Engage User Guide.book - Pitney Bowes Software

Engage User Guide
TM
Engage
Version 7.0
USER GUIDE

TM
Engage
Version 7.0
USER GUIDE
Engage is developed and supported by
Pitney Bowes Software Pty Ltd.
Level 7, 1 Elizabeth Plaza
North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia
tel: +61.2.9437.6255
fax: +61.2.9439.1773
pbbi.support@pb.com
www.pbinsight.com.au
v1.0 October 2004 v4.0 August 2008
v2.0 September 2005 v5.0 September 2009
v2.1 February 2006 v6.0 September 2010
v3.0 September 2007 v7.0 September 2011
© Pitney Bowes Software Pty Ltd, 2011

Table of Contents
i
Table of Contents
1 Introducing the Engage Suite ................................................................ 1
About this Guide........................................................................................ 3
Conventions Used in this Guide................................................................ 3
2 Installing and Configuring Engage........................................................ 5
System Requirements............................................................................... 5
Installing Engage....................................................................................... 6
Installing from DVD .............................................................................. 7
Installing from the Web ........................................................................ 7
Uninstalling Engage ............................................................................. 8
Installation Folders ............................................................................... 8
Licensing Engage...................................................................................... 8
Licensing Procedures for a Hard-Disk Licence .................................... 9
Installing a New Licence ............................................................... 10
Upgrading an Existing Licence...................................................... 12
Transferring a Licence .................................................................. 13
Displaying Licence Information ..................................................... 15
Troubleshooting ............................................................................ 15
Dialog Help ................................................................................... 15
Configuring Engage ................................................................................ 17
Viewing and Changing Engage Folder Locations .............................. 18
Overriding the Default Map Status Bar Display.................................. 19
Autosaving and Restoring the Workspace ......................................... 19
Dialog Help......................................................................................... 20
Configuration Dialog Box .............................................................. 20
Select Path Dialog Box ................................................................. 22
Starting Engage ...................................................................................... 23
Auto-starting Engage ......................................................................... 23
Starting Engage Manually .................................................................. 25
Running Engage on a Network .......................................................... 26
3 Getting Help........................................................................................... 27
Help......................................................................................................... 27
Technical Support ................................................................................... 29
Viewing and Printing the Electronic Manuals .......................................... 29

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Engage User Guide
4 What’s New in Engage.......................................................................... 31
5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces .................................. 33
Controlling the Interface.......................................................................... 33
Showing and Hiding Menus, Toolbars, and Other Tools ................... 33
Managing Toolbars ............................................................................ 34
Using the Command Search Tool........................................................... 35
Dialog Help ........................................................................................ 37
Command Search Options Dialog Box......................................... 37
Organising Your MapBasic Tools ........................................................... 38
Managing Your Workspaces................................................................... 39
Favourite Workspaces ....................................................................... 40
Checking and Modifying Table Locations in a Workspace ................ 41
Preparing a Workspace for Sharing and Archiving............................ 43
Engage Application Menus ..................................................................... 44
Engage Menu .................................................................................... 45
Map Window Menu....................................................................... 47
Select Menu.................................................................................. 50
Object Menu ................................................................................. 50
Text Menu..................................................................................... 52
Map Layout Menu......................................................................... 53
Scaled Output Menu..................................................................... 54
Data Utilities Menu ....................................................................... 55
Table and Workspace Utilities Menu ............................................ 58
Engage Help Menu....................................................................... 60
Engage3D Menu................................................................................ 61
EngageSurfaces Menu ...................................................................... 63
EngageImages Menu......................................................................... 65
EngageAnalytics Menu ...................................................................... 66
EngageColourMap Menu................................................................... 67
EngageBatchPrinting Menu ............................................................... 68
MapInfo Professional Menu Customisations........................................... 68
Engage Toolbars .................................................................................... 70
Engage Toolbar ................................................................................. 70
Map Window Toolbar......................................................................... 71
Map Making Toolbar .......................................................................... 72
Object Editing Toolbar ....................................................................... 73
Surfaces Toolbar ............................................................................... 73
Cursor Position Toolbar ..................................................................... 74
6 Map Window Controls .......................................................................... 75
Map View Settings .................................................................................. 75
Setting the Default Map View ............................................................ 75
Dialog Help ................................................................................... 75

Table of Contents
iii
Saving and Restoring the Mapper State ............................................ 76
Saving and Applying View Settings.................................................... 76
Dialog Help ................................................................................... 79
Map Projections ...................................................................................... 80
Saving and Applying Map Projections................................................ 80
Dialog Help ................................................................................... 82
Displaying Mapper Projection Details ................................................ 83
Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings ........................... 84
Dialog Help ................................................................................... 85
Display a Dynamic Scale Bar Window .................................................... 87
Dialog Help ................................................................................... 88
Add a Dynamic Map Grid to a Map Window ........................................... 90
Dialog Help......................................................................................... 91
Setup Map Autogrid Dialog Box.................................................... 91
Window Size and Zoom Controls............................................................ 93
Fit the Map Window to the Selected Object ....................................... 94
Zoom to the Extents of the Selected Object....................................... 94
Linking Map Windows ............................................................................. 95
Show Cursor Position in Linked Windows.......................................... 96
Matching the Sizes of Linked Windows.............................................. 98
Dialog Help......................................................................................... 98
Map Linking Dialog Box ................................................................ 98
Cursor Position Dialog Box ........................................................... 99
7 Importing and Exporting..................................................................... 101
Importing Data with MapInfo and Engage............................................. 101
Import Formats Supported by Engage .................................................. 102
Tabular and Vector Data ....................................................................... 103
ASCII Data ....................................................................................... 103
Supported ASCII File Formats .................................................... 106
ASCII Import Options .................................................................. 107
Line Number Record................................................................... 108
Ignored Records ......................................................................... 109
Ignored Characters ..................................................................... 109
Save and Reload ASCII Template .............................................. 109
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 109
DXF .................................................................................................. 117
Export Contours to 3D DXF ....................................................... 117
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 117
LIDAR LAS....................................................................................... 119
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 119
Raster Imagery...................................................................................... 120
Rectifying Raster Images ................................................................. 121
ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 ...................................................................... 121
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 124

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Engage User Guide
ER Mapper Algorithm Referencing ECW Images............................ 125
Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image .................... 126
Surface Grids........................................................................................ 126
ASCII Grid........................................................................................ 127
X Y Z values file format .............................................................. 128
Z values only file format.............................................................. 129
Alternative Grid Import Tools ........................................................... 130
BIL Grid ...................................................................................... 132
ER Mapper Grid.......................................................................... 133
ESRI ASCII Grid ......................................................................... 135
Surfer Grid .................................................................................. 137
Vertical Mapper Grid................................................................... 138
USGS DEM Grid......................................................................... 139
Toggle Support for Vertical Mapper Grid ......................................... 142
Export Grid to ASCII File ................................................................. 142
Export Grid ...................................................................................... 143
8 Working with Tables........................................................................... 145
Opening and Closing Tables ................................................................ 145
Favourite Tables .............................................................................. 145
Opening Multiple Tables .................................................................. 148
Closing All Tables ............................................................................ 149
Refreshing Tables with Database Connections.................................... 151
Searching and Replacing Text in Tables .............................................. 152
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 154
Text Search Dialog Box.............................................................. 154
Selecting Table Records....................................................................... 155
Select by Attribute or Object Group ................................................. 155
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 157
Select by Group Dialog Box ....................................................... 157
Sorting Tables....................................................................................... 158
Splitting Tables ..................................................................................... 160
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 162
Table Split Dialog Box ................................................................ 162
Group Properties Dialog Box...................................................... 163
Digitizing and Data Entry ...................................................................... 164
Setting Increments and Constant Values ........................................ 166
Manual Data Entry ........................................................................... 167
Automated Data Entry ..................................................................... 167
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 168
Data Entry to Columns Dialog Box ............................................. 168
Increments and Constant Values Dialog Box ............................. 168
Adding Unique Identifiers to Table Records ......................................... 170
Updating Multiple Columns................................................................... 171
Working with Multiple Tables ................................................................ 174

Table of Contents
v
Packing Multiple Tables ................................................................... 174
Appending Multiple Tables............................................................... 175
Importing Multiple MID/MIF Files ..................................................... 176
Exporting Multiple MID/MIF Files ..................................................... 176
Reprojecting Multiple Tables............................................................ 177
Multi-table, Multi-field Editing ........................................................... 177
Field Display ............................................................................... 178
Field Editing ................................................................................ 179
9 Data Processing and Statistics.......................................................... 183
Pre-processing and Cleaning Data ....................................................... 183
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 184
Data Handling Options Dialog Box.............................................. 184
Classifying Data .................................................................................... 186
Classifying Data by Colour, Size, and Symbol................................. 186
Multi-field Classification.................................................................... 188
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 189
Point Classification Dialog Box ................................................... 189
Specify Output Table Dialog Box ................................................ 196
Trivariate Point Classification........................................................... 196
Setting Point Styles..................................................................... 199
Displaying a Point Style Legend ................................................. 199
Null Values.................................................................................. 200
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 200
Trivariate Point Classification Dialog Box ................................... 200
Specify Output Table Dialog Box ................................................ 203
Set Point Styles Dialog Box ........................................................ 203
Pick Symbol Dialog Box.............................................................. 204
Computing Summary Statistics ............................................................. 204
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 207
Statistics Dialog Box ................................................................... 207
Computing a Correlation Matrix............................................................. 210
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 210
Correlation Statistics Dialog Box................................................. 210
10 Coordinates and Projections ............................................................. 213
Updating Coordinates ........................................................................... 213
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 215
Update Coordinates Dialog Box.................................................. 215
New Column Name Dialog Box................................................... 216
Coordinate Transformations.................................................................. 216
Performing a Once-Off Transformation............................................ 218
Plane Transformation....................................................................... 220
Affine Transformation....................................................................... 222

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Engage User Guide
Creating a Custom Affine Projection........................................... 223
Using a Custom Affine Projection in MapInfo ............................. 225
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 226
Coordinate Transformation Dialog Box....................................... 226
Transform Coordinates Dialog Box............................................. 229
Reprojecting Coordinates ..................................................................... 231
Reprojecting a Table........................................................................ 231
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 232
Reprojecting Multiple Tables ........................................................... 234
11 Working with Map Objects................................................................. 237
Objects and Layers............................................................................... 237
Creating Objects from a Table.............................................................. 238
Row Delimited Polylines .................................................................. 239
Column Delimited Polylines ............................................................. 240
Line on One Row Polylines.............................................................. 241
XYZ Grid .......................................................................................... 242
Creating and Editing Objects from the Keyboard.................................. 242
Selecting the Object Type................................................................ 242
Draw a Point .................................................................................... 243
Draw a Line...................................................................................... 244
Draw a Polyline/Polygon.................................................................. 245
Enter Nodes by Coordinates ...................................................... 245
Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing.............................................. 245
Draw an Arc, Ellipse or Rectangle ................................................... 246
Edit Node Coordinates..................................................................... 247
Selecting Objects.................................................................................. 247
Select by Proximity .......................................................................... 247
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 249
Select by Graphical Style................................................................. 251
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 252
Copying, Moving, and Transforming Objects........................................ 253
Offsetting Copies of an Object......................................................... 254
Moving, Scaling and Rotating Objects............................................. 255
Aligning Objects............................................................................... 257
Manipulating Lines, Polylines, and Polygons........................................ 259
Smoothing........................................................................................ 259
Thinning ........................................................................................... 260
Thin Polyline by Node Number................................................... 260
Thin Polyline by Node Position................................................... 261
Cutting ............................................................................................. 262
Joining ............................................................................................. 263
Inserting Nodes................................................................................ 265
Changing Line Direction .................................................................. 267
Creating Donut Polygons................................................................. 267

Table of Contents
vii
Clipping ............................................................................................ 268
Splitting Multiple Polylines and Polygons......................................... 270
Using Polyline and Polygon Attributes .................................................. 271
Assigning Values to and from Polygons........................................... 271
Contents to Container ................................................................. 272
Container to Contents ................................................................. 272
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 273
Calculating Line Orientation ............................................................. 274
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 275
Extracting Nodes.............................................................................. 276
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 277
Calculating Area Change ................................................................. 278
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 280
Compute Area Change Dialog Box............................................. 281
Conditioning and Converting Linework into Polygons........................... 283
PolyBuilder Dialog............................................................................ 285
Linework Layer............................................................................ 285
Text Layer ................................................................................... 286
Menus ......................................................................................... 286
PolyBuilder Toolbar..................................................................... 286
Preferences...................................................................................... 287
Linework...................................................................................... 288
Polygons ..................................................................................... 289
Field Information ......................................................................... 289
Digitize Linework .............................................................................. 289
Check Linework................................................................................ 293
Error Flags .................................................................................. 295
Correct Linework .............................................................................. 296
Extend and Break Linework ........................................................ 296
Fix Linework................................................................................ 298
Create Polygons............................................................................... 303
Polygon Errors ............................................................................ 305
Donut Polygons........................................................................... 306
Attribute Polygons with Text........................................................ 306
Additional Linework Utilities ............................................................. 308
Break Linework ........................................................................... 309
Join Linework .............................................................................. 310
Filter Linework............................................................................. 311
Creating Polygons from Linework .................................................... 311
Colouring Map Objects.......................................................................... 312
Colour Map Objects from Look-up Tables ....................................... 312
Creating Colour Look-up Tables ................................................. 312
Create a Colour Table from an Existing Map.............................. 314
Create a Colour Table from a Thematic Map.............................. 317
Edit a Colour Table ..................................................................... 317
Apply a Colour Map to Map Objects ........................................... 318
Create a Legend from a Colour Table......................................... 320

viii
Engage User Guide
Colour Map Objects by RGB Values ............................................... 321
Formatting Vector Objects .................................................................... 323
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 324
Plot Vectors Dialog Box.............................................................. 324
Cloning Object Styles ........................................................................... 326
Linking Objects to External Documents................................................ 329
Setting Up Hotlinks .......................................................................... 330
Creating a Hotlink ............................................................................ 331
Opening Linked Documents ............................................................ 333
12 Map Making ......................................................................................... 335
Creating Scaled Maps .......................................................................... 335
Create Scaled Output Map .............................................................. 336
Map Scale and Map Size............................................................ 337
Frame Setup............................................................................... 337
Configure Frame Settings........................................................... 338
Position Scaled Output Map ....................................................... 340
Accept Map Position................................................................... 342
Configure Map Grid Settings ...................................................... 342
Enter Scaled Output Title Block Details...................................... 342
Modifying Scaled Output Layout...................................................... 343
Preserving the Linked Map Window Scale and Extents .................. 343
Printing a Scaled Output Layout ...................................................... 344
Creating Additional Scaled Output Maps......................................... 344
Scaled Output Hints......................................................................... 345
Exit Scaled Output ........................................................................... 346
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 347
Scaled Output Dialog Box .......................................................... 347
Scaled Output Configuration Dialog Box .................................... 348
Scaled Output Map Position Dialog Box..................................... 349
Add a Map Grid..................................................................................... 350
Map Grid Projection ......................................................................... 351
Grid Spacing .................................................................................... 351
Map Grid Styles ............................................................................... 351
Save and Overlay Map Grids........................................................... 353
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 354
Overlay Map Grid Dialog Box ..................................................... 354
Grid Label Options Dialog Box ................................................... 356
Add a Scaled Frame to the Layout ....................................................... 357
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 358
Add Scaled Frame to Layout Dialog Box.................................... 358
Add a Title Block and Scale Bar ........................................................... 359
Scale Bars ....................................................................................... 360
Title Block and Scale Bar Options ................................................... 361
Title Block Options...................................................................... 362

Table of Contents
ix
Scale Bar Options ....................................................................... 362
Other Options.............................................................................. 362
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 363
Titleblock Dialog Box................................................................... 363
Title Block and Scale Bar Options Dialog Box ............................ 364
Add a Map Legend................................................................................ 365
Legend Tables and Columns ........................................................... 366
Legend Style .................................................................................... 368
Legend Order ................................................................................... 369
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 370
Create Legend 1 Dialog Box....................................................... 370
Create Legend 2 Dialog Box....................................................... 371
Legend Order Dialog Box ........................................................... 372
Legend Order from Column Values Dialog Box.......................... 373
Add and Format Text and Labels.......................................................... 373
Adding Titles to Frames ................................................................... 374
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 374
Add Frame Titles Dialog Box ...................................................... 374
Adding Text Labels .......................................................................... 375
Advanced Labelling Options ....................................................... 378
Formatting Text ................................................................................ 380
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 381
Modifying MapInfo Label Angles ...................................................... 381
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 382
Updating Labels ............................................................................... 382
Updating Text Labels from Table................................................ 383
Updating Table from Text Labels................................................ 383
Dialog Help ................................................................................. 383
Apply Line Annotations ......................................................................... 384
Dialog Help....................................................................................... 385
Line Annotation Dialog Box......................................................... 386
Batch Printing........................................................................................ 388
The EngageBatchPrinting Menu ...................................................... 389
Batch Map Sheet Generation and Printing....................................... 390
Styles ............................................................................................... 393
Printing Standard Maps.................................................................... 395
Map Series ....................................................................................... 398
Creating a New Map Series ........................................................ 398
Open Map Series ........................................................................ 400
Templates ........................................................................................ 400
Creating Templates..................................................................... 400
Generate New Template............................................................. 401
Template Toolbar........................................................................ 410
Adding Text Labels ..................................................................... 411
Finalizing the Template ............................................................... 413
Edit Existing Map Template ........................................................ 415
Configure Map Templates........................................................... 415

x
Engage User Guide
Indexes ............................................................................................ 416
Compiling and Printing a Map Index .......................................... 417
Key Maps......................................................................................... 421
Labelling Tools................................................................................. 423
Configuring EngageBatchPrinting.................................................... 424
EngageBatchPrinting Configuration Tool.................................... 424
Configuring EngageBatchPrinting for Server-Located Templates
and Map Series .......................................................................... 425
13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies............................................ 427
Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image ......................... 427
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 429
Create Registered Raster Dialog Box......................................... 429
Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows ............................ 430
Create Animation File ...................................................................... 432
Iterating Through Multiple Tables ............................................... 433
Iterating Through Field Values ................................................... 433
Play Animation File .......................................................................... 436
Edit Animation File........................................................................... 438
Create Movie File............................................................................. 439
AVI Movie File Format ................................................................ 439
Dialog Help ...................................................................................... 440
Window Animator Tool................................................................ 440
Create/Edit Tab .......................................................................... 441
Play Tab ..................................................................................... 442
Video Compression Dialog Box.................................................. 443
14 Viewing Data in Three Dimensions ................................................... 445
15 Using the GraphMap Tool .................................................................. 447
About GraphMap .................................................................................. 447
Getting Started with GraphMap ............................................................ 449
GraphMap Menus and Toolbars ........................................................... 453
File Menu ......................................................................................... 453
Quick Access Toolbar...................................................................... 454
Menu Tabs....................................................................................... 456
Sidebar Windows............................................................................. 459
Creating Graphs ................................................................................... 462
Graph Builder................................................................................... 463
Axis/Field Assignments.................................................................... 463
Graph Types .................................................................................... 467
Selecting and Transforming Data Columns ..................................... 470
Preconditioning Data ............................................................................ 472

Table of Contents
xi
Creating Derived Columns .................................................................... 474
Viewing Data Values ............................................................................. 477
Arranging and Modifying Graph Displays.............................................. 479
Closing Graphs ................................................................................ 479
Hide and Show Windows ................................................................. 480
Arranging Graphs............................................................................. 482
Adding a Graph to a Map Window ................................................... 483
Zoom, Pan and Rotation .................................................................. 484
Axis, Scale, Background, and Other Display Options ...................... 486
Current Graph Controls.................................................................... 486
Selecting Data in Graphs ...................................................................... 487
Saving Selections............................................................................. 488
Viewing Selections in MapInfo and GraphMap ................................ 489
Displaying Object Information .......................................................... 489
Clearing Selections .......................................................................... 489
Creating Permanent Selection Regions ........................................... 490
Multi-Table Relationships...................................................................... 492
GeoLocated Graphs.............................................................................. 494
Define Graph Type........................................................................... 495
Create GeoLocated Graphs Wizard................................................. 497
View GeoLocated Graphs ................................................................ 498
Global Options ................................................................................. 500
Displaying Statistics .............................................................................. 501
Changing the Style of Graph Objects.................................................... 502
Colour............................................................................................... 503
Advanced Colour Options ........................................................... 503
Size .................................................................................................. 506
Advanced Sizing Options............................................................ 506
Symbol ............................................................................................. 507
Visibility ............................................................................................ 508
Advanced Visibility Options......................................................... 508
Load and Save Styles from Legend ................................................. 509
Displaying Legends.......................................................................... 510
Apply RGB Colours from Table........................................................ 510
GraphMap Settings ............................................................................... 511
Mouse Buttons Settings ................................................................... 511
Global Settings................................................................................. 511
General Options ............................................................................... 512
Reset Layout .................................................................................... 512
Graph Window Settings ................................................................... 512
16 Working with Images .......................................................................... 513
Processing Images................................................................................ 513
Images and RAM Size ..................................................................... 514
Multi-image Processing.................................................................... 514

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Engage User Guide
Registering and Rectifying Raster Images............................................ 515
Image Selection ............................................................................... 516
Using the Rectify Image Tool........................................................... 516
Choosing the Image Projection .................................................. 519
Adding or Editing Image Control Points...................................... 519
Adding or Editing Map Control Points......................................... 520
Saving Control Points ................................................................. 521
Viewing Control Points ............................................................... 521
Synchronising Control Points Locations ..................................... 521
Rectifying the Image................................................................... 522
Rectify Image Options ..................................................................... 522
Accuracy .......................................................................................... 523
Transformation Methods.................................................................. 523
Reprojecting an Image.......................................................................... 524
Image Tool............................................................................................ 526
Displaying Image Properties................................................................. 527
Enhancing an Image............................................................................. 528
Applying Image Filters .......................................................................... 529
Sharpness Filters............................................................................. 530
Edge Detect Filters .......................................................................... 530
Other Filters ..................................................................................... 531
Clipping an Image................................................................................. 531
Rotating an Image ................................................................................ 533
Converting an Image to Another Format............................................... 533
Modifying Image Transparency............................................................. 535
17 Replaced Utilities................................................................................ 537
Enhanced Layer Control ....................................................................... 537
Opening and Closing the ELC Window ........................................... 537
ELC Window Controls...................................................................... 538
Configuring the ELC ........................................................................ 540
Using the ELC.................................................................................. 541
Shortcut Menus .......................................................................... 541
Layer Aliases ................................................................................... 542
Layer Groups ................................................................................... 544
Limitations of the Grouped View................................................. 547
3D Window Controls ........................................................................ 547
Menus, Tools, and Dialog Boxes ..................................................... 548
ELC Shortcut Menu .................................................................... 548
ELC Map Shortcut Menu ............................................................ 549
ELC Layer Shortcut Menu .......................................................... 550
ELC Engage3D Shortcut Menu .................................................. 552
ELC 3D Layer Shortcut Menu..................................................... 552
Layer Control Options Dialog Box .............................................. 552
Favourites Dialog Box ................................................................ 554

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xiii
Window Properties Dialog Box.................................................... 554
Acknowledgements............................................................................. 557
Appendices.......................................................................................... 559
A Customising Title Blocks ................................................................... 561
Company Logo...................................................................................... 561
Title Block Parameters .......................................................................... 565
Placeholders ......................................................................................... 566
Scale Bar............................................................................................... 568
B Symbol Fonts....................................................................................... 569
Hydrographic Symbol Font.................................................................... 569
Environmental Symbol Font .................................................................. 572
C Projections and Transformations...................................................... 575
Engage NTv2 Transformation ............................................................... 575
MapInfo NTv2 Multiple Vector Reproject............................................... 576
D Customising Batch Printing............................................................... 579
E Supported Data File Formats ............................................................. 589
Supported File Formats by Data Type .................................................. 589
Tabular and Vector Data .................................................................. 589
Raster Images.................................................................................. 591
Gridded Surfaces ............................................................................. 593
Supported File Formats by File Name Extension.................................. 594
Index..................................................................................................... 599

1 Introducing the Engage Suite 1
1 Introducing the Engage Suite
Engage is an extension to MapInfo Professional ® developed by Pitney Bowes
Software. Engage runs with MapInfo Professional version 9.5 or later on
Windows ® XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 2) or Windows 7
32-bit or 64-bit operating systems.
Building on the many powerful Geographic Information System (GIS) features of
MapInfo Professional, Engage converts MapInfo into a sophisticated and easy-touse
tool for managing, manipulating and displaying any geographically-related
data set.
Engage gives users the ability to process and view data in ways that previously
required a number of software packages. Any user of GIS, whether working in an
office or in the field, can use Engage. A wide range of commonly required
functions make Engage a necessary extension to MapInfo Professional every
day.
The Engage product suite encompasses three package levels:
• Engage – Designed to extend the existing functionality of MapInfo
Professional by providing a number of enhanced productivity tools. This
extensive toolbox of 2D functionality includes tools to assist in map
making and output presentation, data capture and editing, labelling,
selection and querying, multi-table utilities and working with coordinate
systems. In addition, Engage contains an Images module for rectifying,
clipping and Reprojecting raster images, a ColourMap module for creating
lookup tables to apply to multiple datasets and a powerful Analytics
module for extracting statistical information and displaying data in a
variety of graphical formats.
• Engage3D – In addition to the wide range of Engage functionality detailed
above, Engage3D incorporates the powerful EngageSurfaces module,
designed for the creation, manipulation and analysis of surface grids, this
module enables vector data to be converted to a continuous surface using
a number of industry-standard gridding methods including Inverse
Distance Weighting, Kriging, Minimum Curvature and Triangulation.
Created or imported surface grids can be modified through the application
of grid filters, colour look up tables, sun-shading and transparency and
additional grid utilities enable grids to be clipped, rotated, Reprojected,
queried, resampled, merged, edited and much more.

2 Engage User Guide
Engage3D also enables data to be displayed in a 3D environment. Map
window views captured as imagery can be draped over a surface grid
(such as a Digital Elevation Model) and viewed in the 3D window using full
3D rotation and zooming navigation tools. 3D views can be printed directly
from the 3D window or incorporated into a 3D fly-through animation
movie.
• Engage3D Pro – The powerhouse of the Engage suite, containing the full
range of 2D features listed above with the following additional 3D
functionality:
• Display and modify 3D gridded surfaces such as topography,
bathymetry, climatic data or pollution surfaces.
• Drape 3D surfaces such as digital elevation modules with raster
images (such as aerial photography or satellite imagery) or another
gridded surface.
• Add point and line datasets from MapInfo Professional to the
interactive 3D environment, Point and line 3D objects can be
modulated by colour and size, labelled and offset.
• Visualise both internally and externally created objects (such as 3D
.DXF files, simulated volumes and scanned bitmaps) in Engage3D
Pro. Colour, transparency and transformation options are available.
• Interactively navigate in three dimensions using zoom, pan and shift
views in addition to powerful fly-through capability. An Engage3D
Pro View can also be displayed in the Layout window of MapInfo
Professional for printed output.
Powerful modelling capabilities, including:
• Extrusion of lines, surfaces and volumes from simple objects
• Digitize objects directly into 3D and wireframe between these to
build solids such as gas plumes or contamination spill areas
• Smoothly interpolate between 3D data to create realistic gridded
surfaces such as water table boundaries
• Mathematically model 3D voxel models using options such as
Inverse Distance Weighting and kriging, for example marine or
atmospheric temperature modelling

1 Introducing the Engage Suite 3
About this Guide
This guide provides an overview of the capabilities of Engage, and detailed
instructions for installing the program files, sample data, and other program
resources. After you have successfully installed the program, you can then get
access to the comprehensive online documentation installed with the program:
• Engage User Guide, which is available in PDF format and included with
Engage Help, contains descriptions of how to perform tasks and
information about how to get the best results from your work.
• Engage Help, which you can access on the Engage Help menu, contains
a full explanation of all functions in Engage, including all the reference
information found the Engage User Guide.
For information about Engage3D and Engage3D Pro, refer to the Engage3D User
Guide and Engage3D Help.
This is not a MapInfo manual and knowledge of MapInfo Professional is required
for Engage to be used to its best advantage. Refer to the MapInfo Professional
User Guide for further information on using MapInfo.
This manual is available in both printed and electronic forms. The electronic
version is supplied as a portable document file (PDF) on the installation DVD and
installation download. Tutorials, available as PDF files, also provide a hands-on
introduction to Engage.
Refer to the Getting Help section of this guide for more information about
accessing other forms of documentation and instructions for viewing PDF files.
Conventions Used in this Guide
Certain conventions are used throughout this manual:
• If displayed, click this button to learn more about the options available on
the menus, tools, and dialog boxes that are related to the current topic.
• Keys on the keyboard appear in small capital letters. For example, the Ctrl
key appears as CTRL in the text.
• Menu options, buttons, and dialog labels are in boldface. For example,
“On the Engage menu, click Exit.”

4 Engage User Guide
• The shorthand form menu>submenu>item indicates the menu path to an
option. For example, “Select Engage>Help.” is equivalent to the
instruction “On the Engage menu, click Help.”
• References to other sections in the documentation are italicised. For
example, see Licensing Engage. If the text is blue (online documents
only), clicking the text will take you to that reference. References to other
publications that are not linked are shown in black italicised text, for
example, MapInfo Professional User Guide.
• File and folder names and paths are shown enlarged and monospaced.
For example, disk:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop
where the italicised terms “disk” and “username” are placeholders.
• Programming terms, variables, screen text, and text that you type are
shown monospaced. For example, “Click the Value box and type null.”
• Options that you select from a list are shown enclosed by < > symbols.
For example, “Click the Projection box and select .”

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 5
2 Installing and Configuring Engage
This section describes the installation and operation of the software under the
Windows XP and Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating systems.
• System Requirements
• Installing Engage
• Licensing Engage
• Configuring Engage
• Starting Engage
Important
This guide only applies to single workstation installations of the software. If you
are installing a network licence, refer to Technical Support.
System Requirements
Engage 7.0 requires Mapinfo Professional ® version 9.5 or later.
Engage is supported on Windows ® XP Professional (Service Pack 3) (32-bit) and
Windows Vista (Service Pack 2) (32- and 64-bit ) and Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit)
operating systems but not on earlier Windows systems.
Engage requires .NET framework 3.5 (Service Pack 1). This is installed
automatically if this version is not detected during installation.
Engage supports regional settings for numerical data handling in accordance with
the Regional and Language Options for the Windows operating system.
Minimum hardware requirements
• Pentium 4 series or equivalent CPU processor.
• 1 gigabyte of RAM memory.
• Dedicated graphics card with 128 MB dedicated memory, such as Nvidia,
ATI or Matrox models (not Intel integrated graphics).
• A monitor of at least XGA capability (1024 x 768 resolution).

6 Engage User Guide
Recommended hardware specifications
• Core 2 series or equivalent CPU processor (note Engage3D does not use
multiple CPU cores).
• 4 gigabytes of RAM memory.
• Dedicated graphics card with 256 MB dedicated VRAM memory, and with
OpenGL optimised drivers, such as Nvidia Quadro or ATI FireGL series.
• A monitor of at least SXGA capability (1280 x 1024 resolution).
Installing Engage
The software can be supplied on either a DVD-ROM that includes installation,
documentation, and tutorials. or you can download the software from the Pitney
Bowes Business Insight web site (see Installing from the Web).
Before installing Engage, ensure that MapInfo Professional version 9.0 or later is
installed on your computer. To install MapInfo Professional on your computer,
follow the installation procedure detailed in the MapInfo Professional User Guide.
Software installation is a three-stage process:
Stage 1: Install the software
For instructions, see either:
• Installing from DVD, or
• Installing from the Web
Stage 2: License the software
For instructions on how to perform different types of licensing procedures, see:
• Licensing Procedures for a Hard-Disk Licence
Stage 3: Configure the software
For instructions, see:
• Configuring Engage
See also
... System Requirements

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 7
...Licensing Engage
...Configuring Engage
Installing from DVD
Note
You must have administrator privileges to install the software.
Place the Engage software DVD in the DVD drive and wait a few seconds. The
DVD should register with your computer automatically and display an installation
menu list. From this menu you can select the components you wish to install.
When selected, the install program will run automatically. This installation
program will install the Engage application files. Your licence determines which of
these programs you can run.
Note
If the DVD does not auto-start, from Windows Explorer, navigate to the root
folder on the DVD and double-click Engage_7.0_Full_Setup.exe.
The install program installs Engage plus related data files. The install program
guides you through the installation procedure. As the installation proceeds, you
are presented with a number of options. You must acknowledge and accept the
Software and Data End User Licence Agreement. You should read this
agreement so that you fully understand the extents of the licence for your
personal or corporate use of the software.
If Engage has been previously installed, the configuration paths will be set to any
detected previous settings. Any previous Engage installation configuration files
will not be overwritten.
After the software is installed, take a moment to read the file Readme.txt for any
recent information that has not been included in this manual. Please contact
Technical Support if you experience any problems installing your Engage
software.
When installed, Engage starts automatically when MapInfo Professional starts.
Initially, the software is not licensed and, when you first run the program, it
requests you license the software.
Installing from the Web
You can download the software from the Pitney Bowes Business Insight web site:
http://www.pbinsight.com.au/support/product-downloads/for/gis-softwareapplications.

8 Engage User Guide
When you have completed downloading the installation file, from Windows
Explorer, double-click the downloaded file to start the installation procedure.
Licensing procedures are identical for both a Web installation from the DVD.
Uninstalling Engage
To uninstall Engage, select Engage from Add/Remove Programs (Windows
XP) or Programs and Features (Windows 7 and Vista) in the Windows Control
Panel.
Note
When Engage is uninstalled, the entire Engage folder and its contents are
removed, excluding the configuration folders.
Installation Folders
By default, this application is installed under the MapInfo Professional program
folder. You can change the installation and configuration folders during the
installation or after the software is installed. For more information, see
Configuring Engage.
Licensing Engage
Engage is protected under international copyright law. Pitney Bowes Software
licensing systems are designed to protect against unlawful copying and use of the
software. Engage is normally supplied with a hard-disk licence system. For
information on licensing a standalone installtion, see Licensing Procedures for a
Hard-Disk Licence.
Otherwise, if you are using a network licence, contact your system administrator
or PBBI Technical Support for assistance.
See also
... Running Engage on a Network
... Installing Engage
... Configuring Engage

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 9
Licensing Procedures for a Hard-Disk Licence
Hard-disk licensing involves obtaining an activation code from Pitney Bowes
Business Insight (PBBI). The activation code is unique to each computer—a
different code is needed for each installation. When installing an Engage harddisk
licence, choose from the following licensing procedures:
Display information about PBBI software installed on your computer
• Displaying Licence Information
Re-installing Engage
If Engage is installed on the computer with a valid licence, the software does not
need to be re-licensed when you re-install the software. Your current Engage
configuration files and settings will be preserved.
Engage has not been previously licensed on the computer
In this case, either a hard-disk licence may be requested or a hardware key (USB
dongle) has been supplied with the software. For detailed instructions, see:
• Installing a New Licence
The licence is being transferred from another computer
You can transfer a licence from one computer to another without contacting PBBI.
For detailed instructions, see:
• Transferring a Licence
A later version of the software has been installed
If you are upgrading an installation with a valid licence to a later version of the
software, see
• Upgrading an Existing Licence

10 Engage User Guide
Installing a New Licence
To license your installation, follow these steps:
Start Engage
1. Start MapInfo Professional. You will be asked to license your copy of
Engage.
Note
If a message is not displayed, then start Engage manually, as described in
Starting Engage Manually.
2. Click Yes. MapInfo Professional will still operate normally if you choose to
skip licensing Engage.
3. The Create Licence File dialog box is displayed. Type the company
name and click OK.
The Licence Manager is displayed.
Request an activation code
4. Click Request Activate Code.
5. In the Customer number box, type the 7-digit customer code supplied
with the software.
6. In the Licence serial number box, type the 10-digit serial number
supplied with the software.
7. Type your contact details in the corresponding boxes.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 11
Requesting an Activation Code
8. Click the E-mail button or, to generate a report that can be faxed to PBBI,
click the Print/Fax button. The PBBI fax number is printed on the report.
Wait for PBBI to send an activation code
9. When your request and Hardware ID have been validated by PBBI, an
activation code will be sent to you by e-mail or fax. The activation code is
valid for 10 days from the date it was requested.
Note
If you are submitting your activation code request by e-mail, the automatic PBBI
tracking system should respond within 30 minutes.
Activate the licence
10. If necessary, restart MapInfo Professional and display the Licence
Manager, as described in steps 1 through 3.
11. Click Activate.
12. In the Activation code box, type or paste the activation code supplied by
PBBI.
13. Click the Activate button. A message confirming that the software is
licensed will be displayed.

12 Engage User Guide
14. Click OK.
Engage is now ready to use.
Upgrading an Existing Licence
After installing Engage, if a licence for an earlier version exists, you will be asked
for an upgrade activation code when you run the software.
To upgrade the licence to the new version:
1. Start MapInfo Professional.
2. A message is displayed indicating that a valid licence was not found. Click
Yes.
3. The Create Licence File dialog box is displayed. Type the company
name and click OK.
The Licence Manager is displayed.
4. Click Request Upgrade Code.
5. In the Customer number box, type the 7-digit customer code supplied
with the software.
Your licence number is displayed in the Licence serial number box.
6. Type your contact details in the corresponding boxes.
7. Click the E-mail button or, to generate a report that can be faxed to PBBI,
click the Print/Fax button. The PBBI fax number is printed on the report.
Wait for PBBI to send an activation code.
8. If necessary, restart MapInfo Professional and display the Licence
Manager as described in steps 1 through 3.
9. Click Activate.
10. In the Activation code box, type or paste the activation code supplied by
PBBI.
11. Click the Activate button. A message confirming that the software is
licensed will be displayed.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 13
12. Click OK.
Engage is now ready to use.
Transferring a Licence
If a hard-disk licence is operating effectively on one computer (the source), you
can transfer the licence to a second computer (the destination). This can be done
without contacting PBBI. Follow the steps below to transfer a valid licence from
one computer to another.
Install the software on the destination computer
1. Install Engage on the second, destination computer. The version of the
software on the source and destination computers must be identical.
Start MapInfo Professional on the destination computer
2. On the destination computer, start MapInfo Professional.
A message is displayed indicating no licence was found.
3. Click Yes.
4. The Create Licence File dialog box is displayed. Type the company
name and click OK.
The Licence Manager is displayed.
Obtain the hardware ID of the destination computer
5. Click Activate.
6. Write down the 7-digit code displayed in the Hardware ID box.
Transfer the licence from the source computer
7. On the source computer, start MapInfo Professional.
8. On the Engage menu, click Licensing.
9. In the Licence Manager, click Transfer.
10. In the Destination hardware ID box, type the Hardware ID code from the
destination computer.

