortions on different printers. Preview of printing area can be displayed in a separate window to examine resulting map before printing.

Program parameters

Many program parameters, which influence its behaviour, can be easily customised. Both global parameters (e.g. folders for project templates, map templates, cartographic symbol and text style libraries) and display parameters for preview and printing can be specified. Display parameter settings include several functions. Selection of cartographic symbol libraries supports import of TopoL user-defined symbols (FONTY.TXT, *.ZVF, LINZN.TXT, SRAFY.TXT files). Another function enables us to define and edit display tables (colour and symbol transfers). Selection of an annotation text style libraries supports also import of TopoL text styles (STYLY.TXT files). During a project template definition, display parameters are included in the template.