14 Engage User Guide
Important
The licence transfer will disable the licence on the source machine. The source
computer licence cannot be reactivated unless the licence is transferred back
from the destination computer or a new activation code is obtained from PBBI.
Important
Take care that you enter the correct Hardware ID.
11. Click Transfer.
The activation code for the destination computer is displayed.
Important
The licence on the source computer is now disabled.
12. Write down the activation code.
Activate the licence on the destination computer
13. If necessary, restart MapInfo Professional on the destination computer
and display the Licence Manager as described in steps 2 through 4.
14. Click Activate.
15. In the Activation code box, type the activation code that you obtained
from the source computer.
16. Click Activate. A message is displayed confirming that the licence has
been successfully transferred.
17. Click OK.
Engage is now ready to use.
If the transfer was not successful, on the source computer, browse to the
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Encom
(Windows XP) or C:\ProgramData\Encom (Windows 7 and Vista) folder and
open the file Lic_Log.txt file. This contains a copy of the activation code
generated for the licence transfer.
Note
If you need to transfer the Engage licence back to the original machine, you must
repeat the transfer procedure.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 15
Displaying Licence Information
After you have installed and licensed the software, to display information about
the installed licence, from the Engage menu, under Licensing, click Licence
Manager. The Licence Manager is displayed.
Troubleshooting
If you believe that the licence is correctly installed, but you are unable to correctly
operate Engage, contact Pitney Bowes Business Insight. For contact details, see
Contacting PBBI.
Dialog Help
• Engage Licence Manager Dialog Box
• Request an Activation/Upgrade Code Dialog Box
• Activate Software Dialog Box
• Transfer Dialog Box
Engage Licence Manager Dialog Box
Request Activation/Upgrade Code
• If the installation has been previously licensed: Displays the Hardware
ID and Licence serial number, and allows you to request an upgrade code
when the software has been upgraded.
• If this is a new installation: Displays the Hardware ID, and allows you to
request a licenceactivation code.
Displays the Request an Activation/Upgrade Code Dialog Box.
Activate
Click to enter the activation code supplied by PBBI and activate the licence.
Displays the Activate Software Dialog Box.
Transfer
Click to enter the hardware ID of a destination computer and transfer the license.
Displays the Transfer Dialog Box.

16 Engage User Guide
Request an Activation/Upgrade Code Dialog Box
Complete the details in this dialog box and send by e-mail or fax to PBBI.
Hardware ID
A system generated code that uniquely identifies the computer hardware.
Customer number
A 7-digit customer identification code supplied with the software.
Licence serial number
A 10-digit licence number supplied with the software.
Title/name
Click the box to edit or type your name.
E-mail address
Click the box to edit or type your e-mail address. When sending the request by e-
mail, this is the address that PBBI will reply to with the activation code.
E-mail
Click to send the request to PBBI by e-mail.
Print/Fax
Click to display the request form, which you can print and fax to PBBI. The PBBI
fax number is displayed on the form.
Go Back
Click to return to the Licence Manager.
Activate Software Dialog Box
Enter the activation code supplied by PBBI, and then activate the licence.
Hardware ID
A system generated code that uniquely identifies the computer hardware.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 17
Activation code
Type or paste the activation code supplied by PBBI.
Activate
Click to activate the licence.
Go Back
Click to return to the Licence Manager.
Transfer Dialog Box
Enter the hardware ID of the destination computer and then transfer the licence.
Destination Hardware ID
Type the hardware ID of the destination computer.
Transfer
Displays the activation code required to transfer the licence to the destination
computer.
Go Back
Click to return to the Licence Manager.
Configuring Engage
• Viewing and Changing Engage Folder Locations
• Overriding the Default Map Status Bar Display
• Autosaving and Restoring the Workspace
See also
...Auto-starting Engage

18 Engage User Guide
Viewing and Changing Engage Folder Locations
During installation, you can specify the paths for the Engage program files,
configuration files and temporary files. These and other Engage folder locations
can be viewed and edited at any time after installation. For information about the
Engage folders, see Configuration Dialog Box.
To display and edit Engage folder settings:
1. On the Engage menu, click Configuration.
The current folder locations are displayed under File paths.
Important
When you change the location of a configuration folder, you are asked if you
want to copy the contents of the existing folder to the new location. Unless you
have been instructed otherwise by PBBI support, always click Yes. Clicking No
will create an empty folder, which you must manually rebuild with configuration
files.
2. To change a folder location, click the browse button next to the folder box:
• Program Files: In the Browse for Folder dialog box, either select
an existing folder, or click Make New Folder and type the folder
name.
• Other folders: In the Select Path dialog box, select All users if you
want all users to share the same folder and files, or Current user if
you want each user to have separate folders and files, or Custom if
you want to create a custom folder. If you are creating a custom
folder, click the browse button to select or create a folder.
Note
Current user files are not overwritten when switching to All users.
Note
The default installation paths for these directories are different for Windows XP
and Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Windows Vista or
Windows 7 does not allow a user to have write privileges to the C:\Program
Files directory.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 19
Overriding the Default Map Status Bar Display
By default, MapInfo sets the Status Bar to display the window width (Zoom). You
can override this default so that when a new Map window is opened, the status
bar displays either the cursor position, window width, or map scale.
To override the MapInfo Status Bar display default:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Miscellaneous, click the Map Status Bar display box and select
the display option.
This override only has effect when Engage is running. You can change the status
bar display for each map window manually by clicking the display on the Status
Bar or from MapInfo Map>Options.
Autosaving and Restoring the Workspace
Engage automatically saves the workspace every few minutes. The workspace is
saved to ENGAGE.WOR in the Engage configuration folder and can be restored.
To change or disable the autosave interval:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Miscellaneous, in the Autosave workspace box, type the interval
in minutes between autosaves, or type zero to disable.
To restore the autosaved workspace:
• On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and then
click Restore Autosave Workspace or open the workspace file
ENGAGE.WOR from the Engage configuration folder.
The Engage workspace is useful for recovering from user or program errors. For
example, if you have accidentally closed a complex layout before saving a
workspace, use the Engage workspace to resurrect your work.

20 Engage User Guide
The Engage autosave workspace may contain temporary tables or queries which
no longer exist. In this case, use MapInfo Professional's Workspace Resolver
(located under Tools>Tool Manager) to remove the temporary files before
restoring the workspace. Do not edit the .WOR file directly in a text editor.
See also
... Viewing and Changing Engage Folder Locations
Dialog Help
• Configuration Dialog Box
• Select Path Dialog Box
Configuration Dialog Box
File paths
Default file paths are shown in [brackets]:
Program files
[.\Program Files\Encom\Engage] Folder containing the Engage MBX
program and other system files. Users require read-only access to this folder.
Configuration files
[.\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Encom\Engage\Config] Folder containing tables and text files used to
store a variety of system and user-defined settings. Users require read-write
access to this folder. Click the browse button to display the Select Path Dialog
Box.
Temporary files
[.\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Encom\Engage\Temp] Folder containing temporary tables. Can be set
same as the MapInfo or Windows temp folders. Users require unrestricted access
to this folder. Click the browse button to display the Select Path Dialog Box.
Picture files
[ ] Folder used to store images and picture files defined by the Document Linking
utility. Click the browse button to display the Select Path Dialog Box.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 21
EngageBatchPrinting files
[.\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Encom\Engage\MapShop] Folder storing EngageBatchPrinting Map
Series tables and settings. See Configuring EngageBatchPrinting.
Miscellaneous
Map status bar display
Overrides the MapInfo Status Bar display (Zoom) default when a new Map
window is opened. Select a display option:
• Position: Displays the cursor position in map coordinates.
• Zoom: Displays the width of the Map window in map units.
• Scale: Displays the map scale.
Company name
Displays your company name. Click to edit.
Office
Displays your office location. Click to edit.
User
Displays your user name. Click to edit.
Autosave workspace
Type the time interval in minutes between autosaves. To disable, type a value of
zero (numeric 0) minutes. The workspace is saved to ENGAGE.WOR in the Engage
configuration folder (see Configuration files above) and can be restored by
selecting Restore Autosave Workspace on the Engage menu.
User level
Choose either or level.
Important
The advanced level allows the user to simultaneously run multiple tools.
However, this may result in data loss when concurrent operations are performed
on the same data table.

22 Engage User Guide
Automatic start
Automatically start Engage when MapInfo starts
Select the check box to start Engage when MapInfo starts.
Auto-start modules
• Enhanced Layer Control: Select how the ELC window is displayed at
start-up:
• Off: ELC window is not displayed unless selected from Engage
menu.
• Compatibility (Manual): Runs the ELC in manual mode. The ELC
is only updated when refreshed . This is useful when working with
large datasets.
• On (Auto): Display ELC window at start-up and automatically
update.
• (Module): Select the application menus you want to show when MapInfo
starts.
• CommandSearch: Display the Command Search tool on the title bar.
Select Path Dialog Box
Select Engage folder settings:
• All users: All users on the same machine share the same Engage
configuration folders. This is the default installation setting under Windows
Vista. Creates the selected configuration folder under disk:\Documents
and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Encom\Engage
(Windows XP) or C:\ProgramData\Encom\Engage (Windows Vista).
• Current user: Users with separate log-ins on the same computer have
separate Engage configuration folders. Creates the selected configuration
folder under disk:\Documents and
Settings\username\Application Data\Encom\Engage (Windows
XP) or C:\Users\username\AppData\Encom\Engage (Windows
Vista).
• Custom: User-defined path on a local or network drive. By default this is
set to either the MapInfo or Engage program folder or sub-folders.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 23
Note
The default installation paths of configuration folders are different for Windows
XP and Windows Vista operating systems.
See also
...Viewing and Changing Engage Folder Locations
...Overriding the Default Map Status Bar Display
...Autosaving and Restoring the Workspace
...Auto-starting Engage
Starting Engage
• Auto-starting Engage
• Starting Engage Manually
• Running Engage on a Network
After you have started Engage, refer to Managing the User Interface and
Workspaces for information about the user interface and how to perform tasks.
Auto-starting Engage
By default, Engage runs every time MapInfo Professional starts. If Engage does
not start automatically, see Starting Engage Manually. By setting Engage to start
automatically when MapInfo Professional starts, the Engage menus will be
instantly available.
To prevent Engage from starting when MapInfo starts:
You can prevent Engage auto-starting from either the Engage Configuration
dialog box, or from the MapInfo Tool Manager:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Automatic start, clear the Automatically start Engage when
MapInfo starts check box.
Or
1. On the MapInfo Tools menu, click Tool Manager.
2. In the Tools box, locate Engage and clear the Autoload check box.

24 Engage User Guide
You can also show selected Engage application menus and tools at start-up or at
any time after Engage starts.
To hide and show Engage menus when Engage starts:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Automatic start, under Auto-start modules, select or clear the
menu check boxes.
To hide and show Engage menus after Engage starts:
• To show a menu, on the Engage menu, click the menu name
(EngageImages Menu, for example).
• To hide an application menu, on the menu, click Exit (menu).
To hide and show the Enhanced Layer Control tool when Engage starts:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Automatic start, under Auto-start modules, click Enhanced
Layer Control and select from:
• Off: ELC window is not displayed unless selected from Engage
menu.
• Compatibility (Manual): Runs the ELC in manual mode. The ELC
is only updated when refreshed . Use this mode if performance of
MapInfo Professional is impaired while using the ELC.
• On (Auto): Display ELC window at start-up and automatically
update.
To hide and show the Command Search tool when Engage starts:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Automatic start, under Auto-start modules, select or clear the
Command Search check box.

2 Installing and Configuring Engage 25
See also
...Starting Engage Manually
...Running Engage on a Network
...Using the Command Search Tool
Starting Engage Manually
If Engage does not load automatically the next time you run MapInfo Professional,
you can start the application manually. When you have started Engage, you can
then set it to start automatically.
To start Engage manually:
1. On the MapInfo Tools menu, click Run MapBasic Program.
2. Browse to the Engage installation directory and select the Engage.MBX
file. This is normally located in the
disk:\Program Files\Encom\Engage folder.
To set Engage to start automatically when MapInfo starts:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Automatic start, select the Automatically start Engage when
MapInfo starts check box.

26 Engage User Guide
Or
1. On the MapInfo Tools menu, click Tool Manager.
2. In the Tools box, locate Engage and select the Autoload check box.
The next time MapInfo starts, Engage will then automatically load and run.
See also
... Auto-starting Engage
... Running Engage on a Network
Running Engage on a Network
If you are running MapInfo and Engage on a network, the folders containing the
MapInfo and Engage software may be read-only; that is, they may be writeprotected
to ensure there is no accidental data loss. If so, you must give users
read-write permission on the Engage temporary folder and Engage configuration
folder. This allows Engage to write configuration and temporary files as required.
Important
Do not install Engage to a shared network location.

3 Getting Help 27
3 Getting Help
Should difficulties or questions arise while operating Engage, there are several
sources of help available.
In this section:
• Help
• Technical Support
• Viewing and Printing the Electronic Manuals
Help
Engage Help is a comprehensive and accessible reference and contains all topics
found in the Engage User Guide. Help can be displayed at any time by:
• Selecting the Engage>Engage Help>Help menu option.
• Selecting the Help button on a dialog box. This displays the relevant topic
of the help (context help).
• Context help can also be displayed by pressing the F1 key while a graphic
or dialog is displayed.
The help provided is categorised into a reference listing and an indexed or
alphabetical help. A third option and perhaps the most useful, is the task-oriented
listing. An example of this help is shown below.

28 Engage User Guide
Engage Help
PDF Documentation
The user guide and tutorials are also supplied in PDF format. This is an electronic,
print-friendly version of the help documents. The Engage User Guide can be
accessed from the Engage Help menu. For more information, see Viewing and
Printing the Electronic Manuals.
Online Knowledge Base
The Engage Online Knowledge Base contains useful information that is regularly,
including how-to articles, tips and tricks, error messages and their resolutions,
video tutorials, and such. You can access the knowledge base by visiting http://
encomkb.encom.com.au.
Engage Tutorials
To assist with learning how to use Engage, a set of tutorials is installed with the
software. The tutorials provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform
common task in Engage. The data files that are used in the tutorial exercises are
also installed. The tutorial is available as a PDF document. The PDF file can be
displayed from the Engage>Engage Help menu.

3 Getting Help 29
Direct Contact with PBBI
For information on obtaining support directly from the PBBI support desk, see
Technical Support.
Technical Support
Purchasers of PBBI Maintenance and Technical Support (MATS) are entitled to
technical support and software updates. Support can be obtained by e-mail,
telephone, fax, e-mail or from the PBBI web site.
A response to a support contact may consist of:
• An answer to a support query.
• An estimate of how long it takes to answer the query.
• A request by PBBI for additional information.
• An explanation of why the query cannot be answered.
• A suggestion on where further information can be obtained.
Contacting PBBI
You can obtain product support for Engage by e-mail or telephone, or from your
PBBI reseller.
Contact details are:
E-mail
Web
pbbi.support@pb.com
www.pbinsight.com.au
Viewing and Printing the Electronic Manuals
The manuals are in the form of PDF files (Portable Document Files) that can be
viewed on-screen, or once displayed, can be printed in part or in full. To view or
print the files, Adobe Reader must be installed on your computer. The installation
of this software (as well as the documentation files) is an option provided during
the installation process of Engage. Although supplied with the Engage software,
Adobe Reader is also available (at no cost) from the Adobe web site
www.adobe.com.

30 Engage User Guide
To view the electronic manuals with Adobe Reader:
1. Start Engage from MapInfo Professional.
2. On the Engage menu, point to Engage Help, and click User Guide or 3D
User Guide.

4 What’s New in Engage 31
4 What’s New in Engage
New Layer Control and Table List Enhancements
Engage adds some great usability options to the MapInfo Professional interface:
• ShowInfo
Effortlessly check the projections of multiple tables at once. Examine and
directly browse to table file locations, as well as directly edit the TAB file
Effortlessly examine projection and location information of multiple tables
simultaneously with the Show Info option
• Compare Structure (Table List only)
Auto-opens the selected tables into Engage's Multi-table Structure
Manager, for multiple field propagation/addition/renaming/editing/etc
• Select/Unselect All (Layer Control only)

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 33
5 Managing the User Interface and
Workspaces
In this section:
• Controlling the Interface
• Using the Command Search Tool
• Organising Your MapBasic Tools
• Managing Your Workspaces
• Engage Application Menus
• MapInfo Professional Menu Customisations
• Engage Toolbars
Controlling the Interface
• Showing and Hiding Menus, Toolbars, and Other Tools
• Managing Toolbars
Showing and Hiding Menus, Toolbars, and Other Tools
When Engage starts, new menus and toolbars are added to the MapInfo
interface. The Engage menu provides access to all Engage application menus,
toolbars and tools. To open the menu, click Engage on the MapInfo menu bar.
Other application menus and the Enhanced Layer Control tool can be opened
from the Engage menu.
The Engage toolbars can be docked or floated. To show and hide the Engage
toolbars, on the MapInfo Options menu, click Toolbars, and then turn on and off
the toolbars as required (see Managing Toolbars).

34 Engage User Guide
As you move the cursor over each menu item, a message is displayed in the
Status Bar at the bottom-left of the MapInfo window, which provides a short
description of each item.
Some application menus are not displayed until selected from the Engage menu
or from submenus.
To hide and show Engage application menus:
• To show a menu (and load the application module), on the Engage menu,
click the menu name (EngageImages Menu, for example).
• To hide an application menu (and unload the application module), on the
menu, click Exit.
You can also automatically start selected application menus when Engage starts
(see Auto-starting Engage).
See also
... Engage Application Menus
... Configuring Engage
... Starting Engage
Managing Toolbars
The Engage interface includes a number of toolbars, each of which may be set to
be displayed or hidden and positioned as floating or docked toolbars. As you
move the cursor over each toolbar button, a message is displayed in the Status
Bar at the bottom-left of the MapInfo window, which provides a short description
of each tool. The tools available from the Engage toolbar and Engage application
toolbars are described in Engage Toolbars.
When Engage starts, the Engage toolbar is added to the MapInfo interface. Other
application toolbars are displayed depending on their auto-start settings (see
Auto-starting Engage) or when the application menu is loaded.
The Engage toolbars can be docked or floated, and hidden or displayed at any
time using commands from the Engage menus, from the MapInfo
Options>Toolbars menu item or by right-clicking in a background area on the
toolbar.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 35
MapInfo Toolbar Options dialog box
To move a docked toolbar:
• Click the drag bar on the left of the toolbar and drag to another location.
To dock a floating toolbar:
• Click the title bar and drag to the docking areas at the top, bottom, left,
and right perimeters of the MapInfo window.
To show and hide the Engage toolbars:
• On the MapInfo Options menu, click Toolbars, and then turn on and off
the toolbars as required.
• You can also close a floating toolbar by clicking the window close button
on the title bar.
Using the Command Search Tool
The Command Search tool lets you search for tools available from the Engage
menus by name or keyword. The list of matching tools updates as you type. For
example, you can type part of a tool name or the name of a module to obtain a list
of all the matching and associated tools. Multiple keywords, separated by spaces,
are treated with a logical AND. The search is not case sensitive.

36 Engage User Guide
To clear the search results and revert to the list of recently used tools, click the
clear search button . The categories of search results can be collapsed and
expanded by clicking the arrow symbol next to the category title.
To run a tool, click the tool name on the list.
To hide and show the Command Search tool when Engage starts:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration.
2. Under Automatic start, under Auto-start modules, select or clear the
Command Search check box.
The categories of tools searched and other options can be customised.
To change the Command Search settings:
1. In the Command Search box, click the Options button .
The Command Search Options Dialog Box is displayed.
2. Under Categories to search over, use the controls to move categories of
tools from Selected to Unselected and vice versa. Click and drag to
select multiple categories, or hold the SHIFT or CTRL key while selecting
from the list.
3. Under Other Options, choose the text size, “recently used” settings, and
tool transparency.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 37
Note
Configuration files specifying the contents of each category and icon images are
stored in the Engage menu folder.
See also
...Configuring Engage
Dialog Help
• Command Search Options Dialog Box
Command Search Options Dialog Box
Categories to search over
Use the controls to move categories of tools from Selected to Unselected and
vice versa. Click and drag to select multiple categories, or hold the SHIFT or CTRL
key while selecting from the list.
Other options
Base text size
Set the font size in pts.
Maximum recent file list size
Limit the size of the recently used list of tools.
Result transparency
Change the transparency of the results list (0 = opaque).
Clear most recently used files
Initialise the list of recently used tools..
See also
...Using the Command Search Tool

38 Engage User Guide
Organising Your MapBasic Tools
A MapBasic tool is generally a custom or free-ware tool written in the MapInfo
MapBasic programming language that provides additional functionality to
MapInfo and Engage. MapBasic tools have an .MBX file extension.
The Favourite MapBasics tool enables frequently used MapBasic tools to be
added to a list where they can be quickly selected and run. Favourite MapBasic
tools can also be assigned an “alias” name to make it easier to determine the
contents of the MapBasic program in the list if desired.
Favourite MapBasics
To add a favourite MapBasic tool:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Favourite MapBasics.
The Favourites dialog box is displayed.
2. On the MapBasic MBXs tab, click Add.
The Add Favourite dialog box is displayed.
3. Next to the File path box, click the Open button and browse to the
location of the MapBasic tool.
4. In the Name box, type an alias for the MapBasic tool.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 39
5. Click OK to add the MBX to the list of favourite MapBasic MBXs on the
Favourites dialog box.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to add another MapBasic tool to the list.
7. Click Close to finish.
To run favourite MapBasic tool:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Favourite MapBasics.
The Favourites dialog box is displayed.
2. On the MapBasic MBXs tab, double-click the MapBasic tool or select the
MBX and click Run MBX.
To maintain your MBX favourites:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Favourite MapBasics.
The Favourites dialog box is displayed.
2. On the MapBasic MBXs tab:
• To remove a MapBasic tool, select and click Remove.
• To edit a MapBasic tool name or location, select and click Edit.
• To re-order MapBasic tools, select and click the Up and Down arrow
buttons to move it up and down the list.
Managing Your Workspaces
• Favourite Workspaces
• Checking and Modifying Table Locations in a Workspace
• Preparing a Workspace for Sharing and Archiving

40 Engage User Guide
Favourite Workspaces
The Favourite Workspaces tool enables frequently used workspaces to be
added to a list where they can be quickly opened. Favourite workspaces can
also be assigned an “alias” name to make it easier to determine the contents of
the workspace in the list if desired. Workspaces have a .WOR file extension.
Adding a favourite workspace
To add a favourite workspace:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Favourite Workspaces.
The Favourites dialog box is displayed.
2. On the Workspaces tab, click Add.
The Add Favourite dialog box is displayed.
3. Next to the File path box, click the Open button and browse to the
location of the workspace file (.WOR).
4. In the Name box, type an alias for the workspace.
5. Click OK to add the workspace to the list of favourite workspaces on the
Favourites dialog box.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to add another workspace to the list.
7. Click Close to finish.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 41
To open a favourite workspace:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Favourite Workspaces.
The Favourites dialog box is displayed.
2. On the Workspaces tab, double-click the workspace or select the
workspace and click Open Workspace.
To maintain your favourite workspaces:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Favourite Workspaces.
The Favourites dialog box is displayed.
2. On the Workspaces tab:
• To remove a workspace, select and click Remove.
• To edit a workspace name or location, select and click Edit.
• To re-order worksapces, select and click the Up and Down arrow
buttons to move it up and down the list.
Checking and Modifying Table Locations in a Workspace
Use the Engage Workspace Editor to check and modify table references in
workspaces. To open the editor, from the Engage menu, point to Table and
Workspace Utilities, and then click Workspace Editor.
Under Tables in workspace, the status of each table is listed as either OK,
Unused or Missing:
• OK: the table is used in the workspace, i.e. displayed in a map window or
browser and that the file path to that table is correct.
• Unused: the table is open but not displayed in a map window or browser
in the workspace.
• Missing: the table is set to display in a map window or browser but the
table cannot be found in the location specified by the file path.

42 Engage User Guide
It is recommended that you select the Save backup of workspace before
changes check box before applying changes to any tables and path names.
To remove unused tables:
1. From the Workspace Editor click Open Workspace.
2. Close the unused tables.
3. Save the workspace.
To resolve missing tables:
• If the table no longer exists, use the MapInfo Workspace Resolver tool to
remove the reference to the table.
• If the file path is incorrect, from the Workspace Editor, select the table,
click Edit Selected Path, and then browse to the new table location.
To make table path names absolute or relative to the workspace folder:
From the Workspace Editor,
• Click Set All to Current to set the path names of all tables to the same
folder as the workspace.
• Click Set All to Absolute to save the selected drive and directory path for
all the tables in the workspace.
• Click Set All to Relative to make the path names of all tables located
under the folder where the workspace is stored relative to the workspace
folder. If the table folder is not located under the workspace folder, the full
path is preserved.
Other functions available from the Workspace Editor include:
• Select the Turn off editable layers check box to turn off all the editable
layers in all map windows. This is useful when a workspace is to be written
to CD-ROM or to prevent other users from making modifications to tables.
• Select the Open all with interactive check box to open all tables in a
workspace in interactive mode. In interactive mode the user is prompted
to browse for a new table location if the workspace file path is incorrect. If
the file path in a workspace is not interactive and a table is not present in
the saved file location, the workspace will not open.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 43
• Select the Remove printer settings check box to delete the printer
setting information from a workspace.
Preparing a Workspace for Sharing and Archiving
Before writing a workspace and its tables to portable media, such as a CD-ROM,
or archiving as a zip file, use the Workspace Editor and Save Tables and
Workspaces tools to check and consolidate the tables referenced in the
workspace to a single folder.
To prepare a workspace and tables for packaging:
1. Use Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Workspace Editor to
check for unused and missing tables and to turn off editable layers. You
can also use the Workspace Editor to save tables to the workspace folder
and make table names relative or absolute. For more information, see
Checking and Modifying Table Locations in a Workspace.
2. Use Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Save Tables and
Workspace to save the workspace and all open tables in a workspace to
a single folder.
Note
All tables saved to a new folder using Save Tables and Workspace will be
saved as native MapInfo files regardless of their original format (Excel, Access
etc) with the exception of raster images.
See also
...Checking and Modifying Table Locations in a Workspace

44 Engage User Guide
Engage Application Menus
• Engage Menu
• Map Window Menu
• Select Menu
• Object Menu
• Text Menu
• Map Layout Menu
• Data Utilities Menu

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 45
• Table and Workspace Utilities Menu
• Engage Help Menu
Other application menus opened from the Engage menu:
• Engage3D Menu
• EngageSurfaces Menu
• EngageImages Menu
• EngageAnalytics Menu
• EngageColourMap Menu
• EngageBatchPrinting Menu
Engage Menu
The Engage menu provides access to all Engage menus, utilities, and tools:
• Map Window
A selection of map window productivity tools and utilities for capturing
movies, creating registered raster images, measuring distance and
bearing, and displaying the dynamic scale bar. For information about the
tools available on this menu, see Map Window Menu.
• Select
Select objects in a map window by layer, by style, by attribute or group,
and by proximity to other objects. For information about the tools available
on this menu, see Select Menu.
• Object
Select from a comprehensive set of tools for creating, editing,
manipulating, moving, splitting, and transforming point, polyline, and
polygonal map objects. For more information about the tools available on
this menu, see Object Menu.
• Text
Select from a variety of tools for adding, formatting, positioning, and
updating text objects or labels. For more information about the tools
available on this menu, see Text Menu.

46 Engage User Guide
• Map Layout
Select from a variety of tools for adding features to scaled maps such as a
frame, title block, scalebar, legend, title, and annotating points and lines.
For more information about the tools available on this menu, see Map
Layout Menu.
• Data Utilities
Select from a variety of tools for searching and replacing text, selecting by
attribute, splitting tables, transforming coordinates, assigning values to
polygons, searching for objects near other objects, digitizing and data
entry, and a variety of vector and polygonal tools. For more information
about the tools available on this menu, see Data Utilities Menu.
• Table and Workspace Utilities
Select from a variety of tools for managing and manipulating MapInfo
tables and workspaces. For more information about the tools available on
this menu, see Table and Workspace Utilities Menu.
• Engage3D Menu: Show the Engage3D Menu (Engage3D only).
• EngageSurfaces Menu: Show the EngageSurfaces Menu (Engage3D
only).
• EngageImages Menu: Show the EngageImages Menu.
• EngageAnalytics Menu: Show the EngageAnalytics Menu.
• EngageColourMap Menu: Show the EngageColourMap Menu.
• EngageBatchPrinting Menu: Show the EngageBatchPrinting Menu.
• Enhanced Layer Control
Displays the Enhanced Layer Control tool. For information about how to
use this tool, see Managing Maps and Layers.
• Engage Help
Displays online help and other online documents. For information about
the tools on this menu, see Engage Help Menu.
• Configuration
Maintains Engage configuration settings. These settings can be displayed
and modified at any time. For information about how to use this tool, see
Configuring Engage.
• Exit
Closes the Engage menu and unloads the application.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 47
See also
...Starting Engage
...Configuring Engage
...Licensing Engage
Map Window Menu
The Engage Map Window menu provides tools for managing and controlling the
display of map windows. For information about how to use the tools on this menu,
see Map Window Controls:
• Map Autogrid
Displays a dynamic map grid in the current map window in any of the
MapInfo standard projections or in a user-defined custom projection. The
map grid coordinates are updated whenever the map window is zoomed
and panned. The style of the map grid is fully customisable and you can
overlay multiple grids on one another (for example a Lat/Long grid on a
UTM grid). For information about how to use this tool, see Add a Dynamic
Map Grid to a Map Window.
• ScaleBar
Displays a customizable scale bar that dynamically scales with the current
mapper window. The scale bar is updated whenever the scale in the
active map window scale changes, for example, when zooming and
resizing the window or when another map window is selected. For
information about how to use this tool, see Display a Dynamic Scale Bar
Window.
• Current Mapper Projection
Displays coordinate system details for the active map window. You can
use the information in this window, together with with the MapInfo
Professional Help and User Guide documentation on Working with
Coordinate systems to understand more about how MapInfo uses
coordinate systems and to create your own custom coordinate systems.
For more information, see Displaying Mapper Projection Details.
• Favourite Projections
Maintains a list of frequently used map projections, which you can apply to
the active map window. Projections in this list are displayed whenever a
Engage utility requires a projection to be assigned. For information about
how to use this tool, see Saving and Applying Map Projections.
• Make Selected Layer Editable (MapInfo 9.5 or earlier)
When objects are selected in a layer, makes the selected layer editible.
This is especially useful when working with many layers in a map. For
information about how to use this tool, see Objects and Layers.

48 Engage User Guide
• Zoom to Selected Object
Zooms the map window to the extents of the selected objects. Use in
conjunction with the Previous Zoom function on the Enhanced Layer
Control to quickly move in and out of selected objects in any table and
window. For information about how to use this tool, see Zoom to the
Extents of the Selected Object.
• Fit Window to Selected Object
Resizes the map window to the aspect ratio of the selected object and to
zoom and re-position the map window to display the minimum bounding
rectangle of the selected object. For information about how to use this
tool, see Fit the Map Window to the Selected Object.
• Distance and Bearing Tool
Displays cursor position, distance and bearing between two map window
locations and map object attributes. For information about how to use this
tool, see Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings.
• Map Linking
Geographically links mapper windows so that any pan or zoom applied to
one mapper window is automatically applied to all other map windows
included in the linked group. For information about how to use this tool,
see Linking Map Windows.
• Match Window Sizes
Resizes and redisplays all map windows that are linked to the current map
window. This allows for easy comparison of the same area between the
linked map windows. For information about how to use this tool, see
Matching the Sizes of Linked Windows.
• Cursor Position
Adds the Cursor Position Menu to the menu bar, which you can use to
view the cursor at the same geographic location in multiple mapper
windows. Cursor positioning is a useful function in circumstances where
you wish to use a mapper as a locator and review data at a different scale
in a second or third window.
• Convert Map to Registered Raster
Saves the active map window as a raster image (.ECW, .BMP, .PNG,
.JPEG, .TIF, or .GEOTIFF) and opens the image as a fully registered map
in the same coordinate system as the original map window. The image will
be cropped at the current window dimensions. Use to crop large images,
or to convert multiple layers into a single image, or to convert a vector
geology map into an image that can be overlain on a magnetic or gravity
image with a set transparency. For information about how to use this tool,
see Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 49
• Make Movie or Animation
Captures a series of map window views which can be then be viewed as a
continuous animation sequence within MapInfo. Alternatively, the
animation sequence can be exported as a movie file, which can be
replayed through standard video software such as Microsoft Media Player.
The utility can be used to enhance presentations by adding new data
layers to a map window to show the exploration history of a project area or
to show the relationship between local and regional exploration features.
For information about how to use this tool, see Making Movies and
Animations from Map Windows.
• Set Default View
Changes the MapInfo default view for each layer in map window. When a
new map window is opened for a table, the layer is displayed in this
default view. This feature is not applicable for raster tables. Set the default
table view to display an entire data layer or to only display a selected area
for large data tables. For information about how to use this tool, see
Setting the Default Map View.
• Standard Views
Saves the current map window geographic extents and window
dimensions and restores saved views to the current map window. By
storing the geographical extents over a project area or area of interest the
current map window view can be quickly re-positioned over the location
defined by the selected view. Standard Views can be used with any open
datasets and are independent of the current map window projection. For
information about how to use this tool, see Saving and Applying View
Settings.
• Save and Restore Mapper State
Saves the position, size, centre point and zoom width of the active map
window and restores saved states. Use to restore a map window that is
used in a layout window after you have zoomed or panned across the map
window. For information about how to use this tool, see Saving and
Restoring the Mapper State.
See also
...Map Window Controls
Cursor Position Menu
For information about how to use the tools on this menu, see Show Cursor
Position in Linked Windows.
• Cursor Position On
Turn on the cursor position display in linked mapper windows.

50 Engage User Guide
• Cursor Position Off
Turn off the cursor position display.
• Select Mappers
Displays the cursor position selected in one window in other linked
mapper windows.
Select Menu
The Engage Select menu provides tools for selecting map objects. For
information about how to use the tools on this menu, see Selecting Objects.
• By Map Object Style
Selects all objects in a table that have the same graphical style as the
selected object. All object types are supported including symbol, lines,
polygons, and text. An object in the cosmetic layer can also be selected.
For information about how to use this tool, see Select by Graphical Style.
• By Attribute or Object Group
Selects all records with specific values or attributes from a specified
column in a table. For information about how to use this tool, see Select
by Attribute or Object Group.
• Using Proximity Search
Selects map objects that are located within a specified distance from one
or more selected objects. Apply additional filter criteria to returned map
objects to refine proximity search. For example, identify points that are
located within 2 km of a boundary. The search can be further refined to
only identify points that have a value above or below a threshold. For
information about how to use this tool, see Select by Proximity.
Object Menu
The Engage Object Editing menu provides tools, which can be used in
conjunction with the MapInfo object tools, to create and edit map objects.
• Style Cloner
Clone the style from objects in a MapInfo table and apply to selected
objects. For information about how to use this tool, see Cloning Object
Styles.
• Offset
Create a matrix of map objects at increments from a seed object. For
information about how to use this tool, see Offsetting Copies of an Object.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 51
• Transform
Apply shifting, scaling and rotation to one or more objects. For information
about how to use this tool, see Moving, Scaling and Rotating Objects.
• Align
Align the top, bottom, left, right or centre of map objects relative to each
other. For information about how to use this tool, see Aligning Objects.
• Draw by Coordinates
Create map objects with coordinates entered from the keyboard. For
information about how to use this tool, see Creating and Editing Objects
from the Keyboard.
• Line Annotation
Adds annotation to the selected linework. Annotation for a variety of styles
can be added at a user-specified spacing and size, and at a specific map
scale. For information about how to use this tool, see Apply Line
Annotations.
• Smooth Polyline
Smooth polylines by applying a spline. For information about how to use
this tool, see Smoothing.
• Thin Polyline by Node Number
Reduce the number of nodes in polylines or regions by removing every
nth node. For information about how to use this tool, see Thin Polyline by
Node Number.
• Thin Polyline by Node Position
Reduce the number of nodes in polylines or regions by removing nodes
within tolerance angle. For information about how to use this tool, see
Thin Polyline by Node Position.
• Change Line Direction
Reverse the direction of polylines and regions. For information about how
to use this tool, see Changing Line Direction.
• Line Cut
Cut any line or region object with a crossing line. For information about
how to use this tool, see Cutting.
• Line Concat
Join lines within a specified distance and angle of each other. For
information about how to use this tool, see Joining.

52 Engage User Guide
• Insert Nodes
Insert nodes at specified intervals from the beginning of a line or into
polylines/polygons at regular spacings between existing nodes. For
information about how to use this tool, see Inserting Nodes.
• Extract Nodes
Extracts nodes or line segments from a polyline or polygon. For example,
extract nodes from contour lines and reprocess the three-dimensional
point data to create a new interpolation grid. Extracted node coordinates
are added to a new table as attributes. For information about how to use
this tool, see Extracting Nodes.
• Split Multiple Polygons or Polyines
Split multiple polyline and regions map objects into individual objects. For
information about how to use this tool, see Splitting Multiple Polylines and
Polygons.
• Clip to Polygon
Clip and save all data from multiple layers which lie within a selected
object. For information about how to use this tool, see Clipping.
• Donut Polygons
Cut-out in-lying polygons for a whole table. For information about how to
use this tool, see Creating Donut Polygons.
• Build Objects from Table
Create polyline or polygon map objects from coordinates imported from
text files. For information about how to use this tool, see Creating Objects
from a Table.
• PolyBuilder
Create regions from intersecting linework automatically or manually. For
information about how to use this tool, see Conditioning and Converting
Linework into Polygons.
• Manual Polygonize
Convert selected linework into polygons and identify misclosures. For
information about how to use this tool, see Creating Polygons from
Linework.
Text Menu
The Engage Text menu provides tools for adding, formatting, and updating text
labels. For more information about how to use the tools on this menu, see Add
and Format Text and Labels.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 53
• Format
Sets the current font style or, if objects are selected, reformats text for a
specified output scale. Use this tool to reset text size when you change
the scale of the map window. For information about how to use this tool,
see Formatting Text.
• Label Creator
Adds text labels to objects selected in a map window, with text size
relative to a specified map scale. If no objects are selected, labels are
added to all objects in the table. The text can be positioned at any angle
and offset from the centroid of the object. The label can be a column value
or a more complex expression. Individual or groups of labels can be sized
or display different text styles. For information about how to use this tool,
see Adding Text Labels.
• Rotate MI Auto Labels
Changes the angle of labels of all objects in a map layer. For information
about how to use this tool, see Modifying MapInfo Label Angles.
• Update Labels from Table
Update the text in text objects with text from the same table or a different
table. When updating text from a different table, the two tables are joined
by record number. If the record order in the two tables is not appropriate,
then join the two tables using SQL. For information about how to use this
tool, see Updating Text Labels from Table.
• Update Table from Labels
Adds text labels to a column in the browser window. This feature is
especially useful when labelling DXF files. For information about how to
use this tool, see Updating Table from Text Labels.
Map Layout Menu
The Engage Map Layout menu provides tools for creating scaled maps. For more
information about how to use the tools on this menu, see Map Making.
• Create Scaled Output
Inserts a correctly sized and scaled frame of the front map window with a
map grid) into a layout. Additional frames for scale bar and title block are
added to the layout. When applied, the map scale, map size and paper
size are displayed in a text box, and the Scaled Output Menu is added to
the menu bar. For information about how to use this tool, see Creating
Scaled Maps.

54 Engage User Guide
• Add Scaled Frame to Layout
Adds the active map window as a scaled frame to the layout window. A
new layout window is created if one is not currently open. For information
about how to use this tool, see Add a Scaled Frame to the Layout.
• Overlay Map Grid
Adds a map grid to the current map window in any of the MapInfo
standard projections or in a user-defined custom projection. The style of
the map grid is fully customisable and you can overlay multiple grids on
one another (for example a Lat-Long grid on a UTM grid). The map grid is
drawn into a temporary table called AUTOGRID, which is located in the
Engage temporary directory unless you nominate a different table name
and location. For information about how to use this tool, see Add a Map
Grid.
• Create Map Legend
Creates a customizable legend for up to 10 layers in a multi-layered map.
The order of items within the legend may be altered. The legend is created
in a map window for easy insertion into a layout. For information about
how to use this tool, see Add a Map Legend.
• Create Titleblock
Creates a custom title block in a map window, which can then be added to
a layout. For information about how to use this tool, see Add a Title Block
and Scale Bar.
Scaled Output Menu
For more information about how to use the tools on this menu, see Creating
Scaled Maps.
• Re-specify Parameters
Redisplays the Scaled Output dialog box, from which you can modify the
frame settings, including the frame position, scale, margins, map grid, title
block, and scale bar. For more information, see the topics under Add a
Scaled Frame to the Layout.
• Accept Map Position
Accepts the scaled output frame settings made for the map window and
displays or updates the output scaled map in a layout window. For
information about how to use this tool, see Accept Map Position.
• Restore Map Window
Restores the map window to its original scale and extents.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 55
• Exit Scaled Output
Exits scaled output mode and asks you to save the title block, scale bar,
and map grid tables, if open. You can also save a workspace that includes
the layout, for future use. The title block, scale bar and map grid tables
should be saved under new names or they will be overwritten the next
time that Scaled Output is started.
Data Utilities Menu
The Engage Data Utilities provides tools for manipulating and processing data.
• Text Search and Replace
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string with the
option to replace each occurrence with a new string. The search result is
held in a temporary table, which can be displayed in a brower. For
information about how to use this tool, see Searching and Replacing Text
in Tables.
• Sort Table
Permanently sort a table using one or two sort columns. For information
about how to use this tool, see Sorting Tables.
• Table Split
Splits a table into multiple tables using unique attribute values in a field.
For example, extract data by name. For information about how to use this
tool, see Splitting Tables.
• Update Coordinates
Adds or updates map object coordinates in either a browser or a map
window using coordinates from either a map window or a browser. For
example, you can place the coordinate positions of sample points or collar
locations into X and Y data columns in the same MapInfo table.
Alternatively, if new survey data has become available, update the
position of existing map objects with new coordinates from X and Y data
columns in the browser. For information about how to use this tool, see
Updating Coordinates.
• Coordinate Transformation
Converts coordinates from one coordinate system to another based on
various coordinate transformation parameters. The transformed data is
stored in a new table with a suffix “_trans”. and displayed in map or
browser window. For information about how to use this tool, see
Coordinate Transformations.

56 Engage User Guide
• Reproject Coordinates
Reprojects data captured in one coordinate system in a new coordinate
system. For example, vector data captured in Australian AGD84
coordinates can be reprojected into GDA94 coordinates. Vector data can
be reprojected between projected (e.g. UTM), geographic (e.g. Lat/Long)
and custom coordinate systems. The utility works in the same way as the
MapInfo Save Copy As tool but has been designed specifically to
incorporate the NTv2 grid shift transformation parameters for selected
Canadian and Australian projections. For information about how to use
this tool, see Reprojecting Coordinates.
• Update Multiple Columns
Updates columns in one table with data from columns in another table
with a common joining field, such as an ID code or name. For information
about how to use this tool, see Updating Multiple Columns.
• Add Unique Identifier
Add a unique incrementing code to each row in a table. For information
about how to use this tool, see Adding Unique Identifiers to Table
Records.
• Line Orientation
Calculates the orientation of a line or polyline and adds the direction as an
attribute in a selected column in the table. This is useful when analysing
tables containing linear map objects such as faults, fold axes or creeks
where no directional attributes exist. For information about how to use this
tool, see Calculating Line Orientation.
• Assign Values
This tool operates in two modes: You can either assign aggregated values
of map object attributes in one table to the containing polygon map objects
in another table. For information about how to use this tool, see Assigning
Values to and from Polygons.
• DigData Menu
Adds the DigData Menu to the menu bar, which you can use to streamline
the entry of attribute data for digitized map objects. Objects can be
digitized either with the cursor or from a digitizing pallette.
• Compute Area Change
Calculates and maps changes in area or linear features between
successive layers of data. For example, you can examine polygon
changes between two map layers representing data from different time
periods. For information about how to use this tool, see Calculating Area
Change.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 57
• Plot Vectors
Displays velocity and flow data as oriented vectors with either a fixed
vector length or with a length proportional to a magnitude attribute in the
point source table. For example, water flow, soil creep, erosion rate, dune
movement or any surface measurement which has a magnitude and
direction component can be represented in this way. The table must
contain mapped point locations, with attribute columns for the position
coordinates (Easting and Northing) and the vector azimuth. An optional
column can also be added to control the length of the vector magnitude.
For information about how to use this tool, see Formatting Vector Objects.
DigData Menu
Attribute data in a column can be incremented automatically, populated with a
constant value including X and Y coordinates, or selected from a look-up table.
Attribute data can also be entered manually for selected columns after each map
objected is digitized. If the digitized map object style is selected from the Styles
Library, the style attribute can also be automatically added to each new digitized
object.
The following functions are available from the DigData menu:
• Data Table
Select the table that will store your digitised data. After selecting the data
table, select up to 10 columns for data entry.
• Set Up Increments
Set up incrementing and constant value data entry columns. You can
change the DigData column settings at any time while you are digitizing.
• EnterData
Displays data values while you digitize. If all columns are automatically
populated with incremented or constant values, turn this option off. The
tick mark on the menu is toggled on and off each time it is selected.
• Beep On
Play a beep sound each time an object is digitized. The tick mark on the
menu is toggled on and off each time it is selected.
• Exit DigData
Closes the DigData menu.
For more information about how to use the tools on this menu, see Digitizing and
Data Entry.

58 Engage User Guide
See also
... Manual Data Entry
... Automated Data Entry
Table and Workspace Utilities Menu
The Engage Table and Workspace Utilities menu contains the following
functionality:
• Close All
Closes unused tables, query tables, selected tables, or all open tables.
For information about how to use this tool, see Closing All Tables.
• Favourite Tables
Maintains a list of frequently used tables so that they can be opened
quickly and identified by an alias. For information about how to use this
tool, see Favourite Tables.
• Favourite Workspaces
Maintains a list of frequently used workspaces. For information about how
to use this tool, see Favourite Workspaces.
• Favourite MBX Programs
Maintains a list of frequently used MapBasic programs. For information
about how to use this tool, see Organising Your MapBasic Tools.
• Open Multiple Tables
Opens multiple tables from different folders into one map window,
separate map windows, an open map window, a browser windows, or as
no view. For information about how to use this tool, see Opening Multiple
Tables.
• Pack Multiple Tables
Pack multiple tables with the option to pack the tabular or graphical
component of the table. For information about how to use this tool, see
Packing Multiple Tables.
• Append Multiple Tables
Append multiple tables with the option to order the appending sequence.
For information about how to use this tool, see Appending Multiple Tables.
• Import Multiple MID-MIF Tables
Import multiple MID and MIF files from different folders. For information
about how to use this tool, see Importing Multiple MID/MIF Files

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 59
• Export Multiple MID-MIF Tables
Export multiple MID and MIF files. For information about how to use this
tool, see Exporting Multiple MID/MIF Files.
• Multi-Table Structure Manager
Add, remove, rename or modify data type for multiple fields across
multiple tables. For information about how to use this tool, see Multi-table,
Multi-field Editing.
• Reproject Multiple Tables
Reproject multiple tables to a new coordinate system. For information
about how to use this tool, see Reprojecting Multiple Tables.
• Document Link Setup
Enables hotlinks to map objects. For information about how to use this
tool, see Setting Up Hotlinks.
• Link Documents
Defines the path name to a linked document for a map object. For
information about how to use this tool, see Creating a Hotlink.
• Open Linked Documents
Displays documents linked to a map object. For information about how to
use this tool, see Opening Linked Documents.
• Advanced ASCII Import
Imports a fixed-width or delimited ASCII file into a MapInfo table. Data is
saved to a .TAB file and automatically opened in a browser view. If X and
Y columns are present in the file, points are automatically created and
displayed in a map window. For information about how to use this tool,
see ASCII Data.
• Import DXF to TAB
Imports layered CAD data into one MapInfo table and writes the CAD
layer name as an attribute for each object. The Z-value (for example,
elevation) can be stored as an attribute for a map object. For information
about how to use this tool, see DXF.
• LIDAR LAS (ASPRS) Import
Imports ASPRS standard LAS files into MapInfo TAB files, creating the
associated attributed points. For information about how to use this tool,
see LIDAR LAS.
• ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 Import
Imports ECW and JP2 format, located, raster image files from either the
local disk or from an Image Web Server. For information about how to use
this tool, see ALG/ECW/JPEG2000.

60 Engage User Guide
• DBMS Auto Refresh
Automatically refresh the data in a table linked to a remote database at set
time intervals. For information about how to use this tool, see Refreshing
Tables with Database Connections.
• RGB Colourizer
Colours map objects on RGB colour schemes entered as attributes in a
table or extracts RGB values from point, line, or polygon map objects and
saves them in a table. For information about how to use this tool, see
Colour Map Objects by RGB Values.
• Save Workspace and Tables
Save all tables and associated workspace to a new folder.
• Workspace Editor
Edit workspace tables and pathways. For information about how to use
this tool, see Checking and Modifying Table Locations in a Workspace.
• Restore Autosaved Workspace
Restores the last autosaved workspace (ENGAGE.WOR) from the Engage
configuration folder. For information about how to use this tool, see
Autosaving and Restoring the Workspace.
See also
... Working with Tables
Engage Help Menu
For information about using these tools, see Getting Help.
• Help
Opens Engage Help. Help contains all the information provided in the
Engage User Guide in an interactive Windows help format.
• 3D Help
Opens Engage3D Help. Help contains all the information provided in the
Engage3D User Guide in an interactive Windows help format.
• Online Knowledge Base
Opens the Engage Online Knowledge Base, where you can search for
how-to articles, tips and tricks, error messages and their resolutions, video
tutorials, and other useful information.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 61
• User Guide
Opens the Engage User Guide PDF in Adobe Reader. Contains printerfriendly
topics on how to accomplish tasks with Engage. This information
is also provided in Help.
• 3D User Guide
Opens the Engage3D User Guide PDF in Adobe Reader. Contains
printer-friendly topics on how to accomplish tasks with Engage3D. This
information is also provided in Help.
• Tutorials
Opens the Engage Tutorials PDF in Adobe Reader. A selection of tutorials
that will guide you through some typical tasks in Engage.
• Send Product Improvement Suggestions
If you have any suggestions, thoughts or feedback on ways we can
improve Engage, this opens a product improvement suggestions form on
the Pitney Bowes Business Insight web site.
• Licensing
Displays the Engage Licence Manager, from which you can license the
software and transfer the licence to another computer. For information
about how to use this tool, see Licensing Engage.
• About Engage
Displays information about the current installed version of Engage.
Important
When you change the location of a configuration folder, you are asked if you
want to copy the contents of the existing folder to the new location. Unless you
have been instructed otherwise by PBBI support, always click Yes. Clicking No
will create an empty folder, which you must manually rebuild with configuration
files.
Engage3D Menu
Engage3D Only
The Engage3D menu contains tools for displaying the contents of map windows
in the Engage3D window. For information about the tools on this menu, see
Engage>3D Help.
• Open 3D Window
Opens the Engage3D Window.

62 Engage User Guide
• Open 3D Workspace
Opens a saved 3D session including data in the 3D window and
associated tables and map windows in MapInfo Professional.
• Save 3D Workspace
Saves the current workspace in both MapInfo Professional and
Engage3D.
• 3D Display Wizard
The 3D Display Wizard provides a user-friendly step-by-step guide to
displaying either the entire current map view or individual map objects in
Engage3D.
• 3D Extrusion Wizard
Extend (extrude) the shape of a 2D or 3D feature (a building outline, for
example) from a base surface to a second surface so that it can be
visualized in three dimensions.
• View Map in 3D
Displays data visible in a MapInfo map window as a georeferenced bitmap
image in Engage3D.
• View Objects in 3D
Displays point, line or polygon map objects in a Engage3D as 3D vectors.
• View Surface in 3D
Displays selected grid files in Engage3D. Only grid files that are currently
open in MapInfo Professional can be displayed.
• Create 3D Points
Displays point data tables in Engage3D.
• Create 3D Lines
Displays line data tables in Engage3D.
• 3D Utilities menu
Provides tools for positioning and displaying planar images in 3D, draping
images on a gridded surface, and adding textures and landscape
features, such as trees and signposts to the 3D environment.
• 3D Options
Advanced controls for the conversion of 2D data, including image
resolution, grid compression, and folder locations.
• Exit Engage3D
Closes the Engage3D window and removes the Engage3D menu from the
MapInfo menu bar.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 63
EngageSurfaces Menu
Engage3D Only
The EngageSurfaces module provides a rich suite of functions and tools for
creating and analysing gridded surfaces. The EngageSurfaces module has been
designed to integrate seamlessly with gridded data created externally from
MapInfo and with other Engage modules that use gridded data. For information
about the tools on this menu, see Engage>3D Help.
• Create Grid
Interpolate gridded surfaces from point, polyline or polygon objects using
a variety of methods. Interpolate multiple large data sets with millions of
points or polylines to build a massive grid using triangulation..
• Contour a Grid
Create contours from surface grid.
• Label Contour Lines
Place annotation labels on contour lines.
• Contour Label Positioner
Custom position contour labels using a series of intersecting path lines.
• Grid Calculator
Perform grid arithmetic, statistical and Boolean calculations on one or
more grids.
• Grid Filter
Apply Convolution smoothing, enhancement, sun-angle or Geophysical
FFT filters to a surface grid.
• Assign Values from Grid
Add grid cell values as attributes to overlying map objects.
• Draw Grid Profile
Generate profile across grid or contour plan including draped vector
layers.
• Create Voronoi Polygons
Create Regions from point sample data with option to be bounded by a
selected boundary.
• Convert Vector File to Grid
Create a 2D surface grid from a 3D vector file (e.g. DXF).

64 Engage User Guide
• Grid Query
Select grid cells based on single value, multiple value ranges/percentiles
or elevation, slope, and aspect criteria. Calculate volume between grid
surface and specified level, create a slope or aspect grid from surface
grid.
• Grid Utilities
Classify, grid to grid clip, clip, convert, create RGB, curvature, cut/fill, edit,
fill holes, flip, merge, outline, overlay, replace, reproject, resample, rotate,
shift, slope, split, statistics, surface area, vectorize, create viewshed grids.
• Grid Tiler
Large grids can be 'tiled' (i.e. subdivided) into a number of smaller grids
without needing to open the source grid into MapInfo.
• Modify Grid Display
Adjust grid display with various colour schemes and stretching options,
view data histogram and apply sun-shading to a grid.
• Make Legend for Grid
Display a colour-value legend for a grid.
• Import Grid File
An extensive range of industry grid formats are supported.
• Export Grid File or Contours
Export surface grids to different grid formats or ASCII file, export grid
contours as 3D DXF.
• Grid Information
Display surface grid information to screen information including statistics.
• Precompute Grid Statistics
Precalculate the grid statistics for grid files located in a directory, creating
a summary statistics file (.GHX). This process can be reapplied to 'out-ofdate'
statistics files or used to increase the statistics sampling density for
larger grid files.
• Grid Handler Preferences
Sets the default output grid format. All grids created will then use the
specified format unless an interface option overrides the setting. You can
change the default grid format at any time.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 65
EngageImages Menu
The EngageImages menu provides the following functionality:
• Rectify Image
Load raster images and perform image transformations (rubber sheeting)
to correctly register an image to a selected coordinate system. For
information about how to use this tool, see Registering and Rectifying
Raster Images.
• Reproject Image
Reproject raster images into a new coordinate system. For information
about how to use this tool, see Reprojecting an Image.
• Image Properties
View image file size, projection, X and Y coordinate extents, number of
rows and columns, total pixels, image type and metadata. For information
about how to use this tool, see Displaying Image Properties.
• Enhance Image
Adjust image contrast and brightness and modify colour and gamma Red,
Green, Blue channels. For information about how to use this tool, see
Enhancing an Image.
• Filter Image
Apply smoothing and edge detection filters to image. For information
about how to use this tool, see Applying Image Filters.
• Clip Image
Clip a raster image to a region. For information about how to use this tool,
see Clipping an Image.
• Rotate Image
Rotate image by specified angle. For information about how to use this
tool, see Rotating an Image.
• Convert Image
Save an existing image in a new image file format. For information about
how to use this tool, see Converting an Image to Another Format.
• Modify Image
Apply transparency to the image. For information about how to use this
tool, see Modifying Image Transparency.
• Exit EngageImages
Closes the EngageImages menu. For information about how to use this
tool, see

66 Engage User Guide
See also
... Image Tool
EngageAnalytics Menu
The GraphMap tool provides interactive data display and analysis functionality
using an extensive range of 2D and 3D graphical visualisation and analysis
techniques. Data exploration is a fundamental component in understanding
complex patterns and relationships which may exist in your datasets, whether the
data is demographic or sales-orientated. GraphMap provides a powerful and
intuitive way to identify these relationships and examine their interactions. For
more information, see Using the GraphMap Tool.
• Start GraphMap
Starts the GraphMap tool. For more information, see Getting Started with
GraphMap.
• Manage Selection Overlay
Creates and saves multiple selection polygons for a particular graph. For
information about how to use this tool, see Creating Permanent Selection
Regions.
For information about the other statistics tools available on this menu, see Data
Processing and Statistics.
• Compute Summary Statistics
Computes standard statistical results for multiple elements in a data table.
Statistics can be calculated for a selected group within a mixed sample
population.. For information about how to use this tool, see Computing
Summary Statistics.
• Compute Correlation Matrix
The correlation matrix is a standardized variance-covariance matrix that
emphasises the relative variation between two elements. Raw data is
standardized by calculating the correlation coefficient so all elements have
a variance of one and a mean of zero. The correlation coefficient is unitless
and is the ratio of the covariance of two elements to the product of
their standard deviations. A correlation matrix can be calculated for either
an entire dataset table or a subset (Query). For information about how to
use this tool, see Computing a Correlation Matrix.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 67
• Point Classification
Point classification of data is used to segregate a dataset into groups
defined by a range or group of values. The point data can then be
statistically analysed by group or range, and point displays can be
modulated by colour, size and symbol type. Classifications can be applied
to the same table and field (column) by selecting classifications
concurrently on one or more classification tabs. To modulate colour, size
and symbol with separate fields, you must apply each classification
consecutively, saving the classification table between each application.
For information about how to use this tool, see Classifying Data by Colour,
Size, and Symbol.
• Trivariate Point Classification
Three elements in the selected table are assigned an RGB channel and a
threshold value. Samples that pass the thresholds for all three selected
elements are displayed using the same symbol style, colour and size.
Each sample is assigned a point classification code which is saved to a
new field in the input table or a new table. Classification legends can be
displayed as a thematic legend or as a MapInfo table, which can be edited
and scaled. The output classifications can be displayed as a thematic map
overlay or the new point symbols can be saved to the existing table or new
table. For information about how to use this tool, see Trivariate Point
Classification.
The Data Handling Options tool is available from the tools on the
EngageAnalytics menu and is used to convert negative values, non-numeric
values, and replace other numeric values in the current data table. Typically,
negative values are recorded in raw files to represent values that have either been
not recorded, not assayed, or are below the detection limit, which need to be
treated differently, statistically, from zero values. For more information, see Preprocessing
and Cleaning Data.
EngageColourMap Menu
The EngageColourMap menu provides the following functionality:
• Setup
Select an existing colour table or create a new colour table. For
information about how to use this tool, see Creating Colour Look-up
Tables.
• Build Colour Table
Build a colour table from an existing map. For information about how to
use this tool, see Create a Colour Table from an Existing Map.

68 Engage User Guide
• Edit Colour Table
Modify an existing colour table. For information about how to use this tool,
see Edit a Colour Table.
• Apply Colour Map
Assign colours and patterns to individual polygons or polylines or symbol
colour, size and type to points in a MapInfo table. For information about
how to use this tool, see Apply a Colour Map to Map Objects.
• Build Map for Colour Table
Create a map legend from a colour table. For information about how to
use this tool, see Create a Legend from a Colour Table.
• Exit EngageColourMap
Close the ColourMap menu.
For more information about the tools on this menu, see Colour Map Objects from
Look-up Tables.
EngageBatchPrinting Menu
Automates the generation and printing of multiple map sheets covering a region.
Adds the EngageBatchPrinting menu to the menu bar, from which you can
select a layout template and a map series. EngageBatchPrinting will then
automatically batch create and print maps in the selected region. For more
information about this tool, see Batch Printing.
MapInfo Professional Menu Customisations
When Engage is started in MapInfo Professional, a number of customisations are
added to existing shortcut ("right-click") menus to aid in the use of MapInfo
Professional and Engage tools.
The following shortcuts are added to the mapper window, the Layer Control, and
the Table List shortcut menus:
Mapper Window Shortcut Menu
Right-click inside map window to display shortcut menu.
• Zoom to Extents of Selected Object
Zoom the view to the bounds of the selected object
• View in 3D
See Viewing Data in Three Dimensions.

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 69
• Map Linking
Opens the Map linking tool, see Linking Map Windows for more details.
• Link this Map
Toggle linking the select map window to other map windows
• Match Window Sizes
Any linked map windows will be set to the same size as the selected map
window.
• Current Mapper Projection
Display the projection of the current map window
• Map Preferences
Opens the MapInfo Professional Options>Preferences>Map Window
dialog.
• Save Mapper State
Layer Control Window Shortcut Menu
Right-click on selected layer names or map window names to display shortcut
menu (Mapinfo 10.5 or later).
For selected Layers:
• Show Table(s) Info
Displays the Projection information for the selected tables.
• Open in New Map Window
Open selected layers in a new map window.
• Select All
Select all records/objects in the first selected layer.
• Unselect All
Unselect all records/objects in any of the selected tables.
• Close Table
Close the selected tables.
For a selected Map window name:
• Show Table Info for All the Map's Layers
Displays the Projection information for the selected tables and map
window.

70 Engage User Guide
• Map Linking
Opens the Map linking tool, see Linking Map Windows for more details.
• Match Window Sizes
Any linked map windows will be set to the same size as the selected map
window.
Table List Window Shortcut Menu
Right-click on selected layer names to display shortcut menu (Mapinfo 10.5 or
later).
• Show Info
Displays the Projection information for the selected tables.
• Compare Structure
Opens the Engage {hyperlink:Multi-Table Structure manager} tool.
Engage Toolbars
For a description of the tools available on each toolbar, see:
• Engage Toolbar
• Map Window Toolbar
• Map Making Toolbar
• Object Editing Toolbar
• Surfaces Toolbar
• Cursor Position Toolbar
See also
... Controlling the Interface
Engage Toolbar

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 71
Map Grid
Draw a map grid in any projection to the front map window.
Scaled Output
Insert a correctly sized and scaled frame of the front map window (with map grid)
into a layout.
Projections
Create and use a list of favourite projections.
Standard Views
Select and save custom geographic views.
Text Search/Replace
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string, optionally
replacing each occurrence with a new string.
Select by Group
Allows the selection of all records with a specific value from a nominated column
in a table.
Display Documents
Display one or more documents that are linked to a selected map object.
Update Coords
Insert object coordinates into data columns in a browser, or update positions of
existing points using new coordinates from data columns in a browser.
Multi-Table Structure Manager
Compare and edit multiple fields across multiple tables.
Favourites
Maintain and use a list of commonly used tables, workspaces, and MBXs.
Close All
Closes all tables.
Map Window Toolbar

72 Engage User Guide
Select by Styles
Allows the selection of all objects from a table that have the same graphical style
attributes as the selected object.
Fit to Selected
Resizes and zooms the map window to display the minimum bounding rectangle
of the selected object.
Zoom to Selected
Zoom the map window to show the entire minimum bounding rectangle of the
selected object(s).
Save Mapper State
Save the position, size, centre point and zoom width of the top map window.
Map Making Toolbar
Text Labels
Place text labels into a map window, with text size relative to a specified map
scale.
Text Format
Set the current font size or re-size selected text for a specified output scale.
Label Angles
Alter the label angle for a specified map layer.
Legend
Create and customise a legend for up to 10 layers in a multi-layered map.
Add Scaled Frame
Add a scaled frame to the layout window for the front map window.
Title block
Create and insert a custom title block into the layout window.
Annotate Lines
Add geological annotation to linework (e.g. strike and unconformity symbols).

5 Managing the User Interface and Workspaces 73
Object Editing Toolbar
Draw by Coordinates
Create map objects by entering node coordinates from the keyboard, or edit the
node coordinates of a selected object.
Thin Nodes
Reduce the number of nodes in an object.
Line Cut
Cut any object (except points and text) with a line that crosses the object.
Split Multi-Polys
Easily split multiple polyline and multiple polygon (region) objects into a
corresponding number of separate map objects.
Change Direction
Reverse the direction of selected polylines or regions.
Smoother
Improves the appearance of digitized linework by smoothing abrupt changes in
direction.
Surfaces Toolbar
Grid Info
Report grid cell values directly to the screen.
Sun-Shade Grid
Add real-time sun-shading to a gridded surface to improve the appearance of
relief in 2D.
Grid Legend
Display a legend relating the grid colours to data values.

74 Engage User Guide
Grid Query
Create MapInfo polygons covering areas of a grid that meet the query criteria.
Surface Profile
Identify and analyse trends or spatial relationships on gridded surfaces by
generating profiles for any line or polyline across the surface.
Alter Grid Colours
Adjust the appearance of the grid in a map window.
Create Grid
Opens the Gridding Tool, allowing the creation of grid surfaces
Cursor Position Toolbar
Cursor Position On
Enables an interactive cursor that automatically connects geographic locations in
separate mapper windows.
Cursor Position Close
Disables the interactive cursor positioning.

6 Map Window Controls 75
6 Map Window Controls
In this section:
• Map View Settings
• Map Projections
• Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings
• Display a Dynamic Scale Bar Window
• Add a Dynamic Map Grid to a Map Window
• Window Size and Zoom Controls
• Linking Map Windows
Map View Settings
• Setting the Default Map View
• Saving and Restoring the Mapper State
• Saving and Applying View Settings
Setting the Default Map View
MapInfo stores a default view for each layer in a map window. When a new map
window is opened for a table, the layer is displayed in this default view. Use the
Engage>Map Window>Set Default View tool to change the default view. This
feature is not applicable for raster tables. Set the default table view to display an
entire data layer or to only display a selected area for large data tables.
Dialog Help
• Set Default View Dialog Box

76 Engage User Guide
Set Default View Dialog Box
Set default map view for table
Select the layer in the active map window for which you want to change the
default view.
See also
... Setting the Default Map View
Saving and Restoring the Mapper State
Use the Engage>Map Window>Save Mapper State tool to save the position,
size, centre point and zoom width of the front map window. After saving the map
window state you can then restore it with Restore Mapper State. The Restore
Mapper State option is useful when you want to restore a map window that is
used in a layout window after you have zoomed or panned across the map
window.
See also
... Saving and Applying View Settings
... Saving and Applying Map Projections
Saving and Applying View Settings
Use the Engage>Map Window>Standard Views tool to store the current map
window geographic extents and window dimensions. By storing the geographical
extents over a project area or area of interest the current map window view can
be quickly re-positioned over the location defined by the selected view. Standard
Views can be used with any open datasets and are independent of the current
map window projection.

6 Map Window Controls 77
Standard Views Dialog Box
To add a standard view:
1. Display the extents of the project area or area of interest in the current
map window.
2. Select Engage>Map Window>Standard Views.
3. On the Standard Views Dialog Box, click Add.
The Add View Dialog Box is displayed, which shows the map window
extents and size.

78 Engage User Guide
4. In the Description box, type the name for the view and click OK.
5. To add another view zoom and pan the current map window or set up a
new view in another map window, and then repeat steps 3 and 4.
6. Click Close to finish.
To apply a standard view:
1. Open the dataset or datasets in a new map window.
2. Select Engage>Map Window>Standard Views.
3. From Standard Views Dialog Box,
• To apply the saved view geographical extents, double-click the view
or select the view and click Restore View.
• Alternatively, to apply the saved view geographical extents and
window dimensions, select the view and click Restore View & Size.
To maintain standard views:
1. Select Engage>Map Window>Standard Views.
2. From Standard Views Dialog Box,
• To delete a view, select the view in the list and click Delete.

6 Map Window Controls 79
• To re-order views, select the view and use the Up and Down arrow
buttons to move the view up and down in the list.
Note
The selected view is applied regardless of whether there is any data in that area.
See also
...Saving and Restoring the Mapper State
...Saving and Applying Map Projections
Dialog Help
• Standard Views Dialog Box
• Add View Dialog Box
Standard Views Dialog Box
View Description
Displays the list of saved views.
Restore View
Restores the geographical extents of the selected view to the active map window.
Restore View & Size
Restores the geographical extents and amp window dimensions of the selected
view to the active map window.
Up and Down
Use the up and down buttons to reorder the view list.
Add
Adds the view extents in the active map window. Displays the Add View Dialog
Box from which you can name the view.
Delete
Deletes the selected view.

80 Engage User Guide
See also
... Saving and Applying View Settings
Add View Dialog Box
Description
Type a name for the saved view.
See also
... Saving and Applying View Settings
Map Projections
• Saving and Applying Map Projections
• Displaying Mapper Projection Details
Saving and Applying Map Projections
Use the Favourite Projections tool to create a list of frequently used map
projections. Favourite projections are used to change the current map window
from one projection to another.
Favourite Projections Dialog Box

6 Map Window Controls 81
Any projections added to this list are also displayed in the first window of the
Choose Projection dialog whenever a Engage utility requires a projection to be
assigned.
Choose Projection Dialog Box
To add a favourite projection:
1. Select Engage>Map Window>Favourite Projections.
The Favourite Projections Dialog Box is displayed.
2. Click Add. The Choose Projection dialog box is displayed.
3. Select the projection from the Category box and Category Members
box.
4. Click OK.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 to add another projection to the list.
6. Click Close to finish.
To apply a favourite projection:
1. Select the map window to which the new map projection will be applied.

82 Engage User Guide
2. Select Engage>Map Window>Favourite Projections.
3. From the Favourite Projections Dialog Box, double-click the projection in
select the projection and click Apply.
To view details of the new map window projection, see Displaying Mapper
Projection Details.
Maintaining favourite projections:
1. Select Engage>Map Window>Favourite Projections.
2. From Favourite Projections Dialog Box,
• To delete a projection, select the projection in the list and click
Remove.
• To re-order projections, select the projection and use the Up and
Down arrow buttons to move the projection up and down in the list.
Favourite Projections are stored in the Engage.PRJ file in the .\Engage\Config
folder. This file uses a similar format to the MapInfo projection file and can be
opened and edited manually using a text editor such as WordPad.
See also
... Saving and Restoring the Mapper State
... Saving and Applying View Settings
... Displaying Mapper Projection Details
... Coordinates and Projections
Dialog Help
• Favourite Projections Dialog Box
• Choose Projection Dialog Box
Favourite Projections Dialog Box
Projections
Displays the list of favourite projections.
Up and Down
Use the up and down buttons to reorder the projections in the list.

6 Map Window Controls 83
Add
Adds a new projection to the favourites list. Displays the Choose Projection
Dialog Box, from which you can select the projection category and member.
Remove
Removes the selected projection from the favourites list.
Apply
Applies the selected projection to the active map window.
See also
...Saving and Applying Map Projections
Choose Projection Dialog Box
Category
Select a projection category.
Category members
Select a member from the selected category.
See also
...Saving and Applying Map Projections
Displaying Mapper Projection Details
Use Engage>Map Window>Current Mapper Projection to display details of the
coordinate system for the front map window (or right-click in the map window and
select from the shortcut menu). You can use the information in this window,
together with the MapInfo Professional Help and User Guide documentation on
Working with Coordinate systems to understand more about how MapInfo uses
coordinate systems and to create your own custom coordinate systems.
A table can be stored in a projection that is not defined in the MapInfo projection
file (MAPINFOW.PRJ). In this case, the coordinate system name is undefined
and is referred to as a custom coordinate system. It is accompanied by a list of
the projection parameters. Use these parameters to add the new coordinate
system to the MapInfo projection file.

84 Engage User Guide
Custom coordinate systems can also be created so data collected in local
coordinate systems such as a mine grid can be overlain with data collected in real
world projections such as UTM or Lat/Long. See Coordinate Transformations for
more information on creating a custom projection.
See also
... Coordinates and Projections
... Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings
... Saving and Applying Map Projections
... Coordinate Transformations
Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings
Use the Engage>Map Window>Distance and Bearing tool to:
• View the current cursor location in coordinates from one or more
projections.
• Measure the distance and bearing between two map window locations.
• Display the browser entries for a selected table continuously as the cursor
moves over map objects in the map window.
Cursor Coordinates
The cursor position coordinates in the current map window projection are
displayed continuously in the Location Display dialog box as the cursor moves
within the map window. Click Select alternate projection for position to display
coordinates in an additional projection. For example, the cursor position can be
viewed in UTM and Lat/Long coordinates or UTM and Local Grid coordinates at
the same time.
The Location Display window can be moved by dragging the window title bar.
To close the Location Display window click the button in the top-right corner.
Note
The coordinates displayed in the Location Display window may appear different
to those displayed by the MapInfo cursor position due to in-built rounding in the
MapInfo coordinates. Engage reports and displays the coordinates as reported
by MapInfo for the screen position. The precision of the coordinate locations is
dependent on the map window zoom level, the higher the zoom the greater the
coordinate precision.

6 Map Window Controls 85
Measuring Distance and Bearing
The Bearing and Distance measurements displayed are taken from the last
selected cursor position. To start measuring, click at the desired location in the
map window. The bearing and distance measurements from the selected location
to the current cursor location are displayed in the Location Display window. The
measurements are updated continuously as the cursor is moved within the map
window. Click in the map window again to re-start the bearing and distance
measurements.
Note
When selecting map window locations to be used in Bearing and Distance
measurements, map objects cannot be selected using the MapInfo Snap utility.
Object Attributes
In addition to coordinate display and bearing/distance measurements the browser
attribute entries for a selected table can be displayed as the cursor is moved over
map objects within the map window. In the Details for pull-down list choose the
table to display the browser information. Move the cursor over the map objects to
view the browser entries from the selected table. To stop displaying browser
entries select from the Details for pull-down list.
Note
If the map window has scroll-bars enabled, the browser details may not be
displayed when the cursor is placed over an object. Remove the scroll-bars
using the Map>Options menu option.
See also
...Coordinates and Projections
...Coordinate Transformations
...Map Projections
Dialog Help
• Location Display Dialog Box
Location Display Dialog Box
Displays the cursor position coordinates continuously as the cursor moves over
the map window. The cursor position coordinates are displayed in the current
map window projection.
To move the window, click and drag the window title bar. To close the window,
click on the window close button .

86 Engage User Guide
Select alternate projection for position
Click the button to select an additional projection for the cursor position display.
For example, the cursor position can be viewed in UTM and Lat/Long coordinates
or UTM and Local Grid coordinates at the same time.
Note
The coordinates displayed in the Location Display window may appear different
to those displayed by the MapInfo cursor position due to in-built rounding in the
MapInfo coordinates. Engage reports and displays the coordinates as reported
by MapInfo for the screen position. The precision of the coordinate locations is
dependent on the map window zoom level, the higher the zoom the greater the
coordinate precision.
Bearing and distance measurement
The bearing and distance values are taken relative to the last selected cursor
position. To start measuring, click a location in the map window. The
measurements are updated continuously as the cursor is moved within the map
window. Click in the map window again to re-start the bearing and distance
measurements.
Note
Map objects cannot be selected using the MapInfo Snap utility when selecting
map window locations for bearing and distance measurements.
Browser information
Click the Details for box to select a table to display the browser information. Move
the cursor over the map objects to view the browser entries from the selected
table. To stop displaying browser entries select from the Details for box.
Note
If the map window has scroll bars enabled the browser details may not be
displayed when the cursor is placed over an object. Remove the scroll bars using
Map>Options.
See also
... Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings

6 Map Window Controls 87
Display a Dynamic Scale Bar Window
A customizable scale bar, which dynamically scales with the current mapper
window, can be displayed in a separate window. The scale bar dynamically
updates the scale when the current map window is zoomed and resized, or when
another mapper window is selected.
Right-click the scale bar window to display the Scale Bar Shortcut Menu, from
which you can customise the scale bar format and display options.
To display the dynamic scale bar:
• On the Engage menu, point to Map Window, and click ScaleBar. The
scale bar is displayed in a separate window.
To modify the appearance of the dynamic scale bar:
1. Right-click in the Scalebar window and select Options from the shortcut
menu. The Scale Bar Options Dialog Box is displayed.
Changes to the scale bar properties are displayed in the Preview box.
2. Under Type, select the scale bar style, number of segments, and units.
3. Under Display, select the scale bar colour and the placement, font size
and font of the labels.
To add the scale bar as a static object to the map window:
1. Right-click in the Scale Bar window and select Save to Map from the
shortcut menu.
2. From the Save Scale Bar Dialog Box, either type the position of the topleft
corner of the scalebar in the X and Y boxes, or click Select On Map to
locate the scale bar interactively.
3. To change the location of the table the scalebar is saved to, under Output,
click the Save button and navigate to the required folder.
4. Click OK to save the scale bar and display in the map window.

88 Engage User Guide
See also
... Map Projections
... Map View Settings
... Coordinates and Projections
... Creating Scaled Maps
... Add a Map Grid
Dialog Help
• Scale Bar Shortcut Menu
• Save Scale Bar Dialog Box
• Scale Bar Options Dialog Box
Scale Bar Shortcut Menu
Save to Map
Creates a static scale bar object in the active map window. Displays the Save
Scale Bar Dialog Box dialog box, from which you can select the location of the
scale bar in the map window.
Options
Customise the scale bar. Displays the Scale Bar Options Dialog Box.
Show Inside MapInfo
Clear to float the scale bar outside the MapInfo window frame.
Keep On Top
Select to keep the scale bar on top of all other windows.
See also
... Display a Dynamic Scale Bar Window
Save Scale Bar Dialog Box
Select the position of the saved scale bar in the active map window.

6 Map Window Controls 89
Scale bar top-left position
X
The X coordinate of the top-left corner of the scale bar.
Y
The Y coordinate of the top-left corner of the scale bar.
Select On Map
Click to select the top-left position of the scale bar in the map window.
Output
Output file
By default, the scale bar is saved to SCALEBAR.TAB in the Engage Temp folder.
Click the box to edit the folder and file name, or click the Save button to select a
new folder.
See also
...Display a Dynamic Scale Bar Window
Scale Bar Options Dialog Box
Type
Style
Select from standard, checkerboard, meridian, and line styles.
Standard
Checkerboard
Meridian
Line

90 Engage User Guide
Segments
Increase and decrease the number of segments in the scale bar.
Units
Click to select the scale bar units.
Display
Label placement
Choose to display number labels above or below the scale bar.
Foreground
Click to select the foreground colour (solid bars and labels).
Background
Click to select the background colour.
Font
Select the label font and font size.
Preview
Updates as you make style selections.
See also
... Display a Dynamic Scale Bar Window
Add a Dynamic Map Grid to a Map Window
A dynamic Autogrid can be added to the front map window. The map window grid
coordinates are updated automatically whenever the map window is zoomed or
panned. The Autogrid re-displays the new map window coordinates on the fly
when the window view dimensions are modified and can be turned on and off as
required.
An Autogrid is ideal for interactive work, but when creating grids for presentation
purposes in scaled maps, you should use a static map grid as described in Map
Making.

6 Map Window Controls 91
To define and add an Autogrid to the front mapper window:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Map Window, and then click Map
Autogrid.
2. The Setup Map Autogrid dialog box is displayed. See Add a Map Grid for
information on setting the grid display options.
After the grid is defined and displayed, the Autogrid menu and toolbar are
displayed.
To hide and show the Autogrid:
• Display of the Autogrid can be toggled from either the menu or by clicking
the toolbar button.
Each time the grid is turned on the Setup Map Autogrid dialog is displayed. The
last entered grid line styles and colours are retained between views but label
positions need to be specified each time if they vary from the default. To close all
currently open autogrids use the Autogrid>Exit Autogrid menu option.
Note
Map Autogrids cannot be removed from a map window through the Layer
Control or Enhanced Layer options.
See also
...Creating Scaled Maps
...Add a Map Grid
...Map Projections
...Map View Settings
...Coordinates and Projections
Dialog Help
• Setup Map Autogrid Dialog Box
• Grid Label Options Dialog Box (Map Grid tool)
Setup Map Autogrid Dialog Box
Map projection
The map window projection is displayed. To change the map window projection,
see Map Projections.

92 Engage User Guide
Projection
• Auto (current map window): Draw a map grid using the current map
window projection.
• Custom coordinate system: Draw local and real world grids using a
custom transformation. To create a custom transformation coordinate
system, see Coordinate Transformations.
• User defined: Draw a map grid in a different projection by selecting the
projection from the list of Engage favourite projections.
Grid spacing
The default grid spacing is calculated from the width of the map window. Type a
new grid spacing in the units of the map window projection (typically metres or
degrees).
Grid style
Choose Lines, Points, or Edge Ticks grid style. If grid lines have significant
curvature, you can smooth the grid lines using Label Options.
Aa (text style)
Displays the MapInfo Text Style dialog box, from which you can change the label
font, font size, colour, background style and colour, and ornamentation.
Symbol style
(Point style grids) Displays the MapInfo Symbol Style dialog box, from which you
can change the grid point symbol, colour, size, and other effects.
Line style
(Line and edge-tick style grids) Displays the MapInfo Line Style dialog box, from
which you can change the line style, colour and line width.
Label size
Displays the grid label font size. Type a new value in pts, or select the text style
(Aa) button. Text size will change with the scale of the current view.
Map scale
The map scale at which the label text size is correct.

6 Map Window Controls 93
Place labels in mask polygon outside map frame
Select to draw grid labels in a mask outside the map frame. Clear to draw grid
labels in the map window margins.
Display labels at
Select or clear check boxes to show and hide labels at the top, bottom, left, and
right of the map window.
Label Options
Displays the Grid Label Options Dialog Box, from which you can smooth curved
grid lines, add a label suffix and prefix, set the frequency of grid labels, and
change the number of decimal places.
Options
Append to existing Autogrid
If there is already a grid drawn in the active map window, select the check box to
add the new grid to the existing grid. Clear the check box to replace the existing
grid.
Overlay another Autogrid
Select to overlay a second grid with a different projection and style. After you click
OK, the first grid is drawn, and the Map Grid dialog box is displayed again so that
you can define the second grid.
See also
...Add a Dynamic Map Grid to a Map Window
Window Size and Zoom Controls
The following tools allow you to use objects to reset the map window. The map
window can either be fitted to the bounding rectangle of an object, or zoomed to
the extents of the object (or objects) without changing the aspect ratio (height to
width ratio) of the window:
• Fit the Map Window to the Selected Object
• Zoom to the Extents of the Selected Object

94 Engage User Guide
Fit the Map Window to the Selected Object
Use Engage>Map Window>Fit Window to Selected Object to resize the map
window to the aspect ratio of the selected object and to zoom and re-position the
map window to display the minimum bounding rectangle of the selected object.
This is useful when adding a frame of specific size to a layout. Use the drawing
tools or Engage>Object>Draw by Coordinates tool to create a rectangle
covering the area to print, and then use Fit Window to Selected Object to resize
the map window to the selected rectangle.
This tool can also be used to display an entire map object when a selected region
or polyline object is much larger than the current map window zoom level. In this
case, remember that the aspect ratio of the map window is fitted to the object’s
bounding rectangle.
Note
For objects that have an aspect ratio of less than 0.1 or greater than 10, the
selected object does not completely fill the map window.
See also
... Zoom to the Extents of the Selected Object
... Managing Maps and Layers
... Matching the Sizes of Linked Windows
Zoom to the Extents of the Selected Object
Select the object or objects, and then select Engage>Map Window>Zoom to
Selected Object (or right-click and select from the shortcut menu) to zoom the
map window to show the entire minimum bounding rectangle of the selected
object(s).
Note
The Enhanced Layer Control (ELC) of Engage provides for unlimited Previous
Views of map windows.
See also
... Fit the Map Window to the Selected Object
... Managing Maps and Layers

6 Map Window Controls 95
Linking Map Windows
Map Linking provides the ability to geographically link mapper windows so that
any pan or zoom update applied to one mapper is automatically applied to all
other map windows included in the linked group.
Access Map Linking by either:
• Select Engage>Map Window>Map Linking.
• Right-click in a map window and select Map Linking from the shortcut
menu.
Map Linking dialog to select and enable mapper windows
The Map Linking Dialog Box lists all currently open mappers and the projection of
each. Use the check boxes next to Mapper names to select/unselect mappers.
Select All and Unselect All buttons are also provided.
Two mapper Linking Methods are available:
• Fixed extents - The windows are synchronised so that the window centre
point and the X axis extents are always visible in the map window
regardless of either the map scale or the window dimensions.

96 Engage User Guide
• Fixed scale - Following a pan or zoom, the new map centre and scale are
applied to the other linked mappers. Thus, each linked mapper window
has the same centre coordinate and scale but the amount of data shown
in each depends on the individual window size and dimensions.
Individual mappers can also be linked via the Link this map option on the popup
menu from a right mouse click in a mapper. A tick next to this menu item
indicates that the mapper is linked. Selecting the option toggles the linkage.
After selecting the map windows to be linked and method to use, click OK.
The Map Link option can be deselected from either the Map Linking dialog by
clicking Unselect All or by the right-mouse click pop-up menu in any linked
window and deselecting the Link this map option. When this option is disabled
the menu item will not show a tick beside it (see above).
See also
... Show Cursor Position in Linked Windows
... Matching the Sizes of Linked Windows
Show Cursor Position in Linked Windows
Interactive Cursor Positioning displays the same geographic location in
separate mapper windows by placing a symbol at the same position as selected
in one linked window. If the cursor position is not visible in a linked map window
the mapper can be panned to show the selected location.
Cursor Position Dialog Box

6 Map Window Controls 97
In the Cursor Position Dialog Box, select the map windows to display the cursor
locator symbol by placing a check next to each window box. Sometimes the
cursor position selected in one mapper is not currently visible in another mapper
because the data coverage does not include the selected position. Check the Pan
mapper to show cursor position box to pan the map window view to show the
cursor position.
The cursor symbol style button allows you to modify the Cursor position symbol
to any of the standard MapInfo symbols. To adjust the symbol style, press the
Symbol button or use the MapInfo menu item Options>Symbol Style.
Cursor positioning is a useful function in circumstances where you wish to use a
mapper as a ‘locator’ and review data at a different scale in a second or third
window. An example of two windows with the location symbol placed at the same
geographic position but with different scales and information content is shown
below:
Cursor Positioning showing a symbol placed at the same geographic location
The Cursor Position operation can be deselected at any time by clicking on the
Cursor Position Off button on the Cursor Position toolbar.
See also
...Linking Map Windows
...Matching the Sizes of Linked Windows

98 Engage User Guide
Matching the Sizes of Linked Windows
The Engage>Map Window>Match Window Sizes option allows linked mapper
windows to be displayed in the standard size map window. If tables are displayed
in a number of different sized linked mapper windows the preferred map window
size can be selected and all other map windows will be re-sized to these map
window dimensions. This allows for easy comparison of the same area between
the linked map windows.
See also
... Linking Map Windows
Dialog Help
• Map Linking Dialog Box
• Cursor Position Dialog Box
Map Linking Dialog Box
Select mappers
Displays all open mapper windows and their projections. Select a check box to
link the mapper window.
Select All
Links all open mapper windows.
Clear All
Unlinks all mapper windows. You can also unlink a mapper window by rightclicking
inside the mapper window and clearing the Link this map option on the
shortcut menu.
Linking method
Fixed extents
The windows are synchronised so that the window centre point and the X axis
extents are always visible in the map window regardless of either the map scale
or the window dimensions.

6 Map Window Controls 99
Fixed scale
Following a pan or zoom, the new map centre and scale are applied to the other
linked mappers. Thus, each linked mapper window has the same centre
coordinate and scale but the amount of data shown in each depends on the
individual window size and dimensions.
Cursor Position Dialog Box
Select mappers
Select the map windows to display the cursor locator symbol.
Symbol
Click to select the symbol style. Displays the MapInfo Symbol Style dialog box.
Select All
Select all open mapper windows.
Clear All
Clear all mapper windows.
Pan mapper to show cursor position
When the cursor position selected in one mapper is not currently visible in another
mapper, select the check box to pan the map window view to show the cursor
position.

7 Importing and Exporting 101
7 Importing and Exporting
In this section:
• Importing Data with MapInfo and Engage
• Import Formats Supported by Engage
• Tabular and Vector Data
• Raster Imagery
• Surface Grids
See also
...Supported Data File Formats
...Registering and Rectifying Raster Images
...Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
...Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows
Importing Data with MapInfo and Engage
Your combined MapInfo Professional/Engage GIS platform can import in excess
of 100 industry standard and third-party data formats. These include:
To import tabular and vector data, use:
(including databases, contour files, text files, etc.)
• MapInfo File>Open
• MapInfo File>Universal Translator
• MapInfo Table>Import
• Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities (see Tabular and Vector Data)
To import raster imagery, use:
(such as aerial photography, SPOT imagery, company logos, etc.)
• MapInfo File>Open Raster Image
• EngageImages>Rectify Image (see Raster Imagery)
• Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities (see Raster Imagery)

102 Engage User Guide
To import gridded surfaces, use:
(such as digital elevation models and geophysical grids)
• MapInfo File>Open Grid Image
• EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File
• Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities
Every file format that can be imported into MapInfo Professional and Engage is
listed in Supported Data File Formats, as well as the location of the corresponding
import tools. File formats are listed by source (e.g. Landmark Grid files) and file
name extension (e.g. GRD).
A range of additional formats can be imported using Safe Software’s Feature
Manipulation Engine (FME).
Import Formats Supported by Engage
Tabular and Vector Data
• ASCII Data
• DXF
• LIDAR LAS (Engage3D Pro only)
Raster Imagery
• Rectifying Raster Images
• ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 (Engage3D only)
• ER Mapper Algorithm Referencing ECW Images (Engage3D only)
• Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
Gridded Surfaces (Engage3D only)
• ASCII Grid
• BIL Grid
• DTED (.DIR, .DTO, .DT1, .DT2)

7 Importing and Exporting 103
• ER Mapper Grid
• ESRI/Arc FLT binary
• ESRI ASCII Grid
• Surfer Grid
• Vertical Mapper Grid
• USGS DEM Grid
Import tools
• Toggle Support for Vertical Mapper Grid
Export
• Export Grid to ASCII File
• Export Grid
Tabular and Vector Data
• ASCII Data
• DXF
• LIDAR LAS
ASCII Data
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
The Engage Advanced ASCII Import utility is designed to import external multicolumn
ASCII data files into a MapInfo .TAB file.
Features of the Advanced ASCII Import include:
• Flexible import format that can accommodate any number of ASCII data
columns.
• Can read ASCII files with either fixed width (defined by column size) or
delimited by user defined characters.

104 Engage User Guide
• Easy interface for column naming can use a header line or interactive
dialogs. Unwanted header records can be skipped during the import.
• Comment lines are accommodated as are various data formats such as
real, and scientific notation.
• Data specification can include multi-channel and banded data (for
example, EM data)
• Use or save templates to describe the data format for re-use. Comments,
headers and nulls are all handled in the templates.
To view samples of ASCII files that you can import, see Supported ASCII File
Formats.
After data is imported, it is saved to a .TAB file and automatically opened in a
browser view. If X and Y columns are present in the file, points will automatically
be created and displayed in a map window.
To import an ASCII file:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and click
Advanced ASCII Import.
The ASCII Data Import Dialog Box is displayed.
2. Under Input file, click the Open button and select the ASCII file to be
imported.
The first 100 data records of the file are displayed in the Data preview
box. If the format is not supported (e.g. binary file or inappropriate text
file), a warning message is displayed.
To examine the input file in an external text editor, click the Preview
button. To change the default editor, click Options (see ASCII Import
Options).

7 Importing and Exporting 105
3. The file is scanned to determine whether if it is a fixed width or delimited
format. View the sample records in the Data preview box.
To change the format, under Column Format, click a different format . A
Fixed width file is one where each column is confined to fixed character
positions on each line of the file. A Delimited data file is one where each
column is separated from the others by single or multiple delimiter
characters. Some common delimiters include spaces, tabs and commas.
Additional delimiters can be typed in the Other box. A Comma delimited
(CSV) file is a delimited format with a comma delimiter.
4. The column widths are indicated by vertical lines in the Data preview box.
With fixed-width data, if fields that are not properly identified, you can add
and move separators.
• To add a separator, click the new position in the Data preview box.
• To delete a separator, double-click the separator.
• To move a separator, click and drag it to a new position. Holding the
CTRL key while you move a separator will also shift all columns to
the right of the current column.
5. If the file contains header lines, under Header, select the Number of lines
in header. The header lines are displayed in the Data preview box.
6. Column names can be assigned to each column either automatically from
a header record or by selecting the name for each column.
• If column names are provided in the header:
Under Header, select the Field names are in header on line
check box and select which line of the header contains the field
names. Click Get Field Names to update the preview. Only field
names starting with alphabetic characters or underscores are
accepted. To ignore an invalid leading character, using the Starting
at char option.
• To manually assign column names:
In the Data preview box, right-click the column label and select a
standard field from the Fields Shortcut Menu or click Properties to
create a new field name and type. Fields named Skip are not
imported.
Click Field Summary to display a list of all the assigned column names
and field data types. To change the field assignment and field type, rightclick
the column label and click Properties.

106 Engage User Guide
7. Input data fields containing an asterisk (*), a solitary minus sign (-) or a
space ( ) are automatically treated as null values. When imported, nulls
are written out to the .TAB file as blanks in character fields and zeroes in
numerical fields. To define a different null specifier string, (e.g. –999.99),
right-click the column label and select a standard field from the Fields
Shortcut Menu and click Properties. From the Properties Dialog Box,
under Nulls, in the String interpreted as null input value box, type the
null string. To apply the same null string to all input fields, select Apply to
all fields.
8. When you have completed defining the structure of the input file, click
Import to create the .TAB file.
The steps above describe the common tasks when importing ASCII files. For
information about advanced ASCII import features, see:
• ASCII Import Options
• Line Number Record
• Ignored Records
• Ignored Characters
• Save and Reload ASCII Template
Supported ASCII File Formats
The Engage Advanced ASCII Import utility can load a wide range of ASCII multicolumn
formats. Typically the formats fall into the following classes:
No header or comments, multi-columns of constant width
1600 300200.0 6253800.000 56481.027 -0.010
1600 300220.0 6253810.000 56479.535 -999999
1600 300240.0 6253820.000 56478.371 -0.003
1600 300260.0 6253830.000 56477.547 -0.001
1600 300280.0 6253840.000 56477.035 -0.000
1600 300300.0 6253850.000 56476.781 -0.000
1600 300320.0 6253860.000 56476.707 -0.001
1600 300340.0 6253870.000 56476.723 -0.003
1600 300360.0 6253880.000 56476.734 -0.005
1600 300380.0 6253890.000 56476.660 -0.008

7 Importing and Exporting 107
Header lines and comments with multi-columns of constant width
LINE EAST NORTH MAG GRAV
\ This is a comment line used for information
1600 300200.0 6253800.000 56481.027 -0.010
1600 300220.0 6253810.000 56479.535 -999999
1600 300240.0 6253820.000 56478.371 -0.003
1600 300260.0 6253830.000 56477.547 -0.001
1600 300280.0 6253840.000 56477.035 -0.000
1600 300300.0 6253850.000 56476.781 -0.000
1600 300320.0 6253860.000 56476.707 -0.001
1600 300340.0 6253870.000 56476.723 -0.003
1600 300360.0 6253880.000 56476.734 -0.005
1600 300380.0 6253890.000 56476.660 -0.008
Data files with line numbers embedded as standard XYZ file
Line 1600
300200.0 6253800.000 56481.027 -0.010
300220.0 6253810.000 56479.535 *
300240.0 6253820.000 56478.371 -0.003
300260.0 6253830.000 56477.547 -0.001
300280.0 6253840.000 56477.035 -0.000
300300.0 6253850.000 56476.781 -0.000
300320.0 6253860.000 56476.707 -0.001
300340.0 6253870.000 56476.723 -0.003
Line 1700
300660.0 6243880.000 56476.734 -0.005
300680.0 6243890.000 56476.660 -0.008
Delimited data with inconsistent column widths with or without headers
1600,300200,6253800,56481,-0.01
1600,300220,6253810,56479.5,-1.00E+30
1600,300240,6253820,56478.4,-0.003
1600,300260,6253830,56477.5,-0.001
1600,300280,6253840,56477,0
1600,300300,6253850,56476.8,0
1600,300320,6253860,56476.7,-0.001
1600,300340,6253870,56476.7,-0.003
1600,300360,6253880,56476.7,-0.005
1600,300380,6253890,56476.7,-0.008
ASCII Import Options
The Options Dialog Box contains defaults for importing an ASCII file.

108 Engage User Guide
• If the Use last format file (*.i3) by default is checked, next time a saved
format file (*.i3) is loaded by pressing the Load format button, the
directory path of the previously loaded or saved format file directory will be
used. If this option is left unchecked, the default path when browsing for a
format file will be the same as the path of the ASCII file currently being
imported (but with an .i3 extension).
• If the Rename selected easting field to X and selected northing to Y is
checked the field names for the respective easting and northing columns
will be changed to X and Y.
• Two options are available for the Auto-classify behaviour: Hide header
when classified and Show dialog compacted. These options are
toggles for the initial display of the Advanced ASCII import dialog. Autoclassification
occurs when the Advanced ASCII importer can detect the
ASCII structure upon loading a file without any prompts from the user.
• Null value inputs can be specified under the Properties dialog when right
clicking on a particular field. To specify the output value of a defined null
value, type in for example -9999 into the Output null value dialog box.
Subsequent to importing the ASCII file, the defined null values will
populate the MapInfo Browser.
• The input file can be previewed with an external editor of the user’s choice
as set under the Editor option. By default this is set to WordPad.exe.
Line Number Record
Check the Import the Line Field box if there is a column containing a line
identifier in your data. In some cases, there is not a line field in your survey data.
Instead, the file contains a separate data line that specifies the start of each new
survey line. The data following the line identifier are all the measurements relating
to that survey line. The simplest example of this is for the line simply to contain
the string Line x, where x is a survey line name e.g. 1020.
To import data from files with interspersed line numbers check the box Has
interspersed line numbers and select an appropriate line number prefix from
the pull-down list. If the line prefix that is not in this drop-down list, it can be typed
in manually. The line prefix may be included in the output or can be left out
altogether (e.g. Line 1020 or just 1020). When the Has interspersed line
numbers option is enabled there is no need to select a field to be the Line field.

7 Importing and Exporting 109
Ignored Records
Sometimes a file may contain additional data lines that are not needed in the data
import. To enable Engage to ignore particular lines of data in an ASCII file, enter
the symbol or text used at the start of the unwanted lines (e.g. “#”,”//”, etc) in the
Comment Lines control. Make sure each entry is contained within quotation
marks and multiple entries are separated by a comma.
To import the ASCII file select the Import button in the top-right corner of the
dialog. You are then prompted to select the name of the TAB file that is created
to contain the imported data.
Ignored Characters
To pre-process or filter out unwanted characters from the ASCII dataset, type the
characters to ignore (such as *, %, $, #, @ or ?) into the Ignore characters text
box (top left of the dialog). Once these characters have been defined, the Data
preview will interactively change displaying the dataset without the specified
characters. Upon import these characters will not be displayed.
Save and Reload ASCII Template
If you need to import a number of files with the same data layout it may be useful
to save the ASCII import Template for later use. To do this, simply press the Save
Format button and enter a name for the template. Make sure to save the import
template before you start importing the data the format information is lost.
When you want to import another data file with an identical format, reload the
saved template using the Load Format button. Engage will automatically
configure the new data file with the appropriate field names, field properties,
delimiters, column widths, etc.
Dialog Help
• ASCII Data Import Dialog Box
• Fields Shortcut Menu
• Properties Dialog Box
• Options Dialog Box

110 Engage User Guide
ASCII Data Import Dialog Box
Imports a columnated (fixed column width) or delimited ASCII data to a MapInfo
table (.TAB) file. After you have made your selections on the dialog box, click the
Import button to import the selected input file. You will then be asked to select the
name of the TAB file that is created to contain the imported data, and to select a
projection.
Options
Click to display the ASCII Import Options, from which you can display and edit
import options, including:
• Save path name of import template file.
• Rename easting and northing fields to X and Y.
• Auto-classification options.
• Output null value.
Field Summary
Displays a list of all the assigned column names and field data types.
Save Format
Save the ASCII import settings for later use. Enter a name for the template. Make
sure to save the import template before you start importing the data or the format
information will be lost.
Load Format
Reload a saved template. Choose the template file (.i3) from the Open dialog box.
Input file
Displays the ASCII file to be imported.
(Open)
Click to browse for the input file.
Contract/Expand
Show and hide advanced import settings.

7 Importing and Exporting 111
Show header
Show and hide header lines in the Data preview area.
Ignore characters
To pre-process or filter out unwanted characters from the ASCII dataset, type the
characters to ignore (such as *, %, $, #, @ or ?). Once defined, the Data preview
is updated, and the characters will not be imported.
Line numbers
Files may contain a line field or a separate line that specifies the start of each new
survey line.
Import the Line/Hole field
Select if the file contains a column containing a line or hole identifier.
Has interspersed line numbers (Geosoft XYZ format)
Select if the file contains interspersed line numbers. When selected, there is no
need to select a Line field.
Line number prefix
Type the line number prefix.
Include line prefix in output
Select to include the line prefix in the output. For example, if the prefix is “Line,”
the line number is “Line 1020” with the prefix or “1020” without the prefix.
Header
If available, column names can be read from the header lines. Header lines are
displayed in the Data preview area as green text and are separated from the data
by a horizontal line.
To manually define column names, right-click on the column label in the Data
Preview area and select from the Fields Shortcut Menu.
Number of lines in header
Click or type to change the number of header lines.

112 Engage User Guide
Field names are in header on line
Select if the header contains field names and click or type the line number that
contains the field names.
Starting at char
Skips leading characters in each field name.
Get Field Names
Click to update the field names assigned in the Data preview.
Column format
When first loaded, the type of file (fixed width or delimited) is determined
automatically. Use the following options to modify the file type and column format
settings.
• Fixed width: Select if field values are confined within the same character
positions on every line.
• Delimited: Select if field values are separated by spaces, tab characters,
or other delimiters. Select the delimiter(s) below.
• Space
• Tab
• Other
• Comma delimited: Select if file is a CSV (comma separated values).
Columns
When first loaded, the columns are determined and are displayed in the Data
preview area with vertical separator lines. With fixed-width data, you can add and
edit columns in the Data preview box:
• To add a column break, click the position.
• To delete a column break, move the cursor over the vertical line until the
cursor shape changes, and then double click.
• To move a column break, drag it to a new position. Hold the CTRL key to
move all columns to the right of the current column.

7 Importing and Exporting 113
Reset Widths
Click to return columns to their original widths.
Clear Names
Click to remove all column names. Names are reset to Skip.
Auto-name
Click to name all skipped columns with a sequentially numbered prefix. Before
auto-naming, you can set columns to Skip, by either right-clicking on the column
label and selecting Skip this field from the shortcut menu, or clicking the Clear
Names button to reset all field names to Skip.
Comment lines
Ignore lines starting with
Type the character or text string used at the start of the unwanted lines. Enclose
each entry in double quotation marks and separate multiple entries with commas.
For example: “#”,”//”, “/”
Data preview
Displays the first 100 data records of the file specified for import. If the data is not
suitable for import (e.g. binary file or an unsupported text file), a warning message
is displayed. If no data is loaded the message “No data loaded” is displayed in the
data preview area.
Right-click on a column heading to display the Fields Shortcut Menu, from which
you can assign field names, select the field type, and add or delete column labels.
Refer to Header, Column format and Columns sections for information on
setting column widths and field names.
(Edit)
Click to display the entire file in an external text editor. The default editor is
WordPad. To change the editor, click Options.
See also
...ASCII Data

114 Engage User Guide
Fields Shortcut Menu
Displayed from the Data preview box on the ASCII Data Import Dialog Box.
Properties
Displays the Properties Dialog Box, from which you can display, edit and create
fields names, edit field properties, and the treatment of null values.
Skip this field
Set field name to Skip. Column is not output.
Set as X (Easting/Lon) field
Set the X coordinate field.
Set as Y (Northing/Lat) field
Set the Y coordinate field.
Set as Z (Elevation) field
Set the Z coordinate field.
Set as Station field
Set the Station field.
Insert column label
Insert a new field name and shift the existing labels to the right.

7 Importing and Exporting 115
Delete column label
Delete a field name and shift the existing labels to the left.
Properties Dialog Box
Display, edit and create fields names, edit field properties, and the treatment of
null values.
Field properties
Name
Click to select a standard field name (X, Y, Z, Depth, Azimuth, Fiducial, and such),
or type a name in the box.
Data type
Click to select the field data type. Types include: Floating point, Integer, String,
Deg Min Sec, Time, Date and DateTime.
Nulls
Deg Min Sec data type
The Deg Min Sec data type has a format of dddmmss.sc or ddmmss.sc,
e.g. 334510.05N = 33 deg north, 45 min, 10.05 sec. The fractional
seconds part (.s) is optional. To discriminate which hemisphere the input
coordinates are located in, a suffix of E or W will determine which
hemisphere from the Greenwich Meridian the input coordinates are
located in. A suffix of N or S will determine which hemisphere from the
Equator the coordinates are located in. The coordinate values will be
prefixed with either a + or -.
Input data fields containing an asterisk, a single minus sign or blank are
automatically treated as null values. Nulls are written to the .TAB file as blanks for
text (string) fields or zeros for numerical fields.
String interpreted as null input value
Type a different null specifier string, for example –999.
Apply to All Fields
Apply the null specifier to all input fields.

116 Engage User Guide
Options Dialog Box
Format files
Use last format file (*.i3) by default
When an import template is loaded, the path name of the last loaded or saved
template will be used. Clear to load the template from the same folder as the input
data file.
X and Y fields
Rename selected easting field to X and selected northing to Y
Select to rename easting and northing columns to X and Y.
Auto-classify behaviour
Hide header when classified
Select to hide the header lines in the Data preview when the file is classified.
Show dialog compacted
Select to hide advanced options on the ASCII Data Import dialog box when the
file is classified.
Nulls
Output null value
Null value inputs can be specified under the Properties dialog when right clicking
on a particular field. To specify the output value of a defined null value, type in for
example -9999 into the Output null value dialog box. Subsequent to importing
the ASCII file, the defined null values will populate the MapInfo Browser.
Editor
External editor
The input file can be previewed with an external editor of the user’s choice as set
under the Editor option. By default this is set to WordPad.exe.

7 Importing and Exporting 117
DXF
The Engage DXF Import function has a major advantage over the MapInfo DXF
Import utility and the MapInfo Professional Universal Translator (UT).
The main advantages of the Engage DXF Import are:
• Engage assigns layer names as attributes to each object. With Mapinfo or
UT, you cannot retain layering information unless you write each layer to a
separate file.
• Engage stores the average elevation of all object types, including 3D
polylines (contours), polygons, and mesh surfaces (TINS). Mapinfo stores
only points and 2D line elevation.
DXF import and export tools available from Engage:
• Export Contours to 3D DXF
Export Contours to 3D DXF
EngageSurfaces>Export Grid File or Contours>Export Contours to 3D DXF
Engage can export contour lines with attributes to 3D DXF files. Whilst MapInfo
exports any map objects to a DXF file, it does not use an attribute (such as height)
for the elevation field in a DXF file.
Use Engage to create 3D DXF files containing the Z value attribute from the
contour line that can then be imported into AutoCAD, MicroStation or other 3D
visualisation software.
Dialog Help
• DXF Import Dialog Box
DXF Import Dialog Box
File details
Input file
Click the browse button to select the DXF file to be imported.

118 Engage User Guide
Output file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and output TAB file name.
Create object type
• Auto Select: Create either point or polyline objects depending on whether
there are single or multiple line entries per block of data.
• Points Only: Create points for each vertex in the string file. Use this
option if you wish to import the string vertices only and preserve the
original string file X, Y, Z coordinate information.
Set Projection
Click to select a MapInfo projection.
Coordinate transform
Transform the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the form of the equations X’=aX+b,
Y’=aY+b, Z’=aZ+b. For each coordinate, type the constant a in the Multiply by
box and the constant b in the Add/Subtract box. To import the coordinates
untransformed, set a=1 and b=0.
Aspect
View from
Choose to view the imported data in MapInfo from either the top, south or east.
Layers
Output each layer to a separate file
Select to create a separate table for each layer in the imported DXF file. Clear to
load all layers in the same table.
Note MapInfo does not support multiple vertex records per object in a browser. The X,
Y coordinate values will not be imported into the browser for each vertex and the
Z value will be an average of the vertex Z values for each string in the original
file.

7 Importing and Exporting 119
LIDAR LAS
Engage3D Pro Only
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>LIDAR LAS (ASPRS) Import
The LIDAR Importer allows a quick and efficient way of importing ASPRS
standard LAS files into MapInfo TAB files, creating the associated attributed
points.
LAS is a binary format defined by ASPRS (www.asprs.org).
Importing LAS files into Engage
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and then
click LIDAR LAS (ASPRS) Import.
The LAS Import Dialog Box is displayed.
2. Next to the Input file box, click the browse button and select the LAS
input file.
3. In the Output file box, type or edit the output table name, or click the
browse button to navigate to the output folder and table.
4. Click Set Projection and choose the projection that the data coordinates
were recorded in.
5. Click Choose optional fields and choose additional data fields (other
than the X, Y, Z coordinates) to be imported into the output table.
6. If required, create a coordinate transform using the boxes under
Coordinate Transform.
7. Click Import.
Note
LIDAR LAS datasets can also be directly interpolated to create a gridded surface
using the Large and Multi-file Gridding tool in the EngageSurfaces module
Dialog Help
• LAS Import Dialog Box

120 Engage User Guide
LAS Import Dialog Box
File details
Input file
Click the browse button to select the LAS file to be imported.
Output file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and output TAB file name.
Set Projection
Click to select the projection that the data was recorded in.
Choose Optional Fields
Click to display the Select dialog box, from which you can choose additional fields
in the input file that you want to import into the output table.
Automatically open on import
Select the check box to display the imported table in a map window at the
selected projection.
Coordinate transform
Transform the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the form of the equations X’=aX+b,
Y’=aY+b, Z’=aZ+b. For each coordinate, type the constant a in the Multiply by
box and the constant b in the Add/Subtract box. To import the coordinates
untransformed, set a=1 and b=0.
See also
... LIDAR LAS
Raster Imagery
Engage provide supports a number of different located image formats (see
Supported Data File Formats) and tools for importing and exporting raster
imagery:
• Rectifying Raster Images
• ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 (Engage3D only)

7 Importing and Exporting 121
• ER Mapper Algorithm Referencing ECW Images (Engage3D only)
• Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
Rectifying Raster Images
EngageImages>Rectify Image
Use EngageImages>Rectify Image to import and register other types of raster
imagery. For more information, see Registering and Rectifying Raster Images.
See also
...ALG/ECW/JPEG2000
...Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
ALG/ECW/JPEG2000
Engage3D Only
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 Import
Use the Engage ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 tool to:
• Load and correctly register ECW or JP2000 located images in MapInfo
Professional.
• Automatically import ER Mapper algorithm (.ALG) files referencing ECW
imagery, BILs or ERMapper grids.
• Load and open images from an ECWP or IWS image server. ECWP files
are defined by a URL that starts with a ecwp:// prefix.

122 Engage User Guide
To open a local ALG/ECW/JP2 image file:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and then
click ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 Import.
The Open ECW/P, ALG or JP2 Image Dialog Box is displayed.
2. Under Open, select Open ECW, JP2 or ALG file. to open a file from the
local disk or network.
Note
This functionality does not support .ALG files referencing linked ECWP,
embedded .ERV, or dynamic links.
3. Click the Open button and select an image file to open. The image is
displayed under Preview and its details are displayed under Image
properties. Use the preview toolbar to examine the image.
4. If an appropriate projection is found in the image file, this will be
automatically set and displayed in the Image Projection box, otherwise
click the browse button next to the Map Projection box and select a
MapInfo projection. Do not override the projection defined in the input file;
instead, import the file, and then use EngageImages>Reproject Image
to reproject the image.
5. Check the dimensions of the Image in Columns x Rows, and further
information can be found under the Information button.

7 Importing and Exporting 123
6. Select the Open Image as Raster radio button.
7. Click Open.
Note
ECW/JPEG2000 grids are not supported by the EngageSurfaces module.
To open an ECW/JP2 image file from an Image Server:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Table and Workspace Utilities, and then
click ALG/ECW/JPEG2000 Import.
The Open ECW/P, ALG or JP2 Image Dialog Box is displayed.
2. Under Open, select Open file from Image Server.
3. Type or paste the URL link in the text box. Make sure to include the
ecwp:// prefix.
4. Click the Load button to open the ECWP link in the preview area.
5. If an appropriate projection is found in the image file, this will be
automatically set and displayed in the Image Projection box, otherwise
click the browse button next to the Map Projection box and select a
MapInfo projection. Do not override the projection defined in the input file;
instead, import the file, and then use EngageImages>Reproject Image
to reproject the image.
6. Check the dimensions of the Image in Columns x Rows, and further
information can be found under the Information button.
7. Select the Open Image as Raster radio button.
8. Click Open. You are prompted to select an output file name and location.
When processed, this generates both a TAB and an IWS file on the local
disk. The IWS is a metadata file listing details about the Image Web
Server ECWP link.
ECWP Image web servers can be found via the internet, or on local database
servers. There is a number of free access and subscription-based web sites
which provide access to ECW imagery databases via the internet.
When ECWP file is opened in Engage, a local TAB file and a local metadata link
file with the extension IWS is created. The IWS file contains information such as
the URL location of the ECWP file.

124 Engage User Guide
If you have an ECW which contains no embedded registration, these can also be
registered in MapInfo using this tool. When non-projection information is found,
you can select the desired projection and enter in the top-left corner and pixel
height and width, which is then used to automatically determine and register the
image corner points.
See also
... Rectifying Raster Images
... Reprojecting an Image
... Converting an Image to Another Format
Dialog Help
• Open ECW/P, ALG or JP2 Image Dialog Box
Open ECW/P, ALG or JP2 Image Dialog Box
Open
• Open ECW, JP2 or ALG file: Open a file from the local disk or network.
• Open file from Image Web Server (ECWP): Open a file from an Image
Web Server.
File
Click the Open button to select the input file and location. When selected, the
image is displayed under Preview, and its properties are displayed under Image
properties.
Image properties
The properties of the selected image file are displayed.
Columns x Rows
Displays the number of columns and rows in the raster grid. Click
additional information about the grid.
to display
(Grid Information)
Click to display information about the raster grid, including the coordinate
range, number of columns and rows, and other data.

7 Importing and Exporting 125
Image projection
If available, the projection defined in the input file is displayed.
Map projection
To change or set the image projection, click the browse button and select a
MapInfo projection.
Note
Do not override the image projection. To reproject an image after it has been
imported, use EngageImages>Reproject Image.
Top left
Displays the top-left coordinates registered in the input file.
Open image as
The image can be opened as either a raster or grid. However, ECW/JPEG2000
grids are not supported by the EngageSurfaces module.
Preview
The imported image is displayed.
Preview toolbar
Use the controls to zoom in and out, zoom to extents, zoom to true scale, and
restore previous view.
ER Mapper Algorithm Referencing ECW Images
Engage3D Only
See ALG/ECW/JPEG2000.
Note
This functionality does not support .ALG files referencing linked ECWP,
embedded .ERV, or dynamic links.

126 Engage User Guide
Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
Use Engage>Map Window>Convert Map to Registered Raster to save a map
window as a registered raster image. For more information, see Saving a Map
Window as a Registered Raster Image.
See also
... ALG/ECW/JPEG2000
... Rectifying Raster Images
Surface Grids
Engage3D Only
Use MapInfo Professionals File>Open option to import the following grid file
types, and set the Files of Types to Grid Image:
• ASEG GXF (.GXF)
• Band Interleaved by Line (.BIL including .HDR)
• DTED (..DIR, .DT1, .DT2)
• ER Mapper (.ERS)
• ESRI/Arc ASCII (.ASC)
• ESRI/Arc Binary (.ADF)
• ESRI/Arc FLT binary (.FLT)
• Landmark (.GRD)
• MapInfo Grid (.MIG)
• Surfer ASCII (.GRD)
• Surfer Binary (.GRD)
• USGS (.USG)
• USGS DEM (.DEM)
• USGS SDTS (.TAR)
• Vertical Mapper (.GRD)

7 Importing and Exporting 127
The formats above can also be imported from the EngageSurfaces>Import Grid
File menu (see Alternative Grid Import Tools); however, File>Open is the
recommended method.
Use EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File menu to import the following grid file
types:
• ASCII Grid
Use EngageSurfaces>Export Grid File menu to export grids:
• Export Grid to ASCII File
• Export Grid
ASCII Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>ASCII Grid
Engage can convert and register ASCII format grids, i.e. text file format, so they
can be displayed and queried using the EngageSurfaces module. ASCII grid files
may contain X, Y and Z values or just Z values only.
ASCII grid import dialog configured for an XYZ value format

128 Engage User Guide
To import an ASCII Grid:
1. Open the ASCII Grid Import dialog
2. Use the Browse button to select the ASCII grid File to Import (*.TXT,
*.ACS or *.CSV formats)
3. The Output Grid will automatically be assigned with the same name as
the input grid and default to the preferred grid format specified in
Engage>Configuration>Grid Handlers. Both the saved grid name and
saved grid type can be modified using the Browse button adjacent to the
Output Grid control.
4. Use the File Format pull-down list to select whether the grid file contains
X, Y and Z values or Z values only. The dialog options for these formats
are discussed further below.
5. If there are null cell values used such as -9999 enter these into the Null
cell value window.
6. Select a colour look-up table to display the grid once it is created from the
Image Shading pull-down list.
7. Select the projection of the ASCII grid using the Map Projection button.
8. Select a Coord Type either the Cell Lower Left Corner or the Cell Centre.
This specifies at which point the XY coordinates refer to in each cell.
9. Press OK to complete the ASCII grid import process.
X Y Z values file format
XYZ ASCII files contain a row for each cell listing it’s X and Y coordinate
information and Z value. In the Coord type control (bottom of the dialog), the XY
coordinates must be specified as referring either to the Cell Centre or the Cell
Corner point.

7 Importing and Exporting 129
ASCII XYZ file displayed in a text editor
Z values only file format
If the ASCII grid file contains Z values only, the Import Properties dialog is
automatically displayed requesting further grid information:

130 Engage User Guide
Import Properties dialog
The following information must be specified for a Z-values only grid:
• the number of rows and columns in the grid
• the origin (XY coordinates) of the grid
• the grid cell size.
Engage can automatically obtain this information if the grid to import is an ESRI
ASCII Grid as the grid dimensions are stored in the Header of this grid file type.
If the grid file does not contain a header the grid dimensions will need to be
entered manually.
Engage also must know where to start importing the grid from and whether to
import by row or column. When complete, click OK to return to the ASCII Grid
Import dialog.
Alternative Grid Import Tools
The formats below can be imported from the EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File
menu; however, File>Open is the recommended method for these formats.

7 Importing and Exporting 131
• BIL Grid
• ER Mapper Grid
• ESRI ASCII Grid
• Surfer Grid
• Vertical Mapper Grid
• USGS DEM Grid
The EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File option provides a method that enables
the user to check the grid header file during the import process.
When importing the grid files Engage will attempt to read the grid geometry
information from the grid file header. If Engage cannot access the grid geometry
information it will check the grid file size, the number of cells and the cell size to
ensure that the grid geometry is valid. Modify or enter any additional information
necessary in the registration dialog. When importing a grid using Engage specify
an appropriate MapInfo Projection for the grid file so it can be correctly registered.
When a grid is imported into MapInfo, a .TAB file is created that defines the
filename, format ("raster") and the origin and extents of the data. The coordinate
system and projection information is also specified. The TAB file also contains
metadata relating to the statistics and colour applied to the display of the grid in
MapInfo. The following is an example TAB file containing grid display metadata
for an ER Mapper grid:
!table
!version 500
!charset WindowsLatin1
Definition Table
File "png_compositesrtm.ers"
Type "RASTER"
(128.999583333333,0.000416638889) (0,0) Label "Pt 1",
(155.000415626633,0.000416638889) (31201,0) Label "Pt 2",
(128.999583333333,-11.000416254411) (0,13201) Label "Pt 3",
(155.000415626633,-11.000416254411) (31201,13201) Label "Pt 4"
CoordSys Earth Projection 1, 104
Units "degree"
RasterStyle 6 1
begin_metadata
"\Encom" = ""
"\Encom\Grid" = ""
"\Encom\Grid\Display" = ""

132 Engage User Guide
"\Encom\Grid\Display\Min Cell Value to Colour" = "-60.00000000000"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\Type" = "3"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunElevation" = "60.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\Max Cell Value to Colour" = "4805.000000000"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\Colouring" = ""
"\Encom\Grid\Display\Colouring\InterpolateColor" = "1"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunHighlightElevation" = "60.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\MaxCellValue" = "4805.0000000000"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunIntensitySaturation" = "100.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunColorSaturation" = "0.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunAzimuthDeg" = "45.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunHighlightIntensity" = "40.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunHighlight" = "0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunHighlightAzimuth" = "315.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunHighlightSaturation" = "0.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\LUT" = "pseudocolor.lut"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\MinCellValue" = "-60.000000000"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunShadowDepth" = "50.0"
"\Encom\Grid\Display\SunShading" = "0"
"\IsReadOnly" = "FALSE"
end_metadata
BIL Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>BIL Grid
The Band Interleaved by Line (BIL) format for storing gridded surface data is a
popular format and is readable by many other software packages, such as ER
Mapper and Arc/Info. The BIL format simply stores each grid cell value
sequentially starting at the upper left and proceeding by row towards the lower
right. The geometry of the BIL grid file is defined in an associated .HDR file (that
states the number of rows and columns as well as other information).
The BIL format used by Engage allows grid cells of any values to be stored, as
well as null cell values (grid cells that do not have an interpolated value). Engage
can also read BIL files created in other software and on UNIX workstations.
Engage can automatically register BIL grids (and the corresponding .HDR file)
using the information in the .HDR file. For the grid to register correctly select an
appropriate MapInfo projection using the CoordSys button to correspond with the
coordinate system of the BIL file.

7 Importing and Exporting 133
BIL Grid import parameters with selected projection
ER Mapper Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>ER Mapper Grid
The ER Mapper software image/grid format is described in detail in the ER
Mapper Open Standards documentation. The grid format is unchanged from
Versions 3.x, 4.x, 5.x and 6.x of ER Mapper. The standard raster image that may
be displayed by ER Mapper software can be imported as an Engage grid. The
image/grid is actually defined by two files, a header (.ERS file) plus a binary data
file. The content of the .ERS file is defined in ER Mapper documentation but an
example is shown below:
DatasetHeader Begin
Version= '5.5'
LastUpdated= Thu Mar 3 23:38:11 GMT 1995
SensorName= 'GEOTEM'
SenseDate= Fri Nov 19 06:07:58 GMT 1996
DataSetType= ERStorage
DataType= Raster
ByteOrder= MSBFirst
CoordinateSpace Begin
Datum= 'AGD66'

134 Engage User Guide
Projection= 'TMAMG53'
CoordinateType= EN
Units= 'METERS'
Rotation= 0:0:0.0
CoordinateSpace End
RasterInfo Begin
CellType= Signed32BitInteger
NullCellValue= -9999999
CellInfo Begin
Xdimension= 50
Ydimension= 50
CellInfo End
NrOfLines= 128
NrOfCellsPerLine= 320
RegistrationCoord Begin
Eastings= 327600
Northings= 8595050
RegistrationCoord End
NrOfBands= 2
BandId Begin
Value= 'Channel 16'
Units= 'ppm'
BandId End
BandId Begin
Value= 'Channel 3'
Units= 'ppm'
BandId End
RasterInfo End
DatasetHeader End

7 Importing and Exporting 135
ER Mapper Grid import parameters with selected projection
Engage automatically registers an ER Mapper dataset (an .ERS file and
accompanying grid file). Select the appropriate coordinate system using the
CoordSys button and the registration dialog displays the information from the ER
Mapper header file.
Note
When ER Mapper grids are created by Engage the Datum and Projection
variables in the .ERS file are NOT set to the projection of the input data points.
Instead the Datum and Projection fields are set to RAW, RAW by default. To
open an .ERS grid which has been created by Engage in ER Mapper these
variables must be edited and replaced with the correct ER Mapper Projection
and Datum variables that equate to the projection of the original point data used
by Engage. If the RAW, RAW variables are not replaced with the correct
Projection & Datum information the .ERS file will not open in ER Mapper 6.0 or
later.
Note
Any *.ERS files created as a virtual dataset are not registered.
ESRI ASCII Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>ESRI ASCII Grid
Engage can automatically register ESRI ASCII grids, so they can be displayed
and manipulated using the EngageSurfaces module.

136 Engage User Guide
The structure of ESRI ASCII grid file (opened in a text editor).
ESRI ASCII grids generally have a six line header at the beginning of the file
which contains information relating to the number of rows and columns in the grid,
the lower left hand corner X and Y coordinates, the grid cell size and the null data
value. Each entry under the header represents the z value of a grid cell. The order
of the data is from left to right along each row at a time.
To import an ESRI ASCII grid:
1. Open the Import ESRI ASCII grid dialog by selecting the
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid Files>ESRI ASCII Grid menu option.
2. Use the Browse button to navigate to and select the target grid. The
importer will automatically detect the ESRI ASCII grid geometry and
populate the dialog with the correct details.
3. By default the grid projection will not be defined. Click on the Projection
button and choose the correct projection for the grid.
4. To import the grid into MapInfo click the OK button.

7 Importing and Exporting 137
The ESRI ASCII Grid Importer Dialog
Surfer Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>Surfer Grid
Engage supports the Surfer GS Binary Grid file format. These grid files have a
.GRD file extension. When importing a Surfer GS Binary grid, Engage will
automatically determine the grid dimensions and grid geometry. The projection in
which the grid was originally created must be known prior to import as the Surfer
binary grid format does not contain any coordinate system information.
When importing a Surfer grid select an appropriate MapInfo coordinate system
using the CoordSys button to enable the Surfer grid to be correctly registered.

138 Engage User Guide
Surfer Grid import parameters with selected projection
Surfer ASCII grids may be imported using the Import ASCII Grid option but will
need to be modified to conform to standard ASCII grid import format. Any header
information would need to be removed from the file and the grid then imported
using the ASCII Grid Import Z-values only option. The number of grid rows and
columns, the grid origin and grid cell size information from the original header
information will need to be entered manually.
Vertical Mapper Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>Vertical Mapper Grid
Vertical Mapper grids are supported in MapInfo Professional 5.5 or later as read
only files. A Vertical Mapper grid is a binary format grid with the file extension
default of .GRD. Vertical Mapper can export a number of different grid formats
including ASCII grids.
Engage includes a read/write Grid Handler for Vertical Mapper format grids so
they can be read and modified by the EngageSurfaces utilities. An appropriate
MapInfo coordinate system must be selected using the CoordSys button to
enable the Vertical Mapper grid to be correctly registered.

7 Importing and Exporting 139
Vertical Mapper Grid import parameters with selected projection
In order to modify a grid created by Vertical Mapper using Engage, the Vertical
Mapper grid file must be “toggled on” within Engage using
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>Toggle Support for Vertical Mapper Grid.
Note
When a Vertical Mapper grid is associated with Engage, the grid will not be able
to be modified in Vertical Mapper until the format handling is toggled back to
Vertical Mapper. This is done by re-selecting the Toggle Support for Vertical
Mapper Grid menu option.
For information on the formats of each of the above, refer to the Vertical Mapper
User Guide.
USGS DEM Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>USGS DEM Grid
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) provides Digital Elevation Model
(DEM) data across the entire United States. One of the formats which is provided
free of charge to the general public is DEM data captured at 1:24,000 or 7.5
minute scale. This 1:24,000 scale provides elevation data in 30 x 30 meter
spacings with each DEM tile corresponding to the USGS 7.5 minute topographic
quadrangle map series for the United States.

140 Engage User Guide
1:24,000 scale DEM data is available in SDTS format only. Spatial Data Transfer
Standard (SDTS) format is a standard industry file format used to share or
transfer spatial data between different computer systems. The 1:24,000 DEM
data files in SDTS format can be downloaded from GIS Data Depot http://
gisdatadepot.com/dem, from MapMart.com at www.mapmart.com, and from
Advanced Topographic Development and Images (ATDI) at www.atdi-us.com.
Once the appropriate DEM file is selected from one of the web sites listed above,
download both the DEM data file and the corresponding text file to your computer.
The DEM dataset is made up of a number of files which have been packaged
together as a .TAR archive file and then saved using the gzip compression format.
For example, the Bear Hole 1:24,000 DEM from Big Horn county, Montana
download file is named 1630650.DEM.SDTS.TAR.GZ. The corresponding
1630650.DEM.SDTS.TXT file can be opened using any text editor such as
WordPad, NotePad, etc and contains information about the DEM data including
cell size, grid origin and projection information which will be required in order to
import the DEM data successfully.
In Windows Explorer open the 1630650.DEM.SDTS.TAR.GZ file using WinZip or
an equivalent zip file software application. A message similar to the following
should appear:
The Engage USGS DEM import utility uses the contained .TAR file to import,
extract and display the DEM data. Therefore do not decompress the contents of
this file to a temporary folder and open it but click “NO” in order to display the
contents of the 1630650.DEM.SDTS.TAR.GZ file in WinZip:

7 Importing and Exporting 141
1. Copy this zipped 1630650.dem.sdts.tar file into a folder in Windows
Explorer. The DEM data is now ready to import using Engage.
2. Select Import Grid File>USGSDEM Grid from the EngageSurfaces
menu.
3. Browse to the folder in Windows Explorer containing the DEM .TAR file
and click Open.
The Engage USGSDEM Grid Registration dialog is displayed with the number of
columns and rows, the top left X and Y grid coordinates and the cell height and
width already populated.

142 Engage User Guide
Click on the CoordSys button and select the correct projection. The 1:24,000
DEM grids are generally in the Universal Transverse Mercator (NAD 27 for US)
projection and the correct zone information can be found in the corresponding
TXT file discussed earlier. Click OK to create the grid. The DEM grid is displayed
in grey scale in a new map window and can be used with any of the
EngageSurfaces grid menu options and tools. To re-open the USGS DEM grid
simply select the .TAB file in the MapInfo File>Open dialog.
Toggle Support for Vertical Mapper Grid
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>Toggle Support for Vertical Mapper Grid
Use the Toggle Support for Vertical Mapper Grid menu item to associate a
Vertical Mapper grid with Engage. Once a Vertical Mapper grid has been
associated with Engage, the grid cannot be used within Vertical Mapper until the
toggle is turned off. Turn off the toggle by re-selecting the Toggle Support for
Vertical Mapper Grid menu.
Export Grid to ASCII File
EngageSurfaces>Export Grid File or Contours>Export Grid to ASCII File
There may be instances where a Engage grid is to be used with other software
that cannot read binary grids. In this case, the safest way to transfer the grid is in
ASCII format. Engage provides the option of exporting the grid as either XYZ
values or Z values only per line. It can also create an ESRI ASCII grid file.
The following parameters can be set in the ASCII Grid Export dialog:

7 Importing and Exporting 143
• Grid Origin – specifies the location of the first cell written to the file. The
grid will be written sequentially from this point.
• Cell Origin – sets whether the XY co-ordinates refer to the cell centre or
lower-left corner point.
• Export by – sets whether the file will be written row-by-row or column-bycolumn.
• Delimiter – the value delimiter method used in the file (e.g. tab, comma,
etc) .
• Null Cell Value – value written for null cells – this overrides any inherent
null value in the grid.
• Precision – precision of numbers written to the file.
Note for ESRI ASCII export format, only the Cell Origin, Null cell value and
Precision options are available.
Note
When exporting to the ESRI ASCII format, only the Cell Origin, Null cell value
and Precision options are available.
Export Grid
EngageSurfaces>Export Grid File or Contours>Export Grid
Engage can convert (export) any supported grid to an alternative grid format. This
allows a grid created in Engage to be used with another software packages.
This menu option opens the grid Convert Tool; this can also be accessed from
EngageSurfaces>Grid Utilities.

8 Working with Tables 145
8 Working with Tables
• Opening and Closing Tables
• Refreshing Tables with Database Connections
• Searching and Replacing Text in Tables
• Selecting Table Records
• Splitting Tables
• Digitizing and Data Entry
• Working with Multiple Tables
Opening and Closing Tables
• Favourite Tables
• Opening Multiple Tables
• Closing All Tables
Favourite Tables
The Favourite Tables tool enables frequently used tables to be added to a list
where they can be opened and displayed quickly and easily. Instead of having to
use File>Open to open tables each time, tables located in different folders or on
different network drives can be opened from a single source. Favourite tables
can also be assigned an "alias" name to make it easier to determine the contents
of the table in the list if desired.

146 Engage User Guide
Favourites Dialog Showing Tables List
To add a favourite table:
1. Select Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Favourite Tables.
2. Click the Add button.
3. Click File Open and browse to the location of the table to add.
4. Enter an alias name for the table into the Name window if desired.
5. Click OK.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add another table to the list.

8 Working with Tables 147
7. Click Close to finish.
To open Favourite Tables:
1. Select Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Favourite Tables.
2. To open a single table select it from the list and double-click with the
mouse or click Open Tables.
3. To select multiple tables click and drag with the mouse or hold down the
SHIFT or CTRL keys.
4. Select a Preferred View from the following:
• New Mapper for All – Open the selected tables into a single map
window
• New Mapper for Each – Open the selected tables into separate
map windows
• Current Mapper – Open the selected tables into the current map
window
• Browser – Open the selected tables as browser windows only
• No View – Open the selected tables but do not display them in a
map or browser window
5. Click Open Tables.
6. Click Close to finish.
Additional Options:
• To remove a table highlight it and click the Remove button.
• To edit a table name or location highlight it and click the Edit button.
• To re-order tables highlight the table in the list and click on the Up and
Down arrow buttons.
• Opening Multiple Tables

148 Engage User Guide
Opening Multiple Tables
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Open Multiple Tables
Open many tables at once from a number of different folders.
The Open Multiple Tables is extremely useful when working with many tables. It
is not uncommon for a user to want to open a number of tables from different
folders and add them to a new map window. Rather than using the MapInfo
File>Open Table menu option once for each different folder containing the
desired tables, the Engage Multi-File options enable a user to choose all the
tables from the one dialog.
Open Multiple Tables dialog

8 Working with Tables 149
Select the disk drive from the Look in drop-down list. Browse through the folders
in the drive until a desired folder is reached. Highlight the table(s) from the folder
and click on the Add File button. The selected tables will then be displayed in the
Selected Files window. Choose the mode of display from the Preferred View
drop-down list. The available preferred views include opening all the selected
tables into the one map window, each table into a separate map window, into a
currently open map window, as browser windows or as no view. If all the tables
to open are located within the one folder, click Open when all tables have been
selected.
If some of the tables exist in other folders (or on another disk drive), change to the
appropriate drive and folder. Select another table and use the Add File button to
add this table to those already in the Selected Files window.
To remove a table from the Selected Files list make sure it is highlighted and then
click on the Remove File button. When all the files to be used are selected,
choose the Preferred View and click on the Open button.
Closing All Tables
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Close All
The MapInfo File>Close Table or File>Close All commands enable all or a
selection of the currently open tables in the work session to be closed. In
addition to closing selected tables from the currently open table list the Engage
Close All command can also enable unused or query tables to be removed from
the current work session.

150 Engage User Guide
Close All Dialog
Hold down the SHIFT key or click and drag holding down the left mouse button to
select consecutive tables from the list to close. Hold down the CTRL key to select
non-consecutive tables.
Click the Unused button to close all tables which are open but not currently visible
in a map or browser window. This option should be used before saving a
workspace to close any unused tables open in the background. This should help
to minimize problems with opening the workspace in the future if all unnecessary
tables are removed prior to saving the workspace.
Click the Query button to close all tables created from map or browser window
selections including queries created using the Query>Select or Query>SQL
Select menu options.
Note
If the Save Queries in Workspaces option in the
Options>Preferences>Startup dialog is checked then any open query tables
created using the Query>Select or Query>SQL Select will be written to a saved
workspace. Remove unwanted queries using the Engage Close All command
before saving the workspace.

8 Working with Tables 151
Refreshing Tables with Database Connections
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>DBMS Auto Refresh
The Engage DBMS Auto Refresh utility enables tables linked to a remote DBMS
database such as SQL, Oracle or Access to be automatically refreshed at a
specified time interval. This ensures that the most recent exploration or mining
data is being used at all times with MapInfo. In order to use the DBMS Auto
Refresh utility a remote database connection must be created and the database
tables already open into MapInfo. See the MapInfo User Guide for more
information on how to set up and work with remote database connections.
Select the DBMS Auto Refresh option from the Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities menu. A new DBMS Auto Refresh menu is added to the MapInfo menu
bar.
Click on the Settings option to display the Select Database Tables to Update
dialog:

152 Engage User Guide
All of the DBMS currently open tables are displayed along with the remote
database connection details including DSN name, database file path and driver
information. Select the remote database tables to be updated automatically by
clicking in the box next to each table or use the Select All button.
Specify an Update Interval Time in Minutes or Hours. Click OK to finish.
To start the automatic refresh, select Update On from the DBMS Auto Refresh
menu. A tick will be placed next to this option when in update mode.
Alternatively, turn on the automatic refresh by clicking on the Update On button.
To stop the automatic refresh, select Update Off from the DBMS Auto Refresh
menu. A tick will be placed next to this option when not in update mode.
Alternatively, turn off the automatic refresh by clicking on the Update Off button.
To refresh a database in between the scheduled automatic updates select the
Refresh Now menu option or click on the Refresh Now button.
Note
If a remote database table is closed during the automatic update session a
warning message is displayed. To prevent warning messages being displayed
for closed tables go to the Settings menu option to remove the tables from the
update list or select the Update Off option to turn off the automatic refresh
altogether.
Searching and Replacing Text in Tables
Engage>Data Utilities>Text Search and Replace
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string with the option
to replace each occurrence with a new string.
The search facility enables identification of selected records which contain
specific words or characters. For example, select all sample numbers that contain
the letters "SS" or all customers assigned to a specific sales representative. The
text search may be case-sensitive but does not require that the whole word is
entered. Engage will search selected fields for all records which contain the
characters and return all records regardless of the other characters in the string.
To initiate a search, select the Engage>Data Utilities>Text Search and
Replace option from the Engage menu or click the Text Search button. Select
the table to search from the Select a Table dialog. The Text Search dialog is
displayed.

8 Working with Tables 153
Text Search dialog
Select the columns to search from the list. Click and drag holding the left-mouse
button to select consecutive search columns or use the SHIFT key. Use the CTRL
key to select non-consecutive search columns from the list.
Choose the type of search from Find text only or Find and Replace selected
text or whole string. All searches can be designated to find records according to
case by checking the Case Sensitive search box. To view the selected records
check the Browse Selection box. If this box is not checked a dialog will appear
with information relating to how many records are found and/or replaced with the
selected text.
Enter the entire text string or selected text characters from the search text string
in the Find window. In the above example, Engage will search for all occurrences
of the text "Riversleigh" in the Unitname field. The returned search records can
also be replaced with new text if desired. Although the above search is performed
on a character column, searches can also be made on numeric fields whereby
Engage will search and/or replace the selected numerical data.
If a Find and Replace text search has been selected enter the replacement text
in the Replace with window. For example, find all occurrences of “North” in the
selected field and replace with “Nth”. Depending on the Find and Replace option
selected, records which only contain the text “North” may be replaced or all
records which contain the text “North” along with other text may be replaced.

154 Engage User Guide
The search result is held in a temporary table which is named according to the
search text specified. In the above example, a temporary table called
“Riversleigh” is created.
Dialog Help
• Text Search Dialog Box
Text Search Dialog Box
Search in columns
Select the columns to search from the list. Click and drag to select consecutive
search columns or use the SHIFT key. Use the CTRL key to select non-consecutive
search columns from the list. You can search for characters in text and numeric
columns.
(Search options)
Select the type of search you want to perform.
• Find text: Find text string in any string.
• Find and replace selected text: Find text string in any string and replace
the search string with the replacement string.
• Find and replace whole string: Find text strings containing the search
string and replace the whole string with the replacement string.
Case sensitive search
Select to make a case-sensitive search.
Browse selection
Select to view the selected records in a browser window. A message is otherwise
displayed showing the number of records found and replaced.
Find
Type the characters or word that you want to search for.
Replace with
Type the text string that will replace the search string.

8 Working with Tables 155
See also
...Searching and Replacing Text in Tables
Selecting Table Records
• Select by Attribute or Object Group
Additional tools are provided for selecting map objects in a map window (see
Selecting Objects)
Select by Attribute or Object Group
Engage>Select>By Attribute or Object Group
Use the Select by Group tool to select all records with specific values or
attributes from a specified column in a table.

156 Engage User Guide
Select by Group dialog
Use this option to quickly see a list of all the unique entries in a selected column.
For example, a list could easily be created of all the vegetation or land use
categories displayed in a table. From this list one or more unique values can be
selected to only view the map objects attributed with the selected entries.
To use the tool, choose the source table from the Table to Select From pull-down
list. Select the attribute column from the Selected based on field pull-down list.
A complete list of unique data entries for the selected column is displayed in the
Groups window.

8 Working with Tables 157
The unique field attributes will initially populate the Unselected pane. Move the
required attributes to the Selected pane using the selection buttons. To select
consecutive attributes hold the left-mouse button and drag or use the SHIFT key
in combination with the mouse control. To select non-consecutive attributes use
the CTRL key in combination with the mouse control.
A number of options are provided for displaying the output query:
• Browse selection displays the selected records in a browser window.
• Map Selection displays the selected records in a new map window.
• Zoom map to selection will zoom to the extents of the selected records
in the current map window.
The output query can be given a unique name by entering a value into the
Selection Result Table text box.
Press OK to complete the query.
Dialog Help
• Select by Group Dialog Box
Select by Group Dialog Box
Select options
Select from table
Click to select a table.
Group on field
Click to select a column in the selected table.
Groups
Lists all unique entries in a selected column. Select values in the Unselected box
and the use the controls to add and remove values from the Selected box. To
select multiple values, click and drag, or hold down the SHIFT or CTRL key.
Any records which match the selected values will be selected.

158 Engage User Guide
Output
Name result selection
Select to create and name a result table containing the selected records.
Browse selection
Select to display selected records in browser window.
Map selection
Select to display selected records in a new map window.
Zoom map to selection
Select to zoom to the extents of the selected records in the active map window.
See also
... Select by Attribute or Object Group
Sorting Tables
Engage>Data Utilities>Sort Table
The Engage>Data Utilities>Sort Table command enables a user to sort an
original table permanently based on either a primary column or a primary and
secondary column, in the one step.
In the Table Sort dialog select the table to sort from the Table Name list. Select
the primary column to sort the table from the primary Column Name drop-down
list. Select the Ascending or Descending option to sort the records in ascending
or descending order. If required, a secondary sort column may be selected from
the secondary Column Name drop-down list. Click OK to sort the table.
Note
For alphanumeric character columns, these will be sorted as a character, that is,
“A11” is greater than “A100” but “A011” is less than “A100”.

8 Working with Tables 159
Sort Table dialog
By default, the selected table is sorted by the first column, with no secondary sort
column.
A new table can be created which will make a copy of the original table before
sorting. This will have a default name of the input table with “_Sorted” suffix.
Note
This operation cannot be undone. If you wish to add a row number prior to
sorting, so that the original table order can be retrieved by sorting on this column,
you can use Engage>Data Utilities>Add Unique Identifier.

160 Engage User Guide
Splitting Tables
Engage>Data Utilities>Table Split
The Split Table utility allows a table to be split into multiple tables using unique
attribute values in a field. For example, extract data by company name.
Table Split dialog

8 Working with Tables 161
Select the source table from the Table to Split pull-down list. Select the attribute
field (e.g. company_name or land cover type) from the Split based on field pulldown
list. The number of unique entries or groups in the selected field will be
indicated. If there are spelling mistakes or different entries for the same attribute
in a field these will be treated as unique and separate tables will be created for
each.
A table can be split by two methods;
• Auto – A new table will be automatically created for every unique attribute
in the selected field.
• Custom – The user can individually select which attributes are to be split
or combine individual attributes into Groups for splitting. A combination of
individual and grouped attributes can also be chosen. Multiple attributes
grouped together will form a single output table.
In Custom mode, the unique field attributes will initially populate the Selected
pane. To select and deselect items use the selection buttons.
To split a table using a limited number of individual attributes, press None to
deselect all attributes, then migrate each required attribute separately to the
Selected pane using the Select button. This process must be repeated for each
required attribute. If most (but not all) of the unique attributes in the source table
are required in separate tables, change from Auto to Custom mode, and just
deselect the attributes that are not required from the Selected list.
To Group a series of attributes (into a single output table), first deselect all the
attributes (None). Then in the Unselected list, hold the left-mouse button and
drag or use the SHIFT key in conjunction with the mouse control. To select nonconsecutive
attributes use the CTRL key in conjunction with the mouse control.
When the attributes have been selected for grouping, press the Select button to
create the split group. The Group Properties dialog will open listing the Group
members. The Group Name can be modified if required.

162 Engage User Guide
Table Split Group Properties dialog
The default output table name for the newly created tables uses the original table
name with the unique attribute or group name extension. To change the default
output name, click on the Save button. The {GROUP} placeholder must be part
of the output table name. As MapInfo truncates table names longer than 30
characters when they are displayed in MapInfo it is recommended to try and
keep output table names as short as possible.
Dialog Help
• Table Split Dialog Box
• Group Properties Dialog Box
Table Split Dialog Box
Split options
Table to split
Click to select a table.
Split based on field
Click to select a column in the selected table.

8 Working with Tables 163
Groups
A table can be split by two methods:
• Auto: Create a new table for every unique value in the selected field.
• Custom: Individually select which values are to be split or combine
individual attributes into groups for splitting. A combination of individual
and grouped attributes can also be chosen.
Select values in the Selected box and the use the controls to add and
remove values from the Unselected box.
To create groups, first move the values into the Unselected box, and then
select the values in the required group. To select multiple values, click and
drag, or hold down the SHIFT or CTRL key. When you have selected all the
values in a group, click the select button to display the Group
Properties Dialog Box, from which you can name the group. The group
name will be displayed in the Selected box.
Output options
File
The output table name for the split tables uses a stem with the value or group
name extension. To change the default stem name, click on the Save button. The
{GROUP} placeholder must be part of the output table name. Keep output table
names as short as possible because MapInfo truncates table names longer than
30 characters.
See also
...Splitting Tables
Group Properties Dialog Box
Group Name
Click to edit the group name.
Details
Displays the values in this group.

164 Engage User Guide
Digitizing and Data Entry
Engage>Data Utilities>DigData
Use the Engage DigData utility to streamline the entry of attribute data for
digitized map objects. Attribute data in a column can be incremented
automatically, populated with a constant value including X and Y coordinates or
selected from a look-up table. Attribute data can also be entered manually for
selected columns after each map objected is digitized. If the digitized map object
style is selected from the styles library, the style attribute can also be
automatically added to each new digitized object.
When digitizing point data such as air quality monitoring sites from a town plan it
is useful to be able to add attribute data to one or more columns as each point is
digitized. Within MapInfo attribute data must be entered into the Browser window
or via the Info tool once the map objects have been created. If attribute data entry
has been setup in DigData then aside from columns automatically being
populated with the pre-set attributes a dialog is displayed which allows users to
manually enter attribute data for each digitized map object.
When the DigData menu option is selected a separate DigData menu is added to
the MapInfo menu bar. Select the DigData>Data Table menu option and choose
a table for data entry. The Data entry to columns dialog is displayed:

8 Working with Tables 165
Highlight the columns from the table to populate with attribute data during the
digitizing process. A maximum of 10 columns can be used for data entry with
DigData.
DigData also allows X and Y coordinates to be automatically added to the table
as each map object is digitized. Check the Easting and Northing boxes and
select the X and Y columns from the pull-down lists. This feature is useful when
digitizing point data. If the digitized map object is not a point then the X and Y
coordinates of the object centroid are added to the table.
Note
DigData can be used when digitizing any type of map object (not just points) and
works in the same way when digitizing from the screen or via a digitizing table.

166 Engage User Guide
Setting Increments and Constant Values
Engage>Data Utilities>DigData>Set Up Increments
Digitizing increments using DigData
DigData attribute data may be assigned using the following methods:
• Increment
Check the Increment box to automatically add a consecutive value to
each new digitized map object. Increments are useful for populating
sample number columns and can serve as the primary identification field
for an object.
Increment columns do not have to be numeric but must contain one or
more numeric parts. Sample numbers commonly begin with an alpha
prefix and some naming conventions include an additional alpha string in
the middle of the sampleID. For Example, SS11235 or SS87RC-69435).
DigData will perform the increment on the last number in the string which,
in the example above, would be SS87RC-69436.
• Value
To assign a constant value to an attribute column check the Value box and
enter the required value into the window to the right of the check box. The
constant value will be entered into the selected column until the value is
changed manually. Constant values are useful for attributes where many
records have the same attribute.
• Use Style

8 Working with Tables 167
If the Use Style box is checked for an attribute column an empty window
in a pop-up data entry dialog will be displayed enabling a user to manually
enter individual values after each map object is digitized. If a style is
selected from the styles library, the style name will automatically be added
as the value.
• Use Look-Up
If the number of attribute values is relatively standard it may be best to
create a look-up table and check the Use Look-Up box next to the
attribute column. The look-up table must be already open and selected
from the pull-down list to the left of the Use Look-Up option. In the pop-up
data entry dialog a pull-down list of values will be available in order to
choose the required attribute.
Manual Data Entry
To enter manual attribute data for each map object as it is digitized or view
incremental or constant values select the DigData>EnterData menu option. A
tick will be displayed next to the EnterData option in the DigData menu to show
the option is toggled on. To turn off the EnterData mode check, select the menu
option again.
Once a map object is digitized the data entry dialog box will be automatically
displayed for all the attribute columns selected. Any increment or constant value
fields should be automatically populated. Other fields will have the last values
selected and can be modified as required. Enter the required attribute data, click
OK on the dialog and digitize the next object.
Automated Data Entry
If the attribute columns are to populated with only increment or constant values
turn off the check next to the DigData>EnterData menu option. The constant and
increment values will be automatically written to each new record as the map
object is digitized.

168 Engage User Guide
At any time while DigData is active, the attribute data columns can be respecified.
New increment intervals or starting numbers can be selected and
constant values can be modified via the Set Up Increments menu option. To add
new columns populated with attribute data requires the table to be selected again
in the Data Table menu option.
Select the Beep On menu option to activate a beep sound every time a map
object is digitized. Re-select the Beep On menu option to turn off the beep.
The EnterData and AutoData options can be combined when digitizing. Check
EnterData and enter new values for the next digitized record, then return to
AutoData, where fields are incremented from the previous record values. This
enables any changes made to the last record with the Info tool or in the Browser
window to be utilised by DigData.
Dialog Help
• Data Entry to Columns Dialog Box
• Increments and Constant Values Dialog Box
Data Entry to Columns Dialog Box
Select up to 10 columns from the data table for data entry. To select multiple
columns, click and drag a group, or hold the Shift key and select the first and last
columns in a group, or hold the CTRL key to select individual columns.
Easting
Select to add the X coordinate to the selected column in the data table. If the
object is not a point, the object centroid is used.
Northing
Select to add the Y coordinate to the selected column in the data table. If the
object is not a point, the object centroid is used.
Increments and Constant Values Dialog Box
Configures the selected data entry columns. The X and Y coordinate column
assignments are displayed at the bottom of the dialog box.

8 Working with Tables 169
Column
The data entry columns selected in Data Entry to Columns Dialog Box are
displayed.
Increment
Select the check box to increment values by the number typed in the box. Text
values must contain a numerical component and observe a naming convention.
The last numeric string value in the text string will be incremented. For example,
when incrementing the value SS87RC-6943 by 1, the next value will be SS87RC-
6944.
Value
Select the check box to set the constant value typed in the box.
Use Style
Select the check box to display a pop-up data entry dialog box when digitising so
that a user defined value can be entered for each digitised object. To
automatically apply a style name, select a named style from the box.
Use Look-up
Select the check box to select a value from a list of values defined in a look-up
table. Click the box on the left of the check box to select the look-up table. All open
look-up tables are available from the list.
See also
...Setting Increments and Constant Values
...Digitizing and Data Entry

170 Engage User Guide
Adding Unique Identifiers to Table Records
Engage>Data Utilities>Add Unique Identifier
Unique Identifier tool
The Engage Add Unique Identifier (UID) utility allows an incrementing numeric
code, with optional alphabetic prefixes/suffixes, to be quickly assigned to a table
based on the row number.
This can be used to generate a customer number or other unique value in a table
if this does not exist or is in an invalid format for sorting.

8 Working with Tables 171
To create a unique ID to each row in a table:
1. With the tool open, select the Input Table.
2. Enter a Start Number and Increment Value (e.g. 434, 435, 436, etc).
3. Optionally specify a Prefix and/or Suffix (e.g. pictured example adds a
'GHRC' hole refix to the numeric value): the resulting code will therefore
be an alphanumeric code.
4. Either add a New Field (and specify its position) or use an Existing Field
for the output UID. For new fields, the field type will automatically be
assigned depending on the UID format. For existing fields, only field types
compatible with the UID formatting defined will be able to be selected.
5. Press OK to populate the table.
Updating Multiple Columns
Engage>Data Utilities>Update Multiple Columns
The Multiple Column Update tool enables columns in one table to be updated
with data from columns in another table where there is a common join such as
sample number or customer ID between the two tables. Engage can update up to
30 columns at the one time provided the columns already exist in the table to
update. Only the records which match the join criteria are updated and any other
unmatched records in the table retain their original values. This enables subsets
of data to be easily updated.

172 Engage User Guide
Multiple Column Update dialog
To update multiple columns:
1. Open the table to update into MapInfo.
2. Make sure that the table to update contains columns to store the new
values. If the columns do not already exist in the table, create them using
Table>Maintenance>Table Structure or the Engage Multi-table, Multifield
Editing.
3. Open the table to update the values from into MapInfo.
4. Select Engage>Data Utilities>Multiple Column Update.
5. Select the table to Update values in from the pull-down list.

8 Working with Tables 173
6. Select the table to Get values from in the pull-down list.
7. Select the column in the table to update pull-down list and select the
matching join column in the from value table pull-down list.
8. Under Field Mapping select the first column in the Update From pulldown
list.
9. Select the corresponding column in the table to update from the Update
To pull-down list.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 to match all columns to update from and to in each
table.
11. Click OK to update columns.
Note
If the column name in Update To matches the column name in Update From
simply select the next Update From column to automatically display the
matching Update From column.
Additional options:
To save or load a set of Field Mappings, use the save/load buttons. This will
save/load the mappings based on the field names but not types. If not all saved
fields exist when loading a mapping, a summary report will be provided detailing
which fields do not exist or are invalid.
To remove an entry under Field Mapping, select a cell in the row and click the
Delete button.
Check the Allow Undo option to enable updates to a table to be undone using
File>Revert Table. This will return the data in the table to the last time it was
saved.
If a table is in non-native format, the join fields are not indexed or the data types
are different between the update from and to columns the Alert button is
displayed. Place the cursor over the button to view message. See
Troubleshooting for more information.
Troubleshooting:
• To reduce processing time make sure table to update from is in native
MapInfo format instead of linked to an Excel or Text file.
• To reduce processing time index the join column in each table. To index a
column see Table>Maintenance>Table Structure.

174 Engage User Guide
• To avoid data loss, ensure columns in the table to update are the same
data type as the columns in the update table, e.g. Character, Float, Date,
etc. To compare and modify tables use the Engage Multi-table, Multi-field
Editing or Table>Maintenance>Table Structure.
Working with Multiple Tables
• Packing Multiple Tables
• Appending Multiple Tables
• Importing Multiple MID/MIF Files
• Exporting Multiple MID/MIF Files
• Reprojecting Multiple Tables
• Multi-table, Multi-field Editing
See also Opening Multiple Tables
Packing Multiple Tables
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Pack Multiple Tables
Use Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Pack Multiple Tables to pack
multiple tables. Select the tables to pack from the available open tables list.
Choose to pack only the tabular component of the table, the graphical component
of the table or both tabular and graphical table components. Click OK to pack the
selected tables.

8 Working with Tables 175
Multiple table selection for packing tables
Appending Multiple Tables
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Append Multiple Tables
Append multiple tables to another table. Select the table to append to from the
available Open Tables list. Select the table to append the other tables to from the
Append to Table pull-down list. Choose the order in which the tables are to be
appended. Use the arrow keys to re-order if necessary. Click OK to append the
selected tables.

176 Engage User Guide
Note
With the Append Multiple Tables option, all tables selected must have the
same number of columns. If the tables have the same number of columns but do
not have the same structure then data conversion errors (such as when
character values are read into a numeric column) may occur during the
appending process.
Importing Multiple MID/MIF Files
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Import Multiple MID-MIF Tables
Import multiple MID and MIF files into MapInfo.
The user is prompted to select a directory to store the new MapInfo files created
from the imported MID/MIF files. Follow the same procedures for Multi-Open
menu option regarding selecting folders and files to add to the Selected Files
window, choosing the Preferred View and removing files from the list.
Exporting Multiple MID/MIF Files
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Export Multiple MID-MIF Tables
Export multiple tables to MID/MIF format. Select the tables to export from the
available open tables list. Choose to export to the same directory as the tables or
to a new directory. Click OK to export the selected tables.

8 Working with Tables 177
Reprojecting Multiple Tables
See Reprojecting Multiple Tables under Coordinates and Projections.
Multi-table, Multi-field Editing
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Multi-Table Structure Manager
The Multi-Table Structure Manager is a powerful tool allowing the easy
comparison and editing of multiple fields across multiple tables. It essentially
provides multi-table and field functionality of the MapInfo Modify Table Structure
dialog (Table>Maintenance>Table Structure). It is of particular use when trying
to alter the structure (field names, formats, field order, etc) of a number of similar
data tables prior to combining them using the Table and Workspace
Utilities>Append Multiple Tables tool.
The Multi-Table Structure Manager contains the following multi-field editing
options:
• Addition
• Deletion
• Copying
• Rename
• Type Alteration
• Reorder
The tables to be compared/altered need to open in MapInfo prior to running the
tool. The Multi-Table Structure Manager can be accessed either via the menu
option on the Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities menu or by the shortcut
button on the Engage toolbar. Image and grid tables cannot be viewed or
modified with this tool.

178 Engage User Guide
The Multi-Table Structure Manager dialog matching 2 tables by field name
Field Display
The Table Structure Manager dialog enables multi-table comparison through a
customizable grid/browser view. First, a Base Table needs to be selected from
the pull-down list of open tables. Generally this is the table whose structure will
be used as a template for other comparison tables; it will be the first table
displayed. Multiple comparison tables can then be selected; these will be
displayed adjacent to the Base Table.
Two field display options are available at the top right of the dialog:
• Match by Field Name will display fields with the same name in the same
row. This is an excellent way to check whether assay fields are named
identically e.g. two tables might have a Site field, whilst a third table might
have a SiteID field, whilst another a Site_ID field. It also allows a simple
visual comparison of the field types of matching fields: three tables may
have Site fields of differing types (e.g. Character (10), Character (40) and
Integer).
• Non-matching fields are displayed in a cascading view below the
Base Table fields. This tool will attempt to match field names between
comparison tables in the cascade view.

8 Working with Tables 179
• The Case Sensitive option at the bottom left of the dialog enables
matches only between field names of the same case (e.g. SiteID will not
match siteid or SITEID).
• Match by Column Order: fields are displayed in their individual table
orders. This is useful once field names and field types have been
mirrored/replicated across the tables (using the Match by Field Name
option): it allows an easy visual comparison of whether the fields are
ordered identically across multiple tables.
The Table Structure Manager dialog is resizable, as are individual column
widths.
Field Editing
At the base of the Table Structure Manager dialog are the editing tools. These
require a field selection to open: this can be a single field, multiple fields within a
table or multiple fields across multiple tables. Field selection is with the left mouse
button: either hold this button down to highlight multiple adjacent fields, or use it
in combination with the keyboard CTRL button to select non-adjacent cells.
However, not all editing functions can handle multiple cell selections (e.g. you
cannot rename multiple fields in the same table at once); an appropriate warning
message will be returned if the current selection is invalid for the selected editing
tool.
Each editing button will open an appropriate dialog, which can be resized to allow
the full target file name to be visible:
The Add Fields dialog resized to display the full target field names

180 Engage User Guide
• Add – adds a new field with the specified name and type to each selected
table. The new field will be added to the end of each table. This option
requires a single field selection in each target table; this can be a
populated or blank field, neither of which will be altered.
• Delete – deletes all selected fields.
• Copy – copies the selected fields to other tables. The field, if it does not
exist, will be appended to the end of the destination table.
The warning dialog displayed when copying a field that already exists
• The Edit button accesses the following functionality:
• Rename – a single field from each table can be renamed.
• Change Types – multiple fields can have their types/format altered (e.g.
from integer to float). The selected fields do not need to have the same
initial type. Note however that this may result in data truncation or loss,
e.g. changing latitude and longitude fields from float to integer will result in
a massive loss of precision. A warning message to this effect will be
displayed prior to finalising field type alterations.
The warning dialog displayed when altering field types
• Order – a single field from each table can be assigned a new field
position. This will result in a reordering of all fields below this new position,
e.g. moving a field to the 3 rd position within its table, the existing 3 rd field
will be moved to the 4 th position, the 4 th to the 5 th , etc. If the specified
position does not exist within the table, the field will be placed at the end of
the table (e.g. moving a field in a 10 field table to position 20 will simply
place it at the end of the table).

8 Working with Tables 181
The Display Object Columns option at the bottom left of the dialog will add an
Obj field to each mappable table. This field is not editable, but allows a count of
the total number of objects in a table, as well as a count of each object type
(points, lines and/or regions). To initiate an object count, select the pull-down
arrow in the Type cell of the appropriate Obj field; for a small number of objects
the total and sub-counts will be displayed.
An Object field displayed with its record count
If the table contains a large number of objects, a warning message will be
displayed indicating the total object count and that the sub-count may take some
time.
Object count warning message for larger datasets
Press OK to continue with the count. When the warning message disappears, reaccess
the Type pull-down arrow to view the count result.
A Text Report of the current multiple table comparison (it requires at least two
tables to be open in the dialog) can be generated using the button at the bottom
left of the dialog. This output can be copied and pasted to a text editor (e.g.
Notepad or Word) using CTRL+C and CTRL+V.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 183
9 Data Processing and Statistics
• Pre-processing and Cleaning Data
• Classifying Data
• Computing Summary Statistics
• Computing a Correlation Matrix
Pre-processing and Cleaning Data
Field data is often received in a format that requires some manual manipulation
before it can be used in an analysis. Use the Data Handling tool to pre-process
and clean the input data.
The Data Handling Options tool is available from utilities on the
EngageAnalytics menu and selected other tools. The processing options
available include:
Negative values
• Set negative values to Null, which is statistically ignored, or any userspecified
value. For example, if –999 is used to identify “below detection
limit,” you can reset these values to zero or a discrete value such as 5
ppb.
• Multiply negative values by a constant—for example, multiply by –0.5 to
convert each negative value to half the detection limit.
Non-numeric values
• Set non-numeric values to Null or any user-specified value.
Zero values
• Set zero values to Null or any user-specified value.
Replacement values
• To apply different replacement values for element data in a table or for
multiple replacements within the same element field, create a custom
template. The template contains the element name, the original data
value, and the replacement data value.

184 Engage User Guide
To pre-process a data table:
1. Open the table in a map window.
2. On the EngageAnalytics menu, click one of the menu options; for
example, Point Classification.
3. Select the table.
4. Click the Data Handling Options button. The Data Handling Options
Dialog Box is displayed.
5. Under Input, select the options you want to apply to negative, nonnumeric,
zero, and other data values.
6. Under Output, select the options you want to apply to the output table.
7. Click OK and return to the previous dialog box and continue processing
the modified table.
Dialog Help
• Data Handling Options Dialog Box
Data Handling Options Dialog Box
Input
Set negative values to
Replaces all negative values in the table. Select the check box and type Null or
a numeric value in the box.
Multiply negative values by
Multiplies all negative values in the table. Select the check box and type a numeric
value in the box.
Set non-numeric values to
Replaces all non-numeric values in the table. Select the check box and type Null
or a numeric value in the box.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 185
Set all zero values to
Replaces all zero values in the table. Select the check box and type Null or a
numeric value in the box.
Custom assign values from template table
Apply multiple replacement values from a template. The template must be
created and open in MapInfo before it can be selected. The template must contain
three fields: the element name, the original data value, and the new replacement
data value. Select the check box, and then select the template and fields.
Output
Select template table
Select a template table. The table must be open before it can be selected.
Assign element name field
Select the field in the template table that contains the element name.
Replace any occurrence of
Select the field in the template table that contains the original value.
With a new value of
Select the field in the template table that contains the replacement value.
The following options are only available when Data Output Options is selected
from the Data Levelling dialog box.
Include working columns in output table
Add processed data columns to the output table.
Scale output units to input units
Restore transformed data values to the original input units.
Output null value
Replace all null values with a numeric value. Select the check box and type a
numeric value in the box.

186 Engage User Guide
See also
... Pre-processing and Cleaning Data
... Data Processing and Statistics
Classifying Data
Point Classification of data is used to segregate a dataset into groups defined by
a range or group of values. Point symbols can be modulated by colour, size and/
or symbol type using one or more data fields.
• Classifying Data by Colour, Size, and Symbol
• Multi-field Classification
• Trivariate Point Classification
Classifying Data by Colour, Size, and Symbol
Data is often collated from different sources and to highlight this graphically a
different symbol type can be assigned to each sub-grouping of the dataset.
Values can then be classified into value range groups via various statistical
methods and displayed as the colour or size of the symbol.
Point classifications can be displayed as a thematic map overlay or the new point
symbols can be saved to the existing table or new table.
To apply a classification scheme:
1. Open a data table in a map window.
2. On the EngageAnalytics menu, click Point Classification.
3. In the Point Classification dialog box, in the Select table box, click the
table.
4. In the Select column box, click the field you want to classify.
5. To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data field
click the Data Handling Options button. For more information, see Preprocessing
and Cleaning Data.
6. Select a classification. You can classify data by colour, size and symbol
concurrently.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 187
• To classify by colour, on the colour tab, select the Classify by
colour check box, and then select a method for distributing the data
values for each colour division in the Colour method box. To
change the colour scheme, in the Colour table box, select a colour
lookup table.
• To classify by symbol size, on the size tab, select the Classify by
size check box, and then select a method for distributing the data
values for each size division in the Size method box. To change the
size range, edit the values in the Size min, Size max, and Size
step boxes.
• To classify by symbol type, on the symbol tab, select the Classify
by symbol check box, and then select a method for distributing the
data values for each symbol division in the Symbol method box. To
change the symbol range, edit the values in the First char, Last
char, and Char Step boxes.
The classification divisions and number of values in each are displayed in
the classification table. For many datasets, a linear range classification will
not be suitable to show the data range variation. There are a number of
statistical methods to classify data, such as log and exponential
distributions, and percentile groups.
7. To edit the colour, size, or symbol assigned to a division, in the
classification table, click the Colour, Size, or Symbol cell and type or
select another value.
8. To edit a division, click in a Description, >= or < cell and type a new
value.
To add or remove divisions in the classification method, use the Add,
Remove or Clear All division buttons. Note that divisions cannot be
changed for unique value groups, such as for non-numeric data, except
for a custom classification method.
9. Save a classification or load a saved classification using the Save and
Load buttons. This saves all colour, size and symbol classifications.
Note
Values outside the lowest and highest classification groups will be ignored.
However, the tool applies continuous internal data ranges. Any gaps from one
classification group to the next will be ignored.
10. Choose output options:

188 Engage User Guide
• Click Create new table to create a new table containing the
classification applied. Click New table options to select which
fields in the input table will be added to the output table and to
change the name of the new table.
• Select the Null symbol check box to apply the Base symbol to all
null value data. Only selected classification properties (colour, size,
symbol) are applied to null value data.
• Click Change source to apply the classification in place to the input
table.
• Click Thematic map to display the classification as a thematic map.
Any Null or unclassified points will be displayed with the Base
symbol. Points styles can be further modified with the Map>Modify
Thematic Map option or by double-clicking on the Theme Legend
window.
11. When you have completed defining the classifications (on the colour, size,
and symbol tabs) for the selected data field, click Apply.
To save or restore a classified table:
• On the MapInfo File menu, click Save Table to save the classification, or
Revert Table to restore the table to its last saved state. To save an RGB
classification thematic map, you must save the workspace.
Note
The classified symbol may be hidden by a coincident point symbol. Use the
Engage>Select>By Map Object Style tool to query the map table for all the
samples that fall within a particular Point Classification for a combination of
colour, size, symbol style properties.
See also
... Multi-field Classification
... Trivariate Point Classification
... Select by Graphical Style
Multi-field Classification
To modulate the point styles by two or three different fields, apply the
classifications consecutively, saving the classified table between each
classification. For example, a dataset of points measuring the frequency of
incidents might contain Class and Count fields. To modulate the point colour by
the Class field, and the point size by the Count:

9 Data Processing and Statistics 189
1. On the EngageAnalytics menu, click Point Classification.
2. Select the table, and then in the Select column box, select the Class
field.
3. On the colour tab, select the Classify by colour check box, and
then select the classification options.
4. Under Output type, click Change source, and then click Apply.
5. On the File menu, click Save Table.
6. On the EngageAnalytics menu, click Point Classification.
7. Select the table, and then in the Select column box, select the Count field
8. On the size tab, select the Classify by size check box, and then
select the classification options.
9. Under Output type, click Change source, and then click Apply.
10. On the File menu, click Save Table.
See also
...Classifying Data by Colour, Size, and Symbol
...Trivariate Point Classification
Dialog Help
• Point Classification Dialog Box
• Specify Output Table Dialog Box
Point Classification Dialog Box
Select table
Select the point table you want to classify.
Select field
Select the classification field in the input table.
Classify by ...
• Classify by Colour Tab

190 Engage User Guide
• Classify by Size Tab
• Classify by Symbol Tab
Output type
Three output options are available for displaying point classifications:
Create new table
Creates a new table containing the classifications applied to the original data
table. The new table is automatically named with the _Classified extension or
can be renamed by clicking New table options. The new classification table is
automatically displayed in a new map window.
New Table Options
Click the button to select fields in the input data table that you want added
to the output table, and to change the output table name. The Specify
Output Table Dialog Box is displayed.
Null symbol
Select the check box to assign a default symbol to null value data in the
selected field.
Change source
Modifies the selected table in place. After classification, the table must be saved
using (MapInfo) File>Save Table.
Thematic map
Displays the classified point data as a thematic map layer.
Class field
The classification field name.
Base symbol
The default symbol applied to unclassified points and null value data. Click the
symbol to change.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 191
Data Handling Options
Use this option to ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the
data table. See Pre-processing and Cleaning Data.
See also
...Classifying Data
Classify by Colour Tab
Select the check box to modulate the point symbol colour by values in the
selected field.
Save and load ranges
Save and load a classification table. The colour, size and symbol type are
recorded in the saved table.
Colour field
The classification field selected in the Select field box.
Colour method
Select an auto-ranging method. The resulting range divisions and colours are
displayed in the classification table.
(Classification table)
Displays the divisions in the classification table including division label
(Description). the lower (>=) and upper (

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Values outside the lowest and highest classification divisions will be ignored. Any
gaps created by editing the range limits will be ignored.
Add or remove division
Add or remove the selected divisions in the classification table. Divisions cannot
be changed for discrete value groups, such as for non-numeric data, except for
the classification method.
Clear all divisions
Remove all divisions in the classification table.
LUT
Displays the colour lookup table currently applied to the classification. Click the
box to select a different LUT.
Classify by Size Tab
Select the check box to modulate the point symbol size by values in the selected
field.
Save and load ranges
Save and load a classification table. The colour, size and symbol type are
recorded in the saved table.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 193
Size field
The classification field selected in the Select field box.
Size method
Select an auto-ranging method. The resulting range divisions and sizes are
displayed in the classification table.
(Classification table)
Displays the divisions in the classification table including division label
(Description). the lower (>=) and upper (

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Min
The minimum symbol size in mm.
Max
The maximum symbol size in mm.
Step
The increment of symbol size between each division.
Classify by Symbol Tab
Select the check box to modulate the point symbol type by values in the selected
field.
Save and load ranges
Save and load a classification table. The colour, size and symbol type are
recorded in the saved table.
Symbol field
The classification field selected in the Select field box.
Symbol method
Select an auto-ranging method. The resulting range divisions and symbols are
displayed in the classification table.
(Classification table)
Displays the divisions in the classification table including division label
(Description). the lower (>=) and upper (

9 Data Processing and Statistics 195
Values outside the lowest and highest classification divisions will be ignored. Any
gaps created by editing the range limits will be ignored.
Add or remove division
Add or remove the selected divisions in the classification table. Divisions cannot
be changed for discrete value groups, such as for non-numeric data, except for
the classification method.
Clear all divisions
Remove all divisions in the classification table.
Symbol font
The current symbol font. Click the box to edit.
First
The first symbol in the classification table.
Last
The last symbol in the classification table.
Step
The increment between each division.

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Specify Output Table Dialog Box
Allows you to select which fields you want included in the output table and to
change the name of the output table.
File name
Click the box to edit the file name or click the browse button to select a new output
folder.
Available fields
Fields available in the input table that are not included in the output table. To add
to the output table, select the field or fields required in this box, and then click the
Add button, or click All.
Selected fields
Fields selected to be added to the output table. To remove, select the field or
fields in this box, and then click the Remove button, or click None.
Trivariate Point Classification
Trivariate Point classification of data is used to identify homogeneous groups of
data within a sample population which can be distinguished from other groups.
Samples that pass a combination of the thresholds for three selected elements
are displayed using the same symbol style, colour and size to enable them to be
easily viewed in the map window. Each element is assigned an RGB channel
(red-green-blue) and a threshold value; during processing each sample is
compared with the threshold values set for its channel.
Trivariate classification can be used to highlight points that are above a threshold
in individual RGB channels, as well as above combinations of thresholds on
multiple RGB channels.
The output classifications can be displayed as a thematic map overlay or the new
point symbols can be saved to the existing table or new table. Classification
legends can be displayed as a thematic legend or as a MapInfo table which can
be edited and scaled. Each sample is assigned a point classification code which
is saved to a new column in the original or new table.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 197
The classification code is a three-digit binary number (stored as a character
string) that indicates if the value passes the threshold on each channel. For
example, the code 101 indicates that the thresholds on the R and B channels
have been passed (1) but has failed (0) on the G channel.
To apply a trivariate classification scheme:
1. Open a data table in a map window.
2. On the EngageAnalytics menu, click Trivariate Point Classification.
3. In the Trivariate Point Classification dialog box, under Table, in the
Select table to classify box, click the data table.
4. To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the input
fields, click the Data Handling Options button. For more information, see
Pre-processing and Cleaning Data.
5. Under Channel selection, in the Red box, click the field you want to
assign to the red channel. Make field selections in the Green and Blue
boxes.
6. Click a threshold type:
• Value: Type a threshold value for each channel in the adjacent
boxes. The data range is displayed to the right of the box.
• Percent: Type or select a percentage threshold for each channel in
the adjacent boxes. The corresponding threshold value for each
channel is displayed to the right of the box.
• Percentile: Type or select a percentile threshold for each channel
in the adjacent boxes. The corresponding threshold value for each
channel is displayed to the right of the box.
7. For each channel, type or select a threshold value in the corresponding
box. Or click the Use single threshold check box to use the same
threshold (defined for the red channel) on all three channels.
8. Select output options:
• Save classification code to field: The classification code field
name. Click the box to select a different, existing character field, or
type a new field name. The default field name is _ClassField.

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• Set Point Styles: Click to assign point styles to each of the eight
RGB classification codes. For more information, see Setting Point
Styles.
• Display custom legend: Select the check box to display the
classification as a thematic legend. For more inforamtion, see
Displaying a Point Style Legend.
• Display MapInfo legend: Select the check box to display the
classification as a MapInfo table. For more inforamtion, see
Displaying a Point Style Legend.
• Display/classify points that incorporate null values: Select the
check box to classify and display all points in the input table. Clear
the check box to exclude those with null values.
9. Select the type of output:
• Thematic map: Display each sample point according to their data
values relative to the specified threshold level as a thematic map.
The sample point style, colour and size are as defined by the Set
Point Styles option.
After the thematic map is created, points styles can be modified
through the Map>Modify Thematic Map option or by doubleclicking
on the Theme Legend Window. To save an RGB
classification thematic map, the workspace must be saved.
• Change source: Permanently colour each sample point in the base
data table according to their data values relative to the specified
threshold level. The sample point style, colour and size are as
defined by the Set Point Styles option.
• Create new table: Create a new table with each sample point
coloured according to their data values relative to the specified
threshold level. Click the New Table Options button and select
fields from the input data table to add to the new classification table.
10. Click OK to apply.
By default, the new table is named by adding the “_Classified”
extension to the input table name. The new table is saved to the
same directory as the base data table. The new classification table
is automatically displayed in a new map window.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 199
Note
It is not possible to control the order in which multiple sample points at the same
location are displayed. Therefore it may appear that a sample which is coloured
is masked by overlying sample points. Use the Engage>Select>By Attribute or
Object Group option or an SQL query on the “_Classfield” column to query the
table for all the samples that fall within a particular RGB Classification.
Setting Point Styles
For each of the possible eight classification codes, a separate point style can be
set. Each sample will be coloured in the map window according to these
classification point styles. To view or modify the default point styles click the Set
Point Styles button. The Point Style Setup dialog contains a symbol button for
each classification code.
Assigns a 12pt yellow solid-filled circle to the 110 classification code.
To change a symbol style, click the symbol button and choose a new symbol
style, colour or size for the selected code. The Null symbol shape will be applied
to all points assigned a null value by the Data Handling Options tool. To use the
same symbol for all RGB threshold combinations, check the Use single symbol
style box, and select the symbol style to use. To automatically size the symbols
across the classification codes, select the Graduate symbol size from check
box and type a size for the smallest symbol.
Displaying a Point Style Legend
Two legend options are available for identifying what each symbol style
represents.
Custom Legend
To create a legend table that can be edited and scaled as a permanent MapInfo
table, select the Display custom legend check box. The custom legend displays
the legend items as text or point objects, which can be modified using the
standard MapInfo map object style options. The legend window is created in a
non-earth centimetre projection and can be placed in a layout and scaled using
the frame tool.
The first five characters of the red, green and blue channel field names will be
displayed in place of the channel names. The threshold value and the threshold
value as a percentage of the maximum value is also displayed in the legend table.

200 Engage User Guide
MapInfo Legend
Check the Display MapInfo legend box to create a MapInfo legend similar to
those created in the MapInfo Create Legend or Create Thematic Map menu
options. MapInfo legends cannot be scaled and must be saved as part of a
workspace. To modify a MapInfo legend, double-click in the legend window and
use the Styles and Legend buttons in the Modify Thematic Map dialog.
Null Values
If the Display/classify points that incorporate null values option is checked,
then a sample with a null or 0 value (one or more elements) is deemed to be below
the threshold and will be displayed using the corresponding point symbol. If
samples that contain only valid data values for all of the selected elements are to
be included in the final point classification display, then clear this option.
To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data table click
the Data Handling Options button. See Pre-processing and Cleaning Data in for
more information on using this tool.
Dialog Help
• Trivariate Point Classification Dialog Box
• Specify Output Table Dialog Box
• Set Point Styles Dialog Box
• Pick Symbol Dialog Box
Trivariate Point Classification Dialog Box
Table
Select table to classify
Select the point table you want to classify. The number of records in the data table
are displayed.
Channel selection
Red
Select the red channel classification field.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 201
Green
Select the green channel classification field.
Blue
Select the blue channel classification field.
Thresholded by
• Value: Type a threshold value for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The
data range is displayed to the right of the box.
• Percent: Type or select a percentage threshold for each channel in the
adjacent boxes. The corresponding threshold value for each channel is
displayed to the right of the box.
• Percentile: Type or select a percentile threshold for each channel in the
adjacent boxes. The corresponding threshold value for each channel is
displayed to the right of the box.
Use single threshold
Select the check box to use the same threshold (defined for the red channel) on
all three channels.
Output options
Save classification code to field
The classification code field name. Click the box to select a different, existing
character field, or type a new field name. The default field name is _ClassField.
The classification code is a three-digit binary number (stored as a character
string) that indicates if the value passes the threshold on each channel. For
example, the code 101 indicates that the thresholds on the R and B channels
have been passed (1) but has failed (0) the threshold on the G channel.
Set Point Styles
Displays the Set Point Styles Dialog Box, where you can assign point styles to
each of the eight RGB classification codes.
Display custom legend
Select the check box to display the classification as a thematic legend.

202 Engage User Guide
Display MapInfo legend
Select the check box to display the classification as a MapInfo table.
Display/classify points that incorporate null values
Select the check box to classify and display all points in the input table. Clear the
check box to exclude those with null values.
Output type
Three output options are available for displaying point classifications:
Thematic map
Displays the classified point data as a thematic map layer.
Change source
Modifies the selected table in place. After classification, the table must be saved
using (MapInfo) File>Save Table.
Create new table
Creates a new table containing the classifications applied to the original data
table. The new table is automatically named with the _Classified extension or
can be renamed by clicking New table options. The new classification table is
automatically displayed in a new map window.
New Table Options
Click the button to select columns in the original data table that you want
added to the output table, and to change the output table name. The
Specify Output Table Dialog Box is displayed.
Data Handling Options
Use this option to ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the
data table. See Pre-processing and Cleaning Data.
See also
... Classifying Data

9 Data Processing and Statistics 203
Specify Output Table Dialog Box
Allows you to select which fields you want included in the output table and to
change the name of the output table.
File name
Click the box to edit the file name or click the browse button to select a new output
folder.
Include fields
Select a check box to include the field in the output table or clear to omit.
Set Point Styles Dialog Box
Assign a point style to each of the eight possible classification codes, that is, each
RGB channel value from 000 through 111.
Legend
Save and load point styles
Click to save point styles as a table and load a saved point styles table.
(Symbol legend)
Displays the symbol style assigned to each classification code. Click a symbol
button to display the Pick Symbol Dialog Box, where you can edit the symbol type,
colour, and size.
Null symbol shape
The symbol style displayed by a null value data point.
Symbol options
Use single symbol style
Select the check box to use the same symbol type (for example, a circle or a
square) for all eight classification code values. Click the symbol button to modify.

204 Engage User Guide
Graduate symbol size from
Select the check box to grade the symbol size automatically. Type the minimum
symbol size in the pts box.
Pick Symbol Dialog Box
Edit symbol type, size and colour.
(Font)
Click to select a different symbol font.
(Size)
Click to change the symbol size.
(Colour)
Click to select a different colour from the colour palette.
(Symbol)
Click a symbol type.
Computing Summary Statistics
The Summary Statistics utility reports a number of common statistical
measurements for a dataset. If a dataset contains wind-speed measurements for
each area of the country or perhaps income statistics based on suburb or age
group, then statistics can be calculated for each distinct value in a group.
Because data generally has a lognormal or positively skewed distribution, a
number of additional mean calculations aside from the arithmetic mean have
been included, such as geometric and harmonic.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 205
Summary Statistics Dialog
Summary Statistics can be applied to either an entire dataset table or a subset
(Query or Selection). Choose Summary Statistics from the EngageAnalytics
menu and select the input from the Select table pull-down list. Select the data
fields to be used in the statistics calculation from the Select Fields window. Click
on a data field and drag holding the left mouse button to select consecutive fields.
Use the CTRL key to select non-consecutive data fields.
Statistics can also be calculated based on attribute entries from another field in
the table such as a classification field. The results table will contain an entry for
each unique class along with statistics calculated from the samples that are
located within each class. Select the field to use from the Select Group Field pulldown
list.
To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data table click
the Data Handling Options button. See Data Handling Options in this section
for more information on using this dialog.
Statistical Operations
Select one or more of the following statistical operations to calculate for the
data:
• Count – Total number of samples in dataset

206 Engage User Guide
• Count Valid – Number of samples used in the statistical calculation
• Count Invalid – Number of samples not used in the statistical calculation.
Any samples set to null in the Pre-processing and Cleaning Data options
are invalid samples.
• Min - Minimum data value
• Max - Maximum data value
• Sum - Sum of data values
• Mean - Sum of data values divided by number of samples
• Median - Middle value or 50 th percentile of ordered data values. Median of
even number of samples calculated using mean of two middle data
values.
• Range - Maximum data value minus minimum data value
• Mode - Data value that occurs most frequently
• RMS (Root Mean Square) - Square root of the mean of the squares of
each data value.
• Sum of Squares - Sum of the square of each data value
• Geometric Mean - Used for positively skewed distributions. N th root of the
product of the data values.
• Harmonic Mean - Sum of the reciprocals of each data value divided by
the number of samples.
• Trimmed Mean - Remove a percentage of the largest and smallest data
values and re-calculate arithmetic mean on trimmed dataset.
• Median Dev. Mean – Median deviation from the Mean
• Median Dev. Median – Median deviation from the Median
• Variance - Measure of the ‘spread’ within a dataset. Average squared
deviation of set of data values from their mean.
• Standard Deviation - Measure of the ‘spread’ within a dataset. Square
root of the variance.

9 Data Processing and Statistics 207
• Skewness - Estimate of asymmetry of a distribution compared with a
normal distribution.
• Kurtosis - Degree of ‘peakness’ or ‘flatness’ of a distribution compared
with a normal distribution.
• InterQuartile Range - Measure of the ‘spread’ within a dataset.
Difference between the 75 th (3 rd ) and 25th (1 st ) quartiles.
• Percentile - Division of a dataset into one hundred groups containing
equal numbers of samples. Each percentile represents the proportion of
samples that lie below this value; e.g. 60% of data lies below the 60 th
percentile, 95% of data lies below the 95 th percentile, etc.
• Count = 0 - Number of samples with zero data value
• Count < 0 - Number of samples with data values less than zero
• Count of Minimum - Number of samples with minimum data value
• Percent of Minimum - Percentage of samples with minimum data value
• Percent = Null – Percentage of invalid samples
The default Output Table is named using the original base table with a “_Stats”
extension and saved to the same directory. Enter an alternative name and
location if desired. Click OK. The statistics data table is created and opened into
a new browser window.
Dialog Help
• Statistics Dialog Box
Statistics Dialog Box
Select table
Select the data table you want to analyse.
Select fields
Click to select a data field. To select multiple fields, click the first field and drag to
select consecutive fields, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive fields.

208 Engage User Guide
Select group field
To calculate statistics by group, click the box and select a group field. Results are
reported for each unique value in the group field. To calculate statistics for the
entire population, click the box and select .
Select statistics
Click one or more statistical operations:
• Count: Total number of samples in dataset
• Count valid: Number of samples used in the statistical calculation
• Count invalid: Number of samples not used in the statistical calculation.
Any samples set to null in the Data handling options are invalid samples.
• Min: Minimum data value
• Max: Maximum data value
• Sum : Sum of data values
• Mean: Sum of data values divided by number of samples
• Median: Middle data value or 50 th percentile of ordered data values.
Median of even number of samples calculated using mean of two middle
data values.
• Range: Maximum data value minus minimum data value
• Mode: Data value that occurs most frequently
• RMS (root mean square): Square root of the mean of the squares of each
data value.
• Geometric mean: Used for positively skewed distributions. N th root of the
product of the data values.
• Harmonic mean: Sum of the reciprocals of each data value divided by the
number of samples.
• Trimmed mean: Remove a percentage of the largest and smallest data
values and re-calculate arithmetic mean on trimmed dataset.
• Median dev. mean: Median deviation from the mean

9 Data Processing and Statistics 209
• Median dev. median: Median deviation from the median
• Variance: Measure of the spread within a dataset. Average squared
deviation of set of data values from their mean.
• Standard deviation: Measure of the spread within a dataset. Square root
of the variance.
• Skewness: Estimate of asymmetry of a distribution compared with a
normal distribution.
• Kurtosis: Degree of peakness or flatness of a distribution compared with
a normal distribution.
• Interquartile range: Measure of the spread within a dataset. Difference
between the 75 th (3 rd ) and 25th (1 st ) quartiles.
• Sum of squares: Sum of the square of each data value
• Percentile: Division of a dataset into one hundred groups containing
equal numbers of samples. Each percentile represents the proportion of
samples that lie below this value; e.g. 60% of data lies below the 60 th
percentile, 95% of data lies below the 95 th percentile, etc.
• Count = 0: Number of samples with zero data value
• Count < 0: Number of samples with data values less than zero
• Count of minimum: Number of samples with minimum data value
• Percent of minimum: Percentage of samples with minimum data value
• Percent = null: Percentage of invalid samples
Data Handling Options
Use this option to ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the
data table. See Pre-processing and Cleaning Data.
Output table
The default output table is named by adding the extension _Stats to the original
table name and saved to the same directory. To change the output name, type
the name in the box. The results table is created and opened in a new browser
window.

210 Engage User Guide
See also
... Computing Summary Statistics
Computing a Correlation Matrix
The correlation matrix is a variance – covariance matrix which is standardized in
order to emphasise the relative variation between two elements. Raw data is
standardized by calculating the correlation coefficient so all elements have a
variance of one and a mean of zero. The correlation coefficient is a unitless
number and is the ratio of the co-variance of two elements to the product of their
standard deviations.
Correlation coefficient values range from +1 to -1. A correlation coefficient of +1
indicates a direct linear relationship between two elements whereas a correlation
coefficient of -1 indicates an inverse relationship between two elements.
Correlation coefficients may fall anywhere between these two end values with a
correlation of zero indicating no linear relationship existing between the two
elements.
For values in the Correlation Matrix that cannot be computed, due to one of the
Standard Deviations equalling zero, then a string ‘NA’ will be written in the matrix.
Dialog Help
• Correlation Statistics Dialog Box
Correlation Statistics Dialog Box
Select table
Select the data table you want to analyse.
Select fields
Click to select a data field. To select multiple fields, click the first field and drag to
select consecutive fields, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive fields.
Select group field
To calculate statistics by group, click the box and select a group field. Results are
reported for each unique value in the group field. To calculate statistics for the
entire population, click the box and select ..

9 Data Processing and Statistics 211
Correlation options
Output table
The default output table is named by adding the extension _CorMatrix to the
original table name and saved to the same directory. To change the output name,
type the name in the box. The results table is created and opened in a new
browser window.
Data Handling Options
Use this option to ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the
data table. See Pre-processing and Cleaning Data.
See also
...Computing a Correlation Matrix

10 Coordinates and Projections 213
10 Coordinates and Projections
• Updating Coordinates
• Coordinate Transformations
• Reprojecting Coordinates
See also Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings.
Updating Coordinates
Engage>Data Utilities>Update Coordinates
Add or update map object coordinates into data columns in a browser or update
positions of existing points in a map window using coordinates from X and Y data
columns in a browser.
Use Update Coordinates to place the coordinate positions of map objects (for
example, customer survey locations) into data columns in the same MapInfo
table. Alternatively, if new survey data has become available, update the position
of existing map objects with new coordinates from X and Y data columns in the
browser.

214 Engage User Guide
The Update Coordinates dialog
To update the coordinates held in the table with the current object positions,
choose Map Object–>Table Column. Coordinates may be added to existing
numeric columns or to a new column. To add new columns to store coordinates
choose New Column from the X Column and Y Column pull-down list. New
columns cannot be created if the column name contains spaces or special
characters.
To update map object locations in the map window with new coordinates stored
in the X and Y data columns, choose Table Column–>Map Object and nominate
the X and Y columns containing the coordinates.
For either update mode, select the projection in which the coordinates are to be
updated. Auto (selected table) will calculate coordinate positions for the map
objects using the native projection of a table (the projection in which the original
map objects were created). Select User defined to calculate coordinates in any
other existing projection in the MapInfo or Favourite Projections list.

10 Coordinates and Projections 215
The User defined projection option enables Lat/Long coordinates to be
calculated for a table currently containing points in AMG coordinate values.
Alternatively, if new survey data is received in a different projection to the existing
data, then points can be moved to new positions using this projection data.
When processing a large table, coordinates may be updated more quickly if the
table being processed is not displayed as a browser window.
Note
The Update Coordinates utility is best suited to point data but coordinates for
polyline and polygon map objects can be calculated using the centroid X and Y
coordinates. Alternatively you can extract nodes and create points from polyline
and polygon objects using the Engage>Object>Extract Nodes tool (see
Extracting Nodes).
Dialog Help
• Update Coordinates Dialog Box
• New Column Name Dialog Box
Update Coordinates Dialog Box
Table to update
Select the table that you want to update.
Projection
• Auto: Calculate coordinates using the native projection of the table, that
is, the projection in which the original map objects were created.
• Other: Calculate coordinates in a projection that is different from the table.
The Choose Projection Dialog Box is displayed, from which you can select
a projection category and member. For example, you can use this option
to add Lat/Lon coordinates to points in AMG coordinates, or to update
points using data recorded in a different coordinate system.
Update mode
• Mapper -> Browser: Update coordinates in a table from map object
positions in the map window.
• Browser -> Mapper: Update object locations in the map window with new
coordinates from a table.

216 Engage User Guide
Field assignment
X Coordinate
Select the column in the table that contains the X-coordinate. If this column does
not exist, select to display the New Column Name Dialog Box.
Y Coordinate
Select the column in the table that contains the Y-coordinate. If this column does
not exist, select to display the New Column Name Dialog Box.
Note
This tool is best suited to updating point data, but coordinates for polyline and
polygon map objects can also be calculated using the centroid X and Y
coordinates.
See also
... Updating Coordinates
New Column Name Dialog Box
Type the name for the new column. Names must not contain spaces.
See also
... Update Coordinates Dialog Box
Coordinate Transformations
Engage>Data Utilities>Transform Coordinates
Convert coordinates from one coordinate system to another based on either userspecified
parameters (such as a known shift, rotation and scaling) or based on a
set of control points between known and unknown (or non-earth) projections.

10 Coordinates and Projections 217
Coordinate Transformation dialog
The Transformation Table window lists all of the tables that are currently open
in MapInfo to use as the transformation table. Only native MapInfo or TAB files
connected to an editable source table can be transformed. TAB files connected
to Excel or Text files are Read-Only and will not be displayed in the Transform
Table list. Save these tables to native MapInfo tables using the File>Save Copy
As menu option and use the saved table for the transformation.
Note
Raster images or Grid Surfaces cannot be transformed using the Transform
Coordinates utility. For image reprojection, use the EngageImages>Reproject
Image tool; for grid surface reprojection, use the EngageSurfaces>Grid
Utilities>Reproject tool.
Engage provides two Transformation Targets:
1. E, N data columns - Transform coordinates stored in XY columns
according to entered transformation parameters into new data columns in
the table
2. Map Objects - Transform map objects (including complex regions and
polylines) from one coordinate system to another according to entered
transformation parameters.
Transformed map objects are saved to an output table with a “_trans”
suffix.

218 Engage User Guide
Performing a Once-Off Transformation
In addition simple plane (bearing and offset) transformations, the Transform
Coordinates tool supports once-off transformations (or rectifications) on nonearth
coordinates, based on a set of control points. The methods support are, in
order of increasing complexity; projective, conformal, affine, 2nd order
polynomial, 2nd order conformal polynomial, and 3rd order polynomial. The input
map table to be transformed must be a in a non-earth projection.
Note
The control point table for a one-off affine data transformation must contain four
columns, which read in order from left to right as Nonearth_Easting,
Nonearth_Northing, UTM_Easting, UTM_Northing . The naming convention of
the column headings is not important, but the order of the columns is critical.
Note
The control point table for a once-off data transformation can be used to
transform tables from local to UTM coordinates, but cannot be used to create a
custom affine coordinate projection line.
See Creating a Custom Affine Projection for further information.
1. Open the table to transform into MapInfo; this should be located in a local
non-earth grid projection e.g. Non-earth (metres).
Coordinate Transformation dialog
2. Within the Coordinate Transform dialog, select the table to transform
from the Transformation Table list. Choose Affine from the
Transformation Type pull-down list.

10 Coordinates and Projections 219
Note
You can select any other transformation method form the list, apart from Plane.
3. Select the Transformation Target from E, N data columns or Map
Objects.
4. Click on the Control Point Table button and browse to the control point
table. The selected control point table will be displayed on the Control
Point Button. This table does not need to be mappable.
5. Check the Show Transform Parameters box to run the transformation.
The transformation parameter, residuals and standard deviation
information is saved to a text file named MAPTRAN.LOG in the Engage
temporary directory (refer to Configuring Engage). Check the Calculate
Parameters only box to display the calculated Transformation
Coefficients only without actually transforming the data.
Example maptran.txt report
6. Click OK to commence the data transformation. Select the UTM projection
from the Choose Projection dialog.
Once the data has been transformed a new table will be created with the same
name as the original transformation table with a suffix “_trans”. This table is
automatically opened in MapInfo displayed in map or browser window.

220 Engage User Guide
Note
The maptran.log Total RMS is the total Euclidean distance between the X and Y
residual components of the transformation. It does not directly relate to the
individual control point's RMSs, and a large value can still be a relatively
accurate transformation result depending on the scale and area of application.
The Standard deviation in X and Y indicate a better absolute measure of the
error in the transformation.
Note
The transformed data table and the original data table cannot be displayed in the
same map window. The original table is still located in the local non-earth
coordinate system.
Plane Transformation
Select Plane from the Transformation Type pull-down list. The Plane
Transformation option should not be used to convert to or from Latitude/
Longitude coordinates. For data in a lat-long projection add two new columns to
the table and populate with coordinates in a system such as UTM or AMG using
the Data Utilities>Update Coordinates menu option. Make sure the table to
transform is open in MapInfo.
1. Select the Data Utilities>Transform Coordinates option.
2. Select the transform projection from the Choose Projection dialog and
click OK. The Transform Coordinates dialog is displayed:
Transform Coordinates using a Plane conversion

10 Coordinates and Projections 221
3. Select Add New Transform from the Choose a Grid Transform pulldown
list. Alternatively, load an existing transformation from the pull-down
list. When existing transformation parameters are loaded the dialog will be
populated automatically.
4. For a new transformation select how the transformation is to be defined.
Transformations can be defined by:
Origin, Bearing – Enter the X and Y transformation origin in both original
and new coordinate systems. Enter the Bearing Offset from the Current
(existing base cooridnate system) to the New grid (the transformed
coordiante system) in the Current Grid -> New Grid box. Note that the
Bearing offset is positive clockwise from North. You can also enter a
negative number to indicate anti-clockwise rotation offset..
Two sets of coords - When specifying the transformation as the
coordinates of two points in each system enter the Current or original X
and Y coordinates for both points overlain by the corresponding New X
and Y coordinates for each point.
5. If the E, N data columns Transformation Target was selected in the
opening dialog, select the X and Y data columns containing the original
coordinates from the Transform Columns pull-down lists. Set the
destination X and Y into Columns to store the transformed coordinates
using the pull-down lists.
Note
The new X and Y columns must already be available for selection in the
transformation table. To add new data columns to the table to store the
transformation values use the Table>Maintenance>Table Structure menu
option prior to running the Transform Coordinates utility.
Transform Coords Now
In addition to transforming coordinates from table columns or map objects, single
sets of coordinates can be entered for immediate transformation. Check the
Transform coords now box. Enter the current X and Y coordinate to transform
into the appropriate windows. Click the Calculate button to run the transform
calculation. The new coordinates are displayed in the dialog box.
Plane Transformation Scale Factor
When a plane transformation is defined by Two sets of coords (coordinate pair
and a bearing offset) then a scale factor must be entered. The scale factor is used
to correct for the difference between earth curvature and the map projection used.
By default the Scale Factor is set to 1.00.

222 Engage User Guide
If the plane transformation is defined by two pairs of coordinates, the scale factor
is implicit (as is the bearing offset) and should not be entered.
A scale factor can be used to convert between coordinate systems in different
units. For example, converting imperial coordinates in feet to a metric coordinates
system enter a scale factor of 0.3048.
Save Plane Transformation
To save a plane transformation click on the Add button once all the
transformation parameters have been entered and supply a transformation name
to identify this transformation in the list.
When a previously stored transformation is selected from the list in the top left of
the Transform Coordinates dialog, the transformation parameters are applied
automatically but cannot be altered.
Plane transformations are saved to a table called LGTRANS (located in the
Engage configuration folder) and should be maintained from within this function
in Engage. To delete a transformation, open the LGTRANS table into a browser
window and delete the corresponding browser record. Transformations can also
be modified from the LGTRANS browser window.
Note
Saved transformation parameters can also be used with the Engage>Map Grid
and Scaled Output utilities to display a local (non-earth) grid and a map
(projected real-world) grid in the same map window.
Affine Transformation
An affine transformation is used to display MapInfo tables located in a local nonearth
grid projection with data in a real-world projection, such as UTM or lat-long.
The Engage Transform Coordinates utility enables data to be transformed as a
one off process using an affine transformation. Alternatively a custom affine
coordinate system can be created and added to the MapInfo projection file as a
permanent custom affine projection.
The custom affine projection can be selected for use with tables or as the map
window projection just like any other existing projection. The custom affine
projection can also be used to map point datasets.

10 Coordinates and Projections 223
The affine transformation method is based on using a Ground Control Point table
with a set of known points in both the non-earth and a known projection space.
The method will use these to determine a set of affine transformation parameters
which are the best fit for the given control points, using a least-squares method to
minimise the misfit.
For more information, see:
• Creating a Custom Affine Projection
• Using a Custom Affine Projection in MapInfo
Creating a Custom Affine Projection
An affine or custom coordinate system is a custom projection that contains affine
transformation parameters and is added to the MAPINFOW.PRJ file. The
projection is available for selection when creating and saving tables or setting the
projection of a map window. The affine transformation parameters define a
custom coordinate system which is based on a affine transformation from a
standard projection.
The data created or saved using the custom projection is still displayed in the local
coordinates. The custom projection transformation parameters relate the local
grid to real-world coordinates, enabling MapInfo to overlay UTM or lat-long data
with data collected in the local grid system.
The affine transformation method is based on using a Ground Control Point table
with a set of known points in both the non-earth and a known projection space.
The method will use these to determine a set of affine transformation parameters
which are the best fit for the given control points, using a Least Squares method
to minimise the mis-fit.
Example Custom Affine Projection Control Point Table

224 Engage User Guide
Note
In contrast to the once-off affine data transformation, the control point table for a
custom affine projection transformation must contain four columns which read
from left to right as UTM_Easting, UTM_Northing, Local_Easting and
Local_Northing. The naming convention of the column headings is not important,
but the order of the columns is critical.
1. Select Engage>Data Utilities>Coordinate Transform.
2. In the Coordinate Transform dialog, select Affine from the
Transformation Type pull-down list.
3. Click on the Control Point Table button and browse to the control point
table. The selected control point table will be displayed on the Control
Point button. This table does not need to be mappable.
4. Select the Make Affine Coordsys check box.
5. Click OK.
6. Select the required standard projection for the UTM coordinate fields from
the Choose Projection dialog. This is the base projection the custom
affine is based on.
7. Engage will create the affine transformation and add the custom
coordinate system description to the MAPTRAN.LOG file.
8. Copy the line beginning “My affine coordinate system” from the
MAPTRAN.LOG file and paste into the bottom of your
MAPINFOW.PRJfile. The MAPINFOW.PRJ file is located in the
..\\MapInfo\Professional folder.
9. Assign a new name for the custom projection and add a new projection
Category line above the protection . This projection category is used to
keep all your custom projections together, and should be in the format
below:
"--- Alex’s Projections ---"
10. Simply change the "30xx" first number to "10xx". E.g. change 3008 to
1008. This will then use the default bounds to achieve sub-decimeter
accuracy. Alternatively to achieve higher precision, add an appropriate
bounds clause to hte projection line. To specify bounds for the new
projection enter the appropriate min_x, min_y, max_x, max_y values for
your data as per the example below.

10 Coordinates and Projections 225
Example of a custom projection's in the MAPINFOW.PRJ file:
"--- Custom Coordinate Systems ---"
"Sylvania Local Grid", 1008, 13,7, 141, 0, 0.9996, 500000, 10000000,
7, 0.895898, -0.444543, 3108129.02, 0.444537, 0.895887, -6726798.31
"Sylvania Local Grid (bounds)", 3008, 13,7, 141, 0, 0.9996, 500000,
10000000, 7, 0.895898, -0.444543, 3108129.02, 0.444537, 0.895887, -
6726798.31, -500000, -500000, 10000000, 10000000
Note
The '_trans' table lists the Transformation Coefficents as used by the following
affine transformation equations::
x' = Ax + By + C
y' = Dx + Ey + F
Note
The maptran.log Total RMS is the total Euclidean distance between the X and Y
residual components of the transformation. It does not directly relate to the
individual control point's RMSs, and a large value can still be a relatively
accurate transformation result depending on the scale and area of application.
The Standard deviation in X and Y indicate a better absolute measure of the
error in the transformation.
Using a Custom Affine Projection in MapInfo
Use this custom projection to create points for data collected in local coordinates,
to save data collected in UTM or lat-long in local coordinates or to change the map
window projection to display local coordinates.
To convert existing polyline or polygon tables in local projection (non-earth
metres) so they can be overlain with UTM or lat-long data, export the tables as
MapInfo MID/MIF files. Open the MIF file in a text editor and change the
CoordSys line to the custom coordinate system. (To make sure the correct
CoordSys line format is used, export a MapInfo table created in the custom
coordinate system as a MID/MIF file and copy and paste the CoordSys line from
the MIF file). Once the CoordSys line is replaced import the MID/MIF back into
MapInfo.
Note
You cannot reproject from or to a non-earth coordinate system.
For more information on creating custom projections refer to the MapInfo
Professional User Guide Appendix B.

226 Engage User Guide
Dialog Help
• Coordinate Transformation Dialog Box
• Transform Coordinates Dialog Box
Coordinate Transformation Dialog Box
Note
This tool does not support transforming to or from a lat-long projection.
Note
Raster images and grid surfaces cannot be transformed with the Transform
Coordinates utility. For image reprojection, use EngageImages>Reproject; for
grid surface reprojection, use EngageSurfaces>Grid Utilities>Reproject.
Transformation table
Select a table from the list of all open tables. Only native MapInfo or TAB files
connected to an editable source table can be transformed. TAB files connected
to read-only files (Excel or text files, for example) will not be displayed and must
be first saved to a native MapInfo table.
Transformation target
• E, N data columns: Transform X and Y coordinate columns into new
columns in the same table.
Note
The new X and Y columns must be created before the transformation is
performed. To add new data columns to the table use
Table>Maintenance>Table Structure before running Transform Coordinates.
• Map objects: Transform map objects (including complex regions and
polylines) from one coordinate system to another. Transformed map
objects are saved to an output table with a “_trans” suffix.
Transformation type
(Method)
• Plane – A simple, linear transformation defined by a scaling factor and
two pairs of common coordinates or one pair of coordinates and a bearing
difference. The plane transformation can provide only rotation and shift.

10 Coordinates and Projections 227
• Affine – A linear transformation with separate scaling, rotation and shift
along the X and Y axes. This is an extremely useful transformation and
can be used where you need to adjust from an unknown coordinate
system such as a local mine grid to UTM. For example, transform a nonearth
local grid to MGA94 (GDA94) Zone 54.
• Projective – Projective transformations map lines to lines. Straight lines
remain straight but parallelism may not be preserved. A minimum of four
control points are required for a projective transformation.
• Conformal – Conformal transformations preserve shapes and angles and
may include a rotation, a scaling and a translation. Straight lines and
parallel lines remain straight and parallel in the transformed image. A
minimum of three control points are required for a conformal
transformation.
• Polynomial Transformations – Polynomial transformations are higherorder,
non-linear transformations which can handle more complex local
distortions. Polynomial transformations are smooth and are also known as
‘rubber-sheet’ transformations as they enable parts of an image to be
stretched or warped to fit the control points. A minimum of six control
points for 2 nd order polynomial and ten control points for 3 rd order
polynomial transformations is required.
Control Point Table
Click to load the control point table.
Simple affine projection
The control point table for a simple affine data transformation must contain
four columns, which read from left to right are Local_Easting,
Local_Northing, UTM_Easting and UTM_Northing.
Custom affine projection
The control point table for a custom affine projection transformation must
contain four columns, which read from left to right are UTM_Easting,
UTM_Northing, Local_Easting and Local_Northing.
The naming convention of the column headings is not important, but the order of
the columns is critical.
The control table must contain at least 3 points located in both local non-earth grid
and real-earth projected coordinates. The greater the number of control points
provided, the more accurate the final transformation (depending on the precision
of the control points).

228 Engage User Guide
The affine transformation method is based on using a Ground Control Point table
with a set of known points in both the non-earth and a known projection space.
The method will use these to determine a set of affine transformation parameters
which are the best fit for the given control points, using a least squares method to
minimise the misfit.
Calculate parameters only
Select to display the calculated transformation coefficients without transforming
the data.
Show transform parameters
Select to display the transformation coefficients, residuals and standard deviation
information. These parameters are saved to a text file named MAPTRAN.LOG in
the Engage temporary directory.
Make affine coord. system
Create a custom affine projection, which is available for selection when creating
and saving tables or setting the projection of a map window.
The custom projection transformation parameters relate the local grid to realworld
coordinates, enabling MapInfo to overlay UTM or lat-long data with data
collected in the local grid system.
To create a custom affine projection, make sure that the following options have
been selected:
• Under Transformation Target, select Map Objects.
• Select a control point table suitable for a custom affine projection (see
above).
Engage will create the affine transformation and add the custom coordinate
system description to the MAPTRAN.LOG file.
For information on adding an affine projection to the MAPINFOW.PRJ file, see
Affine Transformation. For information on applying the projection in MapInfo, see
Using a Custom Affine Projection in MapInfo. For more information on creating
custom projections, refer to the MapInfo Professional User Guide.
See also
... Coordinate Transformations

10 Coordinates and Projections 229
Transform Coordinates Dialog Box
Choose a grid transform
Click to select an existing transform, or select . Existing
transform settings cannot be edited.
Transform coords now
In addition to transforming coordinates from table columns or map objects, single
sets of coordinates can be entered for immediate transformation. Check the
Transform coords now box. Enter the current X and Y coordinate to transform
into the appropriate windows. Click the Calculate button to run the transform
calculation. The new coordinates are displayed in the dialog box.
Define transformation by
• Origin, bearing: Specify the coordinates of the origin in the current and
new coordinate systems and a rotation angle.
• Two sets of coords: Specify the coordinates of two points in both
coordinate systems.
Transform coordinates
(Available when the Transform coords now option is selected)
Type the current X and Y coordinates that you want to transform.
Calculate
Click to calculate the transformed coordinates.
To
Displays the transformed X and Y coordinate values.
Transform columns
(Available when the E, N data columns option was selected in the Coordinate
Transformation Dialog Box)
Select the X and Y data columns containing the current coordinates.

230 Engage User Guide
Into columns
(Available when the E, N data columns option was selected in the Coordinate
Transformation Dialog Box)
Select the X and Y data columns in which the new coordinates will be stored.
Note
To add new data columns to the table use Table>Maintenance>Table
Structure before running Transform Coordinates.
Origin and bearing method
Scale factor
Type the scale factor. The scale factor is typically used to correct for curvature or
a change in the units of measurement. To convert feet to metres type a scale
factor of 0.3048.
Common coords of point
Type the current origin coordinates in the Current coords boxes and the new
origin in the New coords boxes.
Bearing offset
Type the rotation angle between the two coordinate systems. Angle is positive
clockwise from the current coordinate system.
Two point method
Point 1 (two point method)
Type the current coordinates of the first point in the Current coords boxes and
the new coordinates in the New coords boxes.
Point 2 (two point method)
Type the current coordinates of the first point in the Current coords boxes and
the new coordinates in the New coords boxes.

10 Coordinates and Projections 231
Add
Click to name and save the transformation settings, which you can load from the
Choose a grid transform box. Plane transformation settings are saved to the
LGTRANS table (located in the Engage configuration folder). Transformations
can also be modified from the LGTRANS browser window.
Note
Saved transformation settings can also be used with the Engage>Map Grid and
Scaled Output utilities to display a local (non-earth) grid and a map (projected
real-world) grid in the same map window.
Delete
Click to delete the transformation settings selected in the Choose a grid
transform box.
See also
...Coordinate Transformations
Reprojecting Coordinates
• Reprojecting a Table
• Reprojecting Multiple Tables
Reprojecting a Table
Engage>Data Utilities>Reproject Coordinates
The Reproject Coordinates utility enables data which is captured in one
coordinate system to be reprojected and viewed in a new coordinate system. For
example, vector data captured in Australian AGD84 coordinates can be
reprojected into GDA94 coordinates. Vector data can be reprojected between
projected (e.g. UTM), geographic (e.g. Lat/Long) and custom coordinate systems.
The utility works in the same way as the MapInfo File>Save Copy As menu
option but has been designed specifically to incorporate the NTv2 grid shift
transformation parameters for selected Canadian and Australian projections.

232 Engage User Guide
Reproject Coordinates dialog with NTv2 grid shift option
In the Reproject TAB File dialog select the table to reproject from the Filename
pull-down list. Only tables currently open in MapInfo are available for reprojection.
The native projection of the table should automatically be populated in the
Projection window. If the utility does not recognise the native table projection a
warning message is displayed stating that the projection is not listed in the
Encom.prj file. See below for details on how to update the Encom.prj file.
Note
The projection list available in the Engage Coordinate Reproject utility is stored
in a separate file to the MapInfow.prj file. Therefore not all the projections in
the MapInfow.prj will be available for selection in this utility. For example, if you
wish to reproject data using a custom coordinate system clause which has been
added to the MapInfow.prj file you will need to copy the custom projection line
into the Encom.prj file located in the .\Program
Files\Encom\Common\Projections folder.
By default, a new reprojected table is created using the original table name and a
“_reprojected” extension. To change the output file name click on the new name
and modify. Alternatively, click on the Browse button and select a new name and/
or location for the reprojected table.
Note
Check the Use NTv2 grid-shift box when reprojecting images between NAD27
and NAD83 Canadian coordinate systems or AGD66/AGD84 and GDA94
Australian systems. If you are not familiar with this method see Engage NTv2
Transformation for more information about this option.
Dialog Help
• Reproject TAB File Dialog Box

10 Coordinates and Projections 233
Reproject TAB File Dialog Box
Input file
Filename
Select the table from the list of open tables.
Projection
Displays the native projection of the selected input table.
Note
If the projection is not recognised, copy the projection from the MapInfow.prj
to the Encom.prj file, which is located in the .\Program
Files\Encom\Common\Projections folder.
Output file
Filename
By default, the reprojected table is named by adding “_reprojected” to the input
table name. Click the box to edit, or click the Open button and select a new name
and location for the reprojected table.
Projection
Click Choose to display the Choose Projection Dialog Box, from which you can
choose a projection category and member.
Use NTv2 grid shift
Select when reprojecting images between NAD27 and NAD83 Canadian
coordinate systems or AGD66 and AGD84 Australian systems. If you are not
familiar with this method see Engage NTv2 Transformation for more information
about this option.
See also
...Reprojecting Coordinates

234 Engage User Guide
Reprojecting Multiple Tables
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Reproject Multiple Tables
Save multiple tables in another projection. All available open tables are displayed
in the Tables to Reproject list. Use the Open Table button to add another table
to the Tables to Reproject list if necessary. Select the tables to reproject by
placing a tick in the table check box or use the Select All button. Click in the table
checkbooks to unselect a table or use the Unselect All button.
Click on the New Projection button and choose the new table projection. This
projection will then be displayed in the Target Projection column of the Tables
to Reproject window.
A number of options are available to save the reprojected tables. The existing
tables may be saved in the new projection or new tables may be created. These
new tables will be created in the original table directory unless a different directory
is specified. The new tables also have the option to be renamed with a
“_reproject” filename extension but this can also be modified to something more
applicable if desired. Click OK to reproject the selected tables.
Note
Reproject Multiple Tables uses MapInfo’s (9.0.2+) method for NTv2—see
Projections and Transformations for more details. Alternatively you can use
Engage>Data Utilities>Reproject Coordinates to perform the NTv2
reprojection on an individual file.

10 Coordinates and Projections 235
Reproject multiple tables dialog

11 Working with Map Objects 237
11 Working with Map Objects
In this section:
• Objects and Layers
• Creating Objects from a Table
• Creating and Editing Objects from the Keyboard
• Selecting Objects
• Copying, Moving, and Transforming Objects
• Manipulating Lines, Polylines, and Polygons
• Using Polyline and Polygon Attributes
• Conditioning and Converting Linework into Polygons
• Colouring Map Objects
• Formatting Vector Objects
• Cloning Object Styles
• Linking Objects to External Documents
See also
...Digitizing and Data Entry
...Selecting Table Records
...Working with Tables
Objects and Layers
Before creating and editing objects in a map, the layer on which it is stored must
be selectable and editable.
See also
...Managing Maps and Layers
...Displaying Map Coordinates, Distances and Bearings

238 Engage User Guide
Creating Objects from a Table
Engage>Object>Build Objects from Table
Creates MapInfo objects from descriptions stored as ASCII coordinates in
MapInfo tables or text files.
If you have object descriptions other than points in a text file (in general a list of X
and Y coordinate pairs), the only way MapInfo can import these objects is if the
data is initially converted to a MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF) or Drawing
Exchange Format (DXF) file. In most cases this is impractical. Engage provides
the ability to create objects from a variety of ASCII description types.
In order to use ASCII coordinate data with Engage, the text file should be opened
as a table in MapInfo. For large files, save the ASCII coordinate table to a native
MapInfo table for quicker processing.
For all import formats the coordinate system of the ASCII data must be known.
When importing polyline descriptions, there is the option to convert closed
polylines to regions for appropriate formats. Regions are then created with the
current pen and brush styles.
Note
To build objects from Geographical or Longitude/Latitude coordinates, the data
structure must be in a decimal degree format. The Build Objects from Table
tool will not accept degree-minute-second (DMS) data format. To quickly
reformat the DMS data, use the MapInfo tool located under Tools>Tool
Manager>Degree Converter.

11 Working with Map Objects 239
Build Objects from Table options dialog
Row Delimited Polylines
Polyline descriptions must have a delimiter to enable Engage to determine when
the last node in an object has been read. The delimiter may be either a line
between the objects (blank or otherwise), a change in attribute (such as polygon
code) or a value such as “start” or “end” entered into another column. For each of
these cases it needs to be specified which columns contain the X and Y
coordinate information.
If the polylines are delimited by row then Engage must know whether to expect a
blank line or a line with a different value in the X or Y coordinate column. Use the
Row delimited Polylines to import objects in the Arc Line format, where the start
delimiter line is a sequential record number and the end delimiter line is “END”.
317822 6994520
317911 6999620
309400 7001427
309400 6994833
233410 7665412
236410 7665499
236410 7668390
233410 7668211
Example of polylines without attributes delimited by a blank line

240 Engage User Guide
Import Polylines using row delimiters options dialog
Column Delimited Polylines
If the polylines are delimited by column, Engage must know which column
contains the delimiter and in what form the delimiter takes. Choose the Unique
Attribute option if each node in a polyline is identified by the same attribute value.
Use Start Keyword if the start of each polyline is identified by a word such as
START, or use the Start and End Keywords if both the start and end of each
polyline are identified. If using the start/end keyword options, enter the
appropriate keywords for Engage to search for.
EL877 317822 6994520
EL877 317911 6999620
EL877 309400 7001427
EL1234 309400 6994833
EL1234 233410 7665412
EL1234 236410 7665499
EL1234 236410 7668390
EL1234 233410 7668211
Example of polylines delimited by a unique identifier in column 1

11 Working with Map Objects 241
Import Polylines using column delimiters options dialog
Engage provides the option of importing data either as normal X and Y coordinate
pairs or as distance, bearing and elevation triplets. For the latter, the distance is
taken to be measured in the current coordinate system units, the bearing is
between 0º and 359º, and the angular elevation is between +90º (uphill) and –90º
(downhill). If angular elevations have not been measured then Engage assumes
the traverse is flat.
For both import options, Engage attempts to include any other values found on
the first line of the object description as attributes in the MapInfo table.
Line on One Row Polylines
The Line on 1 row ASCII import format contains line descriptions with the
coordinates of the two endpoints of the line in one row of the import file/table, as
X1, Y1, X2, Y2. For example:
805600, 8475240, 805600, 8475260
If there are any attributes in the ASCII file, they are not carried across to the
MapInfo table.

242 Engage User Guide
XYZ Grid
XYZ grids generated by other gridding programs such as Surfer can be imported
using Engage. The grid cell size is automatically detected from the X,Y coordinate
pair spacing and the grid is created as polygons centred on each X,Y point. The
Z-value is added as an attribute to each object to generate a table similar to that
produced by the EngageSurfaces module. The imported grid can then be
thematically shaded.
Note
This import option produces a grid of MapInfo polygons. Use the
EngageSurfaces>Import Grid File>ASCII Grid to import an ASCII grid into one
of the supported raster grid formats.
Creating and Editing Objects from the Keyboard
Engage>Object>Draw by Coordinates
Create map objects by entering node coordinates from the keyboard. Edit the
node coordinates of a selected object.
Usually when creating map objects, you can draw them using a digitizer or
mouse. However, in some cases you may have an object description in
coordinates (such as a property or land-use boundary) or you may wish to create
a polyline or region from a distance/bearing/elevation traverse.
Using Engage, you can enter coordinates directly from the keyboard and build
simple objects, such as ellipses, points or lines, or more complex multi-node
polylines and polygons. You can also edit the shape of existing objects by altering
the node coordinates.
If you have a list of coordinates already in a text file, use the
Engage>Object>Build Objects from Table function to create objects
automatically from these coordinates.
If the object that you have defined lies outside the map window extents, the map
window is panned to show the object.
Selecting the Object Type
In the Key in Shapes dialog, select which map layer in which you wish to create
the new object (choose from any layers in the map window or choose to create a
new table). Engage then uses the projection of the current map window to draw
the objects. You can easily change projection by selecting a projection with the
Favourite Projections option.

11 Working with Map Objects 243
Drawing objects by coordinates dialog
You should then nominate the type of object to draw, the units to use and how to
specify nodes for polylines and polygons. If the map window is in a lat/long
projection, the XY Units control is set to Degrees and disabled. If you are entering
coordinates in degrees, select between decimal degrees and degrees, minutes,
seconds (DMS). DMS format is dd.mmss, for example 47º 17’ 23.45” would be
entered as 47.172345.
The dialog for entering the coordinate information depends on what type of object
you have nominated to draw.
Draw a Point
Select Point as the Object Type and use the Object Style button to select an
appropriate point symbol. Click on the Enter Coordinates button and key in the
X and Y coordinates into the Draw Point dialog. Click OK to create new point.

244 Engage User Guide
Draw a Line
Select Line as the Object Type and use the Object Style button to select an
appropriate line style. Two options are available for drawing line objects: Enter
Nodes by Coordinates enables a user to enter the start and end coordinates of
the new line. Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing enables the user to specify a
starting coordinate for the line and then a distance, bearing and inclination to the
end point of the line. Choose the Enter Coordinates button to enter the line
information into the Draw Line dialog:

11 Working with Map Objects 245
Draw a Polyline/Polygon
Select Polyline or Region as the Object Type and use the Object Style button
to select an appropriate line/region style. Two options are available for drawing
polyline or region objects: Enter Nodes by Coordinates and Enter Nodes by
Distance, Bearing. Once the appropriate option has been selected, click on the
Enter Coordinates Button.
Enter Nodes by Coordinates
Enter Nodes by Coordinates enables a user to enter a coordinate pair for each
polyline or region node. Use the Add button to add a coordinate pair to the list,
and the Edit/Delete buttons to modify the Current Nodes list. When you have
entered all the nodes for the object, click the Done button and the object is
constructed in the appropriate map layer.
The dialog for entry of metric polyline/polygon nodes
Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing
Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing enables the user to specify a starting
coordinate for the polyline or region and then a distance, bearing and elevation to
the next node. Click the Add button, and the coordinates of the first two points are
placed into the Current Nodes list.

246 Engage User Guide
Leave or enter the next distance/bearing/elevation value and click Add to place
the coordinates of the next point in the list. If you do not have measured
elevations, then leave these as zero. Otherwise, Engage uses negative
elevations for down and positive elevations for up.
The dialog for entry of metric polyline/polygon nodes using Distance/Bearing/Elevation
Draw an Arc, Ellipse or Rectangle
Select Arc, Ellipse or Rectangle as the Object Type and use the Object Style
button to select an appropriate line/region style. Click on the Enter Coordinates
button.
To draw an ellipse or rectangle, the diametrically opposed corner coordinates of
the object need to be entered. To draw an arc, the diametrically opposed corner
coordinates of the arc need to be entered, along with the start and end angles for
the arc.

11 Working with Map Objects 247
Edit Node Coordinates
If you have an object selected when you choose Draw by Coordinates, Engage
allows you to edit the existing node coordinates with the same methods described
above. When editing a polyline or polygon, the Add button allows you to add a
node at any position within the object. You are asked where to place the new
node, and the coordinates are then added to the node list. You cannot create or
edit multi-section polylines or regions using this tool in Engage.
Selecting Objects
• Select by Proximity
• Select by Graphical Style
Select by Proximity
Engage>Select>Using Proximity Search
Display map objects that are located within a specified distance from one or more
selected objects. Apply additional filter criteria to returned map objects to refine
proximity search.
The Engage Proximity Search enables identification of map objects of interest
due to their spatial relationship to other map objects. For example, a Proximity
Search could be used to identify sites within a specified distance of a plant or
waste site which may be affected by a gas leak, contamination spill or noise
pollution. Alternatively, search around a proposed retail location for existing
competitor sites.

248 Engage User Guide
Dialog showing proximity search for competitor store locations around selected retail
outlets
1. Select the map object or map objects to search around, e.g. faults.
Note
You can choose more than one object to perform the proximity search around.
To quickly select all map objects in a layer highlight the layer in the ELC and
choose Select All from the right-mouse click pop-up menu.
2. Choose the layer in the map window that is to be returned in the proximity
search (e.g. mineral occurrence layer). Enter a search buffer Width and
appropriate Units to use. The Resolution value relates to the number of
segments used to create the buffer. The higher the resolution, the
smoother the appearance of the buffer. To view the buffer check the Show
buffer box and choose an appropriate Line Style.
The Proximity Search will only select map objects that are located within
this buffer zone. If a number of adjoining map objects are selected one
search buffer is created that covers all the adjoining objects.
3. To refine the selected map objects further check the Where box and use
the column and operator pull-down lists to create an expression similar to
that used in an SQL “Where” condition. This expression informs Engage
to only select map objects located within the buffer that meet the specified
selection criteria. For example, all good sporting competitor locations.

11 Working with Map Objects 249
4. The search results may be saved to a user defined file name and location.
Otherwise the results will automatically be saved to a temporary table
named PROXSRCH. Selected records may be displayed in a browser
and/or added to the current map window.
Specify a unique map object style to display the selected objects in the
map window.
5. Click OK to commence the Proximity Search.
If the Show buffer box is checked the search buffer is placed into the Cosmetic
layer and may be removed at any time. Existing buffers are not erased by Engage
when the Proximity Search is run again.
See also
...Select by Graphical Style
Dialog Help
• Proximity Search Dialog Box
Proximity Search Dialog Box
Select objects from
Select the map window layer containing the map objects that you want to select.
Buffer
Width
Type the buffer width within which the search is made. If search buffers around
multiple objects overlap, a merged boundary is created.
Resolution
Type the number of segments in the search boundary. Increase this value to
smooth the boundary.
Show buffer
Select to display the search boundary in the map window. The buffer is created
in the cosmetic layer. Buffers for previous searches are retained in the cosmetic
layer until either deleted or the map window is closed.

250 Engage User Guide
Line style
Click to change the colour, thickness and style of the boundary.
Selection refinement
Where
Select to refine the search with a conditional expression of the form:
Field Operator Value
For example, Pop_male >= 250
(Field)
Click to select a column in the search layer.
(Operator)
Click to select a conditional operator:
(Value)
Type the value for the search criterion.
Output
By default, the search results are saved to the PROXSRCH temporary table.
Save to file
Select to display the Enter Output Table Name dialog box, from which you can
name the output table and select a path name. The output table name is
displayed.
Browse results
Click to display search results in a browser window.
Add to mapper
Select to add the output table to the map window.

11 Working with Map Objects 251
Styles
Click the symbol, line and fill style buttons to set the style of the selected
objects.
See also
...Select by Proximity
Select by Graphical Style
Engage>Select>By Map Object Style
Select by Graphical Styles allows you to select all objects from a table that have
the same graphical style attributes as the selected object.
The Select by Style Dialog Box displays the style of the selected object and allows
the selection criteria to be altered. By default, Engage selects all objects with
exactly the same style from the same layer as the selected object. You can refine
the selection criteria to request Engage to select, for example, symbols of the
same colour but of any shape or size, or regions of a particular fill colour
regardless of the fill pattern or line style.
To all objects of the same style from a table:
1. With the Select by Style dialog box open, select a graphical object from
the map window - all object types are supported including symbol, lines,
polygons and text. An object in the cosmetic layer may also be selected.
2. Click Get Selected Object Style. The object properties are displayed.
3. Select which properties to select by. By default all available properties will
be used.
4. Now choose which table to search for matching objects from the pull-down
list. This can be the same as the selection table or different table, but not
the cosmetic layer.
5. By default the output selection will be named the table name plus
"_selection" but this can be altered. The resulting selection can be opened
in a new browser and/or map window.

252 Engage User Guide
Select by Style Dialog Box
See also
... Select by Proximity
Dialog Help
• Select by Style Dialog Box
Select by Style Dialog Box
Get Selected Object Style
Click to display the style attributes of the selected object.

11 Working with Map Objects 253
Match styles
Displays the style attributes of the selected object, which you can edit before
making a selection in the map window. Select or clear the check boxes to refine
the selection criteria to select, for example, symbols of the same colour but of any
shape or size, or regions of a particular fill colour regardless of the fill pattern or
line style
Find matching objects in
Select the table that you want to search for matching objects. This can be the
same as the selection table or different table, but not the cosmetic layer.
Output
Name result selection
Select the check box to name the selection. By default, the name is the table
name plus the extension "_selection. “ Click the box to edit.
Browse selection
View the selection in a new browser window.
Map selection
View the selection in a new browser window.
Zoom map to selection
Zoom the map window to the extents of the selected objects.
See also
...Select by Graphical Style
Copying, Moving, and Transforming Objects
• Offsetting Copies of an Object
• Moving, Scaling and Rotating Objects
• Aligning Objects

254 Engage User Guide
Offsetting Copies of an Object
Engage>Object>Offset
Create multiple copies of a selected object at nominated offsets in the X and Y
directions. The selected object can be of any type. Attributes can be copied from
the “seed” object to the offset objects.
Create up to 10,000 objects offset from the selected object by specific distances
in the X and Y directions. Enter X and Y offsets (positive values are up and to the
right, negative values are down and to the left) and the number of objects to
create in the X and Y directions (up to 100 in each direction). Engage then creates
a matrix of objects.
Check the Retain attributes from selection box to populate the new object
records with the browser attributes from the seed object.
Offset
Duplicating an object (left) by offsetting it in both the X and Y directions (right)

11 Working with Map Objects 255
Use this feature to quickly create a table of map sheet boundaries. You can create
the “seed” object by using the Engage Draw by Coordinates tool to enter exact
coordinates for the map sheet object, and then use Offset to create a full
coverage of map sheets. The map sheet boundaries can then be used in Scaled
Output to quickly produce a hard-copy map just for a specific mapsheet.
Note
You can offset an object by degrees even if the base projection of the layer is in
metres.
Moving, Scaling and Rotating Objects
Engage>Object>Transform
Transform one or more objects by applying shift, scale, and rotation.
The Engage Transform function provides a simple method to transform multiple
objects. This could be used in circumstances such as rescaling map annotation
for a different output scale or shifting and rotating all map annotation for a different
map projection.
Engage allows you to perform up to three transform procedures together – for
example rotation followed by a scale and a shift.
Note
The order in which scaling and rotation operations are carried out may produce
differing results.
• Shifting – Specify the distance in metres in the X and Y direction to move
each object by. Similar to map units, positive values increase the eastings
and northings.

256 Engage User Guide
Move
Moving an object by shifting it on both the X and Y directions
• Scaling – Specify the scaling factor for each object. Choose equal scaling
in X and Y to retain the object aspect ratio. You also need to specify the
basepoint position for each object, where the scaling is to be anchored.
Scale
Base
Scaling an object uniformly by specifying equal X and Y axis ratios
• Rotation – Specify the angle to rotate each object by, in degrees
anticlockwise from North (use negative angles to rotate clockwise). You
also need to specify the basepoint position for each object, about which
the rotation is performed.
Rotate
Base
Object rotation
The following points should be born in mind when using Transform:
• Transformation of each object is relative to a basepoint in each object.

11 Working with Map Objects 257
• If you want to scale and rotate objects relative to one common point, use
the Engage>Data Utilities>Coordinate Transformation function.
• Scaling of points is not meaningful.
Aligning Objects
Engage>Object>Align
The Engage Align tool enables two or more map objects to be aligned with
respect to each other in a map window. Use the Align tool to create professional
looking legends by aligning legend map objects and text descriptions.
Any type of map object or combinations thereof including points, lines, polylines,
polygons/regions or text may be aligned. To align map objects simply select the
map objects using any of the MapInfo selection tools and select the Object>Align
menu option. The Align Objects dialog is displayed:
Align Object dialog

258 Engage User Guide
Map objects can be aligned with respect to each other vertically or horizontally.
When aligning map objects all selected objects will be aligned with the map object
that has the greatest extent according to the alignment selected. For example, a
Left Vertical alignment will align selected map objects with respect to the
selected map object which is located the furthest to the left/east in the map
window. The opposite applies for the right/west of the map window for a Right
Vertical alignment. Vertical Centre alignment will align selected map objects
with respect to the centre of the selected map object with the greatest horizontal
extent in the selection.
Align
Applying Vertical Centre and Horizontal Centre alignment options to map objects (left)
results in the smaller object aligning itself to the larger map object (right).
Map objects can also be aligned with respect to each other in a horizontal
direction. Top Horizontal alignment will align selected map objects with respect
to the selected map object which is located the furthest to the top/north in the map
window. The opposite applies for the bottom/south of the map window for a
Bottom Horizontal alignment. Horizontal Centre alignment will align selected
map objects with respect to the centre of the selected map object with the greatest
vertical extent in the selection.
To equally distribute a group of map objects along the Vertical or Horizontal axes,
use the Disperse Vertical and Disperse Horizontal options. For example, if 5
objects are selected to be dispersed horizontally, the 3 intermediary objects will
be distributed evenly between the X coordinates of the two end-member objects.
Note that for the Disperse option, coincident points (where the centroids of
multiple objects are identical) can either be treated as:
• Separate points (default), or
• As a single point so they are not separated. This is enabled by the Keep
coincident points coincident when dispersing option.
If the position of the aligned map objects is not correct use the Undo button to
return the map objects to their original position. The Undo button will only undo
the last alignment and only if the original selection has not changed.

11 Working with Map Objects 259
Manipulating Lines, Polylines, and Polygons
• Smoothing
• Thinning
• Cutting
• Joining
• Inserting Nodes
• Changing Line Direction
• Creating Donut Polygons
• Clipping
• Splitting Multiple Polylines and Polygons
Smoothing
Engage>Object>Smooth Polyline
The Engage Polyline Smoother is designed to improve the appearance of
digitized linework by smoothing abrupt changes in direction.
The line smoother works by interpolating a spline curve through the selected
polylines and adding nodes where necessary. This is in contrast to MapInfo’s
smoothing which is a running average type smoothing and operates on-the-fly.
Engage stores extra nodes for a smoothed polyline.

260 Engage User Guide
Use of the Polyline Smoother: the original polyline of the left, and the smoothed output on
the right
Poor results are obtained when a minimum number of nodes define a polyline. For
example, if a polyline in the shape of a rectangle is defined by only four nodes,
the line smoother modifies the fundamental shape and produces an elliptical
shaped polyline.
The polyline smoother can be used to overwrite a polyline with the smoothed line
or write the smoothed line to a separate table. If the smoothed polyline is written
to a different table, then data attributes are only carried across with the polyline if
the structure of the two tables is identical.
Engage does not smooth polygons, because of the danger of destroying topology
relationships between adjacent polygons that share boundaries. In general, if
such polygons are smoothed, then the resulting boundaries have small areas of
gaps and overlap.
Thinning
You may wish to use the thin polyline options when you are using detailed data
at a much smaller scale than it was digitised at. For example, you may wish to
make a less detailed copy of a complex piece of coastline. Engage provides two
methods of thinning polylines as outlined below:
Thin Polyline by Node Number
Engage>Object>Thin Polyline by Node Number
Decrease the number of nodes in the selected polylines or regions by removing
every n th node.

11 Working with Map Objects 261
Node Thinning dialog
Select the polylines or regions to thin (use any of the MapInfo selection methods)
and then nominate a node thinning factor. Engage allows you to discard from 5%
(1 in 20) to 95% (19 out of every 20) of the nodes in the selected objects.
This method of thinning polylines and regions may not produce acceptable results
on some data sets. In such cases, see Thin Polyline by Node Position.
Engage allows you to calculate statistics on the selection of polylines before you
nominate a thinning factor. If you wish to retain the original, more detailed, data
set make sure to save the processed data under a different name. Use the
MapInfo File>Save Copy As menu option.
Note
Do not thin regions that have adjoining regions as common boundaries will not
necessarily remain the same.
Thin Polyline by Node Position
Engage>Object>Thin Polyline by Position
Decrease the number of nodes in the selected polylines or regions by removing
those nodes that lie within a tolerance angle of adjacent nodes.
Use this method of thinning nodes in a polyline or region for most natural objects
such as contours and topographic features.

262 Engage User Guide
Node thinning by scale or size
You define the sub-sampling to be carried out on the selected objects by
specifying either a thinning width or a thinning scale. For a nominated thinning
width, Engage examines the first 3 nodes in the object. If the second node lies
within the thinning width of a line joining the first and third nodes, then it is
discarded, otherwise it is kept and the second to fourth nodes are examined.
For the thinning scale, the same process is carried out with a thinning width
implied by the specified scale. The thinning width is calculated as 1 thousandth of
the specified map scale, so that for a map scale of 1:10,000 a thinning width of 10
m (or whatever current units are in use) is implied.
Use the Thin for scale option when you know what scale you are viewing your
data at. Otherwise, use the Thinning width option if you know what size features
and level of detail you need to retain.
Cutting
Engage>Object>Line Cut
Cut any object (except points and text) with a line that crosses the object. Select
the objects to cut, choose the menu option and select the cutting line to execute
the cut.
Using the MapInfo Objects>Split menu option, you can cut objects where they
intersect a cutter region. In many cases this is cumbersome and requires that a
region be specially constructed for the purpose from existing polylines. With
Engage, you can use a line, polyline or arc as the cutter object to split polylines
or regions. If the object that you want to split is not a polyline or a region, it is
converted to one and then split. Therefore splitting an arc object will result in the
creation of two polylines. Engage cannot split text or point objects.

11 Working with Map Objects 263
When you have selected the objects to cut, choose the Object>Line Cut menu
option. Engage then prompts you to select the line to perform the cutting
operation. As soon as you have selected a line, Engage carries out the cutting
operation.
If Engage displays a message such as “An error occurred overlaying nodes”, the
cutting operation is not completed and you should check the results.
Joining
Engage>Object>Line Concat
Join lines within a specified distance and angle of each other.
Line or polyline data such as drainage, roads/tracks, pipelines or other utilities
can sometimes be received as a series of disjointed line segments whereby it is
necessary to combine them into single objects. The Engage Line Concat utility
enables line segments which are located within a specified distance and within a
specified angle from each other to be combined into a single continuous linear
object.
The lines or polylines to be concatenated must be selected in the map window
prior to choosing Line Concat from the Object menu.
Line Concatenate options

264 Engage User Guide
In the Concatenation Parameters enter a maximum distance in which to join
lines. Enter a maximum angle between line segments to join. Lines will be joined
where the start or end node is within the entered distance and angle to the start
or end node of another line segment. Options are available to stop joining lines
where multiple line options are found within either the entered search distance or
angle. This will prevent incorrect joins being automatically created but may
require some manual editing using the Line Concat tool at a later stage.
Another way of filtering the lines to join is to use an attribute field. Lines will only
be joined which are within the entered search distance and angle and which have
the same attribute value; e.g. drainage classifications or utility types. To use this
option check the Join lines by value in column box and select the attribute field
from the pull-down list.
The resulting concatenated lines may be created in the original line table or check
the Operate on copy of data box to create a new table containing the joined
linework.
Line segments to concatenate
Resulting concatenated lines

11 Working with Map Objects 265
Note
If the joined lines are created in the same table, the MapInfo File>Revert Table
menu option can be used to return to the original segmented line work so long as
the table has not been saved. If it looks like there are still joined lines after using
this menu option, zoom in the map window to refresh the view.
To remove deleted (grey) rows from the browser of the original table select
File>Save Table and then Table>Maintenance>Pack Table.
Inserting Nodes
Engage>Object>Insert Nodes
Insert nodes at specified intervals from the beginning of a line or into polylines/
polygons at regular spacings between existing nodes.
The MapInfo Add Node utility only allows one node to be added at a time to an
object. The Engage Insert Nodes utility enables multiple nodes to be added to
line, polyline or polygon objects in a single pass.
In certain situations it may be necessary to increase the density of nodes within a
polyline or polygon object. For example, when gridding contour or other line data
and when performing detailed object editing whilst digitizing. Aside from
increasing node density between nodes in existing polyline or polygon objects,
nodes can also be inserted at specific intervals along a straight line object.
Nodes can be inserted into a map window selection or in all objects in a table. If
a map window selection is used, select the objects prior to choosing Insert Nodes
from the Object menu.

266 Engage User Guide
Once you have selected the objects into which the nodes are to be inserted, the
Insert Nodes dialog is displayed.
Two Insert Node Options are available:
• Insert Nodes at fixed intervals from start of line
Use this option for line objects (lines with start and end nodes only). Enter
the desired interval into the Enter Maximum Node Spacing window and
choose the appropriate units from the pull-down list.
• Insert Nodes at regular intervals between existing nodes so interval
does not exceed maximum node spacing
This option will initially measure the distance between the existing nodes
and if the distance between these nodes exceeds the distance entered
into the Enter Maximum Node Spacing window then a new node will be
inserted mid-way between these nodes. If the distance between the newly
inserted node and the nodes either side still exceed the maximum node
spacing then another node is inserted mid-way between the nodes. This
process will continue until the distance between all nodes in the object is
equal to or falls below the maximum node spacing.
To view the nodes once they have been created make sure the table it editable
in the map window. Select a single object and use the Reshape button to view
all the nodes in a table.
Note
To create point objects from nodes within a map object use the
Engage>Object>Extract Nodes tool. This is particularly useful for creating
points from nodes inserted along line at regular intervals.

11 Working with Map Objects 267
Changing Line Direction
Engage>Object>Change Line Direction
Reverse the direction of selected polylines or regions.
Use this feature to ensure that polyline coverage for drainage, roads etc. have a
consistent line direction. This is important for providing indications of direction of
flow or for geocoding purposes.
Select the polylines or regions to change direction. Select Change Direction
from the Object menu.
Creating Donut Polygons
Engage>Object>Donut Polygons
Use the Donut Polygons function when a polygon map contains overlapping or
in-lying polygons to cut-out or excise the smaller polygons from the larger ones.
Many maps commonly show linear objects occurring within or cutting across,
other polygonal areas. For example, a street may cut across a park or a city block
may lie within a suburb. In MapInfo Professional, you must be careful that this
situation is handled correctly.
For example, a new housing development layer may consist of various polygons
such as property boundaries, roads, parks and thoroughfares all lying within a
single estate boundary. The Donut Polygon utility enables you to cut out each
polygon from the surrounding boundary polygon so there are no overlaps. These
boundaries could then be queried for example, to determine the total area outside
of the property boundaries which will be allocated as common ground.

268 Engage User Guide
Engage allows you to cut out all overlapping polygons for an entire polygon table
in one step. All the attributes that have previously been associated with the
polygons are preserved. The cutting is performed on the basis of polygon area
with smaller polygons always being excised from larger polygons.
All you need to specify are the names for the input and output files. As Engage
processes the polygons, it may come across some cases that cannot be
satisfactorily cut out. In this case a message is written to the file DONUT.ERR in
the temporary files folder.
The processing may take quite some time to complete. The more polygons and
the larger the polygons, the longer it takes to process the table. To decrease
processing time, you should ensure that the table to be processed is not open in
a map window (so that MapInfo does not spend extra time redrawing the window
each time an object is modified).
Note
If the data being processed has not been accurately digitized (for example,
polygons overlap many times along a common boundary) then Engage may take
a lot longer than expected as it attempts to ensure that no overlapping polygons
remain in the map.
Clipping
Engage>Object>Clip to Polygon
Discard data that lie outside a selected region, clipping the retained data at the
region boundary. The clipped data may be written to new tables in the same folder
or to a new folder.

11 Working with Map Objects 269
Note
Clip to Polygon does not clip objects contained in the Cosmetic layer.
You can use Clip to Polygon to create subsets of data from larger data sets. For
example, you may wish to keep all data for a particular area in one folder. You
can display all your data in a map window and select the required area boundary.
Engage can then discard all data that doesn’t lie within the area. This allows you
to easily distribute the data for just that area or produce maps showing only the
relevant data.
Whilst this can be fairly straightforward to do in MapInfo with one layer, it is very
time consuming to do for multi-layered data sets. Engage works with an unlimited
number of layers, allowing unsupervised clipping to be performed with just a few
mouse clicks.
Note
To clip Raster Imagery, use the EngageImages>Clip Image tool. To clip
Gridded Surfaces, use the EngageSurfaces>Grid Utilities>Clip tool.
Polygon Clipping Options
Choose between clipping outside and clipping inside the selected polygon.
Clipping outside removes all data lying outside the polygon, whilst clipping inside
removes data lying within the polygon. Engage uses a combination of techniques
to discard the data that is to be clipped.
For clipping outside, objects that lie totally outside the selected polygon are
discarded. Similarly, objects that lie totally within the polygon are kept without
editing. For lines, polylines and regions that lie across the boundary of the
selected polygon, these objects are simply split. Other objects such as arcs,
rectangles and ellipses are converted to polylines or regions and then split. For
text objects, if the centroid of the text lies within the selected polygon, the text is
retained, otherwise it is discarded (text objects cannot be split).
Polygon Clipping Data Tables
Engage lists all of the tables displayed in the map window that can be clipped.
Raster images and thematic layers are ignored. If you wish to leave a table out of
the clipping operation uncheck the check box to the right of the table name. The
table name is greyed out to show that it is not to be clipped.
By default, Engage suggests that you do not edit your existing data, but copy the
clipped data to new tables with similar names to the original tables. The clipped
tables contain the original file name followed by a “_CLIP” or user-defined suffix.

270 Engage User Guide
Clip Layer Dialog showing clipping options and default clip suffix
When you click OK, Engage asks which folder to save the new tables to (if
operating on a copy of the data). When the clipping operation is carried out, all
tables are packed and saved, and removed from the map window. Any thematic
layers in the original map window are discarded, so you should ensure that you
have a workspace saved prior to re-running the Clip to Polygon command. You
cannot undo a Clip to Polygon operation, and for this reason we recommend that
you operate on a copy of the original data.
Splitting Multiple Polylines and Polygons
Engage>Object>Split Multiple Polygons or Polylines
Easily split multiple polyline and multiple polygon (region) objects into a
corresponding number of separate map objects. Attributes from the original
multiple object are retained in the resulting single objects.
There is no straightforward way in MapInfo of disaggregating a map object
comprised of a number of polylines or polygons. Such objects are created using
the MapInfo Objects>Combine menu option and can be split one at a time using
the Objects>Split menu option together with a suitable splitting object.
To disaggregate a multiple polyline or polygon object, select all of the component
map objects and choose Object>Split Multiple Polygons or Polylines. Any
other selected objects that are not polylines or regions remain unaffected. The
attributes from the original multiple polyline or polygon object are transferred as
attributes to the newly-created separate polyline or polygon map objects.
A region with a hole is stored by MapInfo as two polygons. If you split a region
such as this, then there is a polygon in place of the hole and another polygon
covering the entire area of the original region plus the hole.

11 Working with Map Objects 271
Using Polyline and Polygon Attributes
• Assigning Values to and from Polygons
• Calculating Line Orientation
• Extracting Nodes
• Calculating Area Change
Assigning Values to and from Polygons
Engage>Data Utilities>Assign Values
Use Engage to assign aggregate values using data attributes from map objects
in one table to the containing polygon map objects in another table. For example,
calculate the sum of the census population that fall within an individual
administrative ward area and write this value to a designated column.
Specify the Assignment relationship between the two tables. Choose the From
Table and from column via the pull-down lists for the table that contains the
value to assign. Choose the To Table and to column via the pull-down lists for
the table that is to be updated with the assigned value. The method of operation
is chosen in the Assign Direction control. Choose to assign from Contents to
Container or from Container to Contents.
Assigning values from one table column to another with a selectable operator
The data to be aggregated or assigned does need to be in the selected data
column but may be specified using an Expression similar to that used in various
other MapInfo functions. Select Expression in from column or to column pulldown
and enter in the correct syntax.

272 Engage User Guide
The chosen Assign Direction method will influence the Assignment operators
available for selection.
Contents to Container
If the Contents to Container assign direction is selected a number of aggregate
Assignment operators are available:
• Frequency
• Minimum
• Maximum
• Sum
• Mean
• Median
• Weighted Mean (mean weighted by the value of another column in the
contents table)
• Standard Deviation
• Mean weighted by area (multiplied by a scale factor from 106 to 10-6)
The Contents to Container method can be used to calculate the mean monthly
income for households by postcode boundary or constructing a population
density map of school-age children using the mean of the number of children
weighted by the area of a suburb.
Container to Contents
Use the Container to Contents method to assign a value such as postcode from
boundary polygons to the individual points that lie within each of the polygon
boundaries. In this case, Engage assigns the individual value from each polygon
rather than an aggregate. You can also specify an expression to use. An example
would be assigning the name of an administrative Ward or region to each of the
individual census sample points.
Engage assigns the individual value from each polygon to the contained objects.
The individual value may be created from an Expression.

11 Working with Map Objects 273
Dialog Help
• Assign Values Dialog Box
Assign Values Dialog Box
Assignment relationship
From table
Select the table that contains the data that you want to assign. If the assign
direction is Contents to Container, this is typically a point or sample data table.
If the assign direction is Container to Contents, select a polygon data table.
From Column
Select the column that contains the data values you want to assign, or select
to create an expression from the Expression Construction Dialog
Box.
To table
Select the table that you want the attributes assigned to. If the assign direction is
Contents to Container, select a polygon data table. If the assign direction is
Container to Contents, this is typically a point or sample data table.
To column
Select the column that you want to assign the values to, or select
to create an expression from the Expression Construction Dialog Box.
Assign direction
• Contents -> Container: Assign aggregated values of map object
attributes in one table to the containing polygon map objects in another
table. For example, use this mode to calculate a weighted mean value of
samples within a polygon and assign the calculated value to the polygon.
• Container -> Contents: Assign polygon attributes in one table to
contained map objects in another table. The attribute value can be either a
single value (such as the polygon ID code), or can be created from an
expression (such as the mean elevation of the polygon).
Assignment operation
When Contents to Container mode is selected,

274 Engage User Guide
• Frequency
• Minimum
• Maximum
• Sum
• Mean
• Median
• Weighted Mean (mean weighted by the value of another column in the
contents table)
• Standard Deviation
• Mean weighted by area (multiplied by a scale factor from 106 to 10-6)
See also
... Assigning Values to and from Polygons
Calculating Line Orientation
Engage>Data Utilities>Line Orientation
Store the orientation of selected lines as an attribute.
This feature is useful when analysing tables containing linear map objects such
as faults, fold axes or creeks where no directional attributes exist. Use the Engage
Line Orientation utility to easily obtain the orientation of a line or polyline and add
the direction as an attribute into a selected column in the table.

11 Working with Map Objects 275
Line Orientation dialog
Select the column to add the line orientation attribute from the Add Line
Orientation to Column pull-down list. The direction is generally the average
orientation for each polyline although options to record the orientation of the First
segment or Last segment are available. In the Use Angles in Range choose
the desired angle range from 0-360, 0-180 or 180-360 for recording the line
orientation attribute. Select a Round By interval from the pull-down list.
Click OK to update the table with the line orientation data.
Use the Engage>Object>Change Line Direction utility to reverse the direction
of lines if necessary.
Dialog Help
• Line Orientation Dialog Box
Line Orientation Dialog Box
Add line orientation to column
Click to select the column to add the orientation data to.
Polyline orientation by
Select if you want to average the orientation for each polyline, or use the
orientation of the first or last segment.
Use angles in range
Select 0-360 degrees to use all segments, or restrict the range.

276 Engage User Guide
Round by
Click to set rounding of angles.
Use the Engage>Object>Change Line Direction utility to reverse the direction
of lines if necessary.
See also
• Calculating Line Orientation
Extracting Nodes
Engage>Object>Extract Nodes
Nodes or line segments from a polyline or polygon can be extracted using the
Engage Extract Nodes utility. For example, extract nodes from contour lines and
reprocess the three-dimensional point data to create a new interpolation grid.
Extracted node coordinates from polylines or polygons are added to a new table
as attributes with the option to display the node point objects in a map window.
Extracted line segments are automatically displayed in a map window.
Select the polyline or polygons to use in the extraction and choose the Extract
Nodes menu option. The Node Extraction dialog is displayed:
Node Extraction dialog.

11 Working with Map Objects 277
Select the Extraction Type. If the Extract Points option is selected the
Extraction Options will become available. Check the Create point objects box
to display the extracted nodes in a map window and select an appropriate symbol
style. The extracted node points are created in the same projection as the base
polyline or polygon table. All columns in the base table will be added to the
extracted node table but only the column selected as the Get attribute from
column will display attribute data.
For very detailed linework it may not be necessary to extract every node as a
point. In this case enter a number greater than 1 in the Extract every n nodes
control. For example, Extract very 4 nodes will extract every 4th node in the
selected objects. Enter a file name and location to store the extracted nodes.
Note
Nodes cannot be extracted from map objects in the Cosmetic layer.
Dialog Help
• Node Extraction Dialog Box
Node Extraction Dialog Box
Note
Nodes cannot be extracted from map objects in the cosmetic layer.
Extraction type
Choose to select points or line segments.
Extraction options
(Available when Extract points is selected under Extraction type.)
Create point objects
Select to display the extracted nodes in a map window.
Symbol style
Click to set the symbol style.
Get attribute from column
All columns in the base table will be added to the extracted node table. Select the
column used to display attribute data.

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Extract every N nodes
A value of 1 will extract all nodes. Type a value to sample every Nth node.
See also
... Extracting Nodes
Calculating Area Change
Engage>Data Utilities>Compute Area Change
The Engage Compute Area Change utility provides an efficient method to
quantify and map changes in area or linear features between successive layers
of data. For example, the Area Change comparator can be used to examine
polygon changes between two map layers representing data from different time
periods.
The area change comparison is based on the polygon attributes contained in a
column specified by the user. This column may contain data such as vegetation
type, habitat ID, soil class, erosion level, etc. Engage groups all the polygons in a
table by this attribute and identifies differences between polygons of the same
code in the different map layers. The area change calculator is primarily designed
for polygon data; however it can also report differences in overall length of linear
data and the number of point objects between two tables. Select Compute Area
Change from the Data Utilities menu option to display the Compute Area
Change dialog:

11 Working with Map Objects 279
Area Change dialog set-up to perform a detailed comparison between the two areas.
Regions that have changed in size and shape will be shown in different patterns as areas
gained and lost
Select the two tables to compare from the Table1 and Table2 pull-down lists.
Select the polygon (line or point) attribute column to compare. Engage
automatically assigns a default report table and map table name and destination.
Use the Report Table and Map Table buttons to assign new names and locations
if desired. A tab-delimited text file export option is also available: the text file is
saved to the same directory as the Report Table, with the same name.
The report produced by Engage lists for each unique attributed code:
• the old and new areas
• the area change (actual and percentage)
• the old and new polygon perimeter
• the perimeter change (actual and percentage)
• the number of old vs. new polygons/areas
If the Show codes lost to/gained from box is checked, a Change field will
additionally report on which attribute codes have either lost or gained in area.

280 Engage User Guide
In order for Engage to display the area change information visibly in a map, the
Lost area style and Gained area style should be set. Engage can use the
original colour of the polygons and apply a different pattern to show whether area
has been lost or gained. Alternatively, Engage can retain the original pattern of
the polygons and use a different colour to show area change. With either of these
two options, the display of the changed area retains some of the display attributes
of the original data. The user can also specify a new style to show all gained areas
and a different style to show all lost areas. In this case, all lost areas are displayed
in the same style, regardless of their map code.
Map window opened on completion of Area Change computation. Note area gained or
area lost displayed in different patterns
Dialog Help
• Compute Area Change Dialog Box

11 Working with Map Objects 281
Compute Area Change Dialog Box
The area change comparison is based on the polygon attributes contained in a
column specified by the user. This column may contain data such as vegetation
type, habitat ID, soil class, erosion level, etc. All the polygons in a table are
grouped by this attribute and identifies differences between polygons of the same
code in the different map layers. The area change calculator is primarily designed
for polygon data; however it can also report differences in overall length of linear
data and the number of point objects between two tables.
Check changes between
Table 1
Select the first table containing the polygon or line features.
ID column
Select the polygon attribute column that you want compared. The values in this
column must match the corresponding values in the ID column of the second
table.
Table 2
Select the second table containing the polygon or line features.
ID column
Select the polygon attribute column that you want compared. The values in this
column must match the corresponding values in the ID column of the first table.
Report Table
The file name and path name of the report table is displayed next to the button.
Click the button to edit.
Export report to text file
Select to export the report as a tab-delimited text file, which is saved with the
same name to the same folder as the report table.
Map Table
The file name and path name of the map table is displayed next to the button.
Click the button to edit.

282 Engage User Guide
Show codes lost to/gained from
Select to add a Change column to the report, which reports the areas lost or
gained for each code.
Options
Area units
Click to select the reported unit of area.
Distance units
Click to select the reported unit of distance.
(Show changes as)
Choose an option for the display of lost and gained areas.
• Show changes in same colour, new pattern: Retain original colour and
apply new patterns to lost and gained areas.
• Show changes in same pattern, new colour: Retain original pattern and
apply a new colours to lost and gained areas.
• Show changes in new colour, new pattern: Apply new colour and
patterns to lost and gained areas.
Lost area style
Click to change the fill style used to identify lost areas. The colour and pattern
applied will depend on which option is selected to show changes (colour, pattern,
or both).
Gained area style
Click to change the fill style used to identify gained areas. The colour and pattern
applied will depend on which option is selected to show changes (colour, pattern,
or both).
See also
... Calculating Area Change

11 Working with Map Objects 283
Conditioning and Converting Linework into Polygons
Engage>Object>PolyBuilder
The Engage PolyBuilder utility is designed to simplify the conversion of digitised
linework (representing regions) into polygon vector objects. A common use is the
digitizing of lithological units or land use areas from a scanned and georeferenced
image (e.g. open file report) as series of lines or polylines. This linework dataset
is then converted into an attributed dataset of polygon regions.
Map window on left showing flagged errors including duplicate lines, intersections and free
end points. Map window on right showing completed polygons.
The PolyBuilder process uses the following functionality:
1. Check Linework
In order to create polygons from linework datasets, the linework must be
free of any lines which are duplicated, extend past or fall short of other
lines. This tool ‘flags’ all such errors.
2. Correct Linework
The linework dataset is then “cleaned”, removing all identified errors. All
the overlapping linework is broken down into individual line segments.
This tool can be run in either an automated and manual mode.

284 Engage User Guide
3. Create Polygons
All cleaned line segments that enclose an area are joined together,
creating polygons.
4. Attribute Polygons with Text
Once polygons have been created, they can be attributed (as a browser
attribute) using text located within the polygons.
The Polybuilder utility also provides the following tools:
• Digitize Linework
The digitzing utility allows source linework to be created from scratch. This
tool enables the storage of feature linestyles to aid in consistent data
capture. It also allows features to be added as attributes during the
linework creation process.
• Additional Linework Utilities
In addition to the streamlined polybuilder process tools (above), additional
tools to break, join and filter linework datasets can be run separately.
The PolyBuilder utility is recommended for use with data captured in a projected
coordinate system (e.g. UTM, MGA, etc), not geographic (latitude/longitude) data.
It is also recommended that the map window Distance units match the coordinate
units, e.g. metres.
In each of the PolyBuilder processes the original files are always maintained.
Any new files created contain the results of each procedure/tool plus any
unprocessed data from the original file, leaving the original files intact. In this way
the PolyBuilder output files can be checked and re-processed if necessary
before saving the final linework file. The projection of the original file is also
retained in any new files created.
Note
Polybuilder cannot edit read only tables, and these cannot be selected. Save a
native copy first using File>Save Copy As. Polybuilder will also automatically
save any changes on an unsaved input table.

11 Working with Map Objects 285
PolyBuilder Dialog
Standard PolyBuilder dialog
The PolyBuilder dialog contains pull-down menu options combined with a
series of toolbar buttons which provide access to the various PolyBuilder
functions. The dialog can be closed using the Close button in the top right-hand
corner of the dialog or selecting Exit from the Edit menu.
The dialog can be expanded using the Arrow button. It is necessary for the
dialog to be expanded in order to view the results after cleaning data or to view
available digitizing styles.
Expanded PolyBuilder dialog showing Check Linework results
Linework Layer
The Linework pull-down list displays the current layers in the active map window.
Select the linework layer to check and clean or the polygonized layer to attribute
from this pull-down list.

286 Engage User Guide
Text Layer
The Text pull-down list displays the current layers in the active map window. The
text layer which contains annotations to be used to attribute polygons is selected
from this pull-down list.
Menus
The PolyBuilder dialog is comprised of two pull-down menus:
• Edit – Contains options to set various Preferences for detecting and
cleaning linework along with the ability to Import and Export digitizing line
styles.
• Help – Provides access to online Help and PolyBuilder About dialog.
PolyBuilder Toolbar
The fixed PolyBuilder Toolbar contains the following buttons:
Digitize Linework
Select a line style and manually digitize linework into a MapInfo window. Line
styles can be selected from predefined styles and feature names can be
automatically added to an column in the table.
Check Linework
Check digitized linework for free endpoints, overlaps and duplicates according to
options set in the Preferences dialog. Errors are flagged in the map window and
reported in the PolyBuilder dialog.
Extend and Break
This process extends all lines which have free endpoints by the distance
specified in the Preferences dialog. All intersecting linework is then broken into
segments and overlaps, overshoots and duplicates removed.
Create Polygons
Join together all adjacent line segments which form continuous enclosed
boundaries to create a series of polygon objects.
Attribute Polygons
Use labels from a separate text or annotation table to add attribute data to the
newly created polygon map objects.

11 Working with Map Objects 287
Linework Tools
Additional line tools that can be run as separate processes to Break all existing
linework at intersections, Join adjacent linework together or Filter to simplify
complex linework and reduce file size and processing time.
Previous Error Flag
Move to the previous error flag in the map window to manually find and fix
linework errors.
Next Error Flag
Move to the next error flag in the map window to manually find and fix linework
errors.
Fix Linework
Used in conjunction with the View Previous/Next error flags this tool enables
linework errors to be fixed manually by extending lines.
Delete Error Flag
Used to delete all error flags or only those of a selected error flag type in the map
window. Also contains option to delete error flags when moving through and
fixing them using the Previous/Next Error Flag buttons.
Preferences
Edit>Preferences
The PolyBuilder Preferences dialog contains various options which can be
customized while working within the PolyBuilder utility.

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Linework
The Linework controls are primarily used when running the Check Linework
process to initially detect problems in the linework dataset.
• Endpoints – Check to flag all free endpoints (lines which do not intersect
with another line)
• Overlaps – Check to flag all lines which overlap each other
• Duplicates – Check to flag all instances of multiple lines at the same
location
• Gaps smaller than – Check and enter value to flag all free endpoints that
lie within the specified distance of another line.
• Gaps larger than – Check and enter value to flag all free endpoints which
lie outside the specified distance from another line.
When Gaps Smaller than or Gaps Greater than is selected for use, the
options to manually select Overlaps and Duplicates is greyed out.
Therefore when checking linework using these options, only Free End
Points are flagged.

11 Working with Map Objects 289
• Extend Distance – Value used in the Extend and Break Linework process
to extend free endpoints the specified Extend Distance. End points which
are extended and make contact with another line will be broken whereas
end points which do not make contact with another line will be restored to
their pre-extension distance once the process is complete.
Note
The units used in the Gaps smaller than, Gaps larger than and Extend
Distance are taken from the current map window distance units. To change the
units click on the map window, select Map>Options from the MapInfo menu bar
change the Distance Units in the displayed dialog.
• Close – Check to convert closed polylines to polygons when using the
Join Linework utility.
• Honour Symbology – Check to only break or join lines which contain
identical symbology (line styles) when using the Break Linework or Join
Linework utilities.
• Filter Distance – Tolerance distance used to remove vertices from
complex linework when using the Filter Linework utility.
Polygons
• Place Polygon Centroids: - Check to create a new file containing
polygon centroids when using the Create Polygons utility.
Field Information
• Allow Duplicate IDs: - Check to enable an attribute to be assigned to
multiple polygons when using the Attribute Polygons with Text utility.
Digitize Linework
The PolyBuilder utility enables linework to be screen digitized directly into a
MapInfo table. Usually a linework table is created by digitizing (drawing a map
object on the screen) which traces an underlying linear feature on a scanned map.
To digitize using the PolyBuilder digitizing utility:
1. Select the layer to digitize the new linework into from the Linework Layer
pull-down list. The new linework table must already be created in MapInfo
and added to the active map window in order for it to be available for
selection in this list. The table must contain a Character column to contain
the digitized feature name. The Digitize Linework button will not be
active if this column is not present.

290 Engage User Guide
2. Select the Digitize Linework button from the PolyBuilder toolbar.
Linework Styles
Before digitizing linework using the PolyBuilder utility a linework Style must be
selected. A Style is a predefined line style, colour and thickness combination
which represents a particular linear feature, e.g. Drainage, creeks, roads, faults,
folds, etc. These Styles can be saved and re-used in the future when digitizing
future linework to ensure consistent data displays between similar linear features.
The Style name can also be added into a designated field in the digitizing table
as attribute information. For example, all lines digitized using a linework style
called River will have “River” added as an attribute into a specified column in the
table.
3. When the Digitize Linework button is selected in Step 2 the Field pulldown
list becomes available. Choose a field (columns) from the linework
layer to store the name of the linework Style used for each digitized line
as an attribute.
Note
Linework Styles can only be stored in fields which are of a Character data type.
Make sure that the field selected is wide enough to store the Style name
otherwise it will be truncated without warning. Use the MapInfo Table>
Maintenance>Table Structure utility to add or modify fields in the linework table
if necessary.
4. To select linework Styles from a previously saved list select the Import
Styles option from the Edit menu. The saved Styles are listed in the
window at the bottom of the PolyBuilder dialog. To create a new linework
Style go to Step 5.
5. To add a linework Style to an existing list or to create a new Styles list
right-mouse click in the window at the bottom of the PolyBuilder dialog
and select Add from the pop-up menu.

11 Working with Map Objects 291
6. In the Digitizing Style dialog enter a name for the new Style.
7. Click on the Line Style button. Choose a line style, colour and thickness
for this Style. Click OK to add the new Style to the PolyBuilder dialog
window. Repeat steps 4 to 6 to add more linework Styles to this list.

292 Engage User Guide
8. To edit a linework Style highlight it in the list and then right-mouse click
and select Edit from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, to delete a linework
Style select Remove from the pop-up menu.
9. To save a new or edited Styles list, select the Export Styles option from
the Edit menu and enter a file name and location. Linework Styles are
stored in an ASCII file with a .DAT extension. To reuse saved linework
Styles see Step 4.
Digitizing
10. To digitize linework highlight the appropriate Style from the Styles list in
the window at the bottom of the PolyBuilder dialog. PolyBuilder should
automatically make the selected layer editable.
11. Choose the Polyline drawing button from the Drawing toolbar and
digitize the line in the map window.

11 Working with Map Objects 293
Check Linework
Check Linework is usually the first process to be run on line data when it is
going to be used for polygon creation or to create a linear network. The purpose
of this procedure is to check all the linework in a table and flag all instances of
the following:
• Free Endpoints – Lines which do not intersect with any other lines
• Overlaps – Lines which overlap each other
• Duplicates – Two or more lines at the same location
The reason this process is required is that if free endpoint, overlapping or
duplicate lines remain in a linework table which is then converted into polygons or
used as a linear network, the resulting dataset may be incomplete. It is therefore
strongly recommended that all linework is checked and cleaned prior to being
polygonized or joined in a linear network.

294 Engage User Guide
The Check Linework utility will only process lines and polyline strings. Other
elements such as arcs will be ignored and multi-segment elements will report an
error. The Check Linework process will therefore flag a line as a free endpoint
where it joins an arc element. It is recommended that all multi-segment linework
is disaggregated into individual elements and to avoid using arc elements before
running the Check Linework procedure.
The Check Linework utility will also return an overlap error when a line string or
shape contains multiple vertices that are the same. This problem can be fixed by
removing the offending vertex.
1. Open the linework dataset into a map window.
2. In the PolyBuilder dialog, select the Linework Layer from the pull-down
list.
3. Click on the Check Linework button on the PolyBuilder toolbar.
4. To see the Check Linework results, expand the PolyBuilder dialog.

11 Working with Map Objects 295
Error Flags
After the Check Linework process is run all endpoints, overlaps and duplicates
are marked using a different type of flag in order for them to be easily
distinguished in the map window. The PolyBuilder window displays the total
number of line segments (elements) in the table, the number of flags created for
Free Endpoints, Overlaps and Duplicates and the time it took to process the
table.
These error flags are placed in a temporary file called PolyBuilderErrors and is
added to the original linework map window. This error table is continually
overwritten during the various processes in the PolyBuilder utility and is
permanently deleted upon exiting MapInfo.
In the map window Free Endpoints are denoted by a circle, Overlaps where two
lines intersect are marked by a square and Duplicates are indicated by a thick
red line defining the extent of the duplication.
Linework Checking Error Flags
To fix the flagged errors follow the steps outlined in Correct Linework. When the
errors are corrected rerun the Check Linework process to ensure that all the
linework problems are fixed. It is not unusual for the Check Linework process to
be run multiple times before a dataset is free from errors.

296 Engage User Guide
When checking linework in a linear dataset e.g. a road or drainage network, free
end points may be legitimate and not just lines which have fallen short of
intersecting with other lines. The user may first check the dataset for Overlaps
and Duplicates before controlling the method of checking for free end points.
This is done by modifying the Edit>Preferences settings to only flag those errors
with a gap smaller than or larger than a calculated distance.
For example, If the Gaps Smaller than option in the Edit>Preferences dialog is
selected and the desired distance is set to 10m, PolyBuilder will only flag the free
end points with a gap smaller than 10m from another line. In a road network where
roads often stop short of another road, selection of the correct distance will result
in error flags being created only for those roads which are intended to intersect
another road. See Preferences for more information on setting these Check
Linework options.
Note
The units used in the Gaps smaller than, Gaps larger than and Extend
Distance are taken from the current map window distance units. To change the
units click on the map window, select Map>Options from the MapInfo menu bar
change the Distance Units in the displayed dialog.
Correct Linework
To correct lines which have been flagged as being erroneous in the Check
Linework utility there are two processes available in PolyBuilder:
• Extend and Break Linework – An automatic process which can extend
linework to intersect other lines and break overlapping linework into
individual elements.
• Fix Linework – Manual process which enables flagged errors to be
stepped through and corrected one by one. Generally used to fix any
remaining errors after the Extend and Break Linework process has been
run.
Extend and Break Linework
Extend and Break Linework combines several of the core PolyBuilder
processes to fix linework errors that have been flagged as End Points,
Overlaps and Duplicates in the Check Linework utility.
During the Extend and Break Linework process duplicate line segments are
removed, undershoots are extended, overshoots are removed with all
intersecting linework broken down into separate line strings ready for use in the
Create Polygons utility.

11 Working with Map Objects 297
The corrected linework data file is named using the original linework file with a
“_clean” extension. i.e. if the original file is Linework.TAB, the file containing the
corrected linework will be named Linework_clean.TAB. The new file is created
using the same projection as the original linework table and is added to the map
window. The original linework table is removed from the map window and closed
and the cleaned table is added as the Linework Layer into the PolyBuilder
dialog.
Undershoots and Overshoots
An Undershoot error occurs where a line does not quite reach the point intended
on a nearby line whereas an Overshoot (or dangle) is the result of a line
extending too far past a line when it should be terminated.
To correct undershoot and overshoot errors the Extend and Break utility extends
all Free Endpoint lines by a user-defined distance and then a linework break
process is run to cut all intersecting linework. The aim of this process is to leave
the clean linework free of undershoots with only a possible small overshoot as a
result of the initial extension distance being slightly too large.
After all the Free Endpoint lines are extended all lines now have a length which
is less than the Extend Distance are deleted and all Free Endpoint lines that are
longer than this distance will be reduced by the Extend Distance. This should
result in the removal of any small overshoots created in the extend process and
the return of all lines that did not overlap any other linework to their original length.
See Extend Distance for more information.
Finally, the process which deletes lines with a free endpoint of length less than
the original user defined distance is repeated to account for any overshoots in the
original data. Upon completion of this procedure all undershoots and overshoots
should have been removed and the data should be free of overlaps and
duplicates.

298 Engage User Guide
Extend and Break Process
Re-run the Check Linework utility as the Extend and Break Linework process
does not fix all errors and some manual correction is generally required. See Fix
Linework for more information. One of the most common errors is where two
parallel or near-parallel free end point lines remain and must be corrected
manually as they will not join when extended by the nominated distance.
Extend Distance
The Extend Distance option is set in the Preferences dialog and is used to
automatically control the extend search distance. The Extend Distance needs to
be chosen carefully and with a good understanding of the data. The distance
should be large enough to fix as many undershoots/overshoots as possible but
not so large as to cause a lot of unwanted intersections. Any errors that remain
will be identified and need to be corrected manually using the procedure outlined
in Fix Linework.
Fix Linework
The Fix Linework correction utility is used in conjunction with the View Previous/
Next Error Flags buttons and the Delete Error Flag option. It has been
developed to assist in the correction of errors flagged during the Check Linework
process and not corrected using the automated Extend and Break Linework
process.

11 Working with Map Objects 299
Error flags may be sequentially viewed, corrected and deleted or optionally
disregarded and deleted. Various combinations of errors will require the
application of different logic to achieve a satisfactory solution.
View Previous/Next Error Flag
After running the Check Linework tool, any errors not automatically fixed will be
marked with an error flag. To manually find and fix these errors, it is necessary to
scroll through the dataset using the View Previous/Next Error Flag buttons.
The map window will centre the error flag in the view and make it available for
correction. As each error is corrected, the user can proceed to the next error flag
by selecting View Next Error Flag. It is also possible to view the previous error
flag by selecting View Previous Error Flag.
Note
It is only possible to view the previous error flag if the Automatic Error Flag
Deletion option is unchecked in the Delete Error Flag menu.
Delete Error Flag
These options can be used to delete the currently selected error flag, any
particular type of error flag or all error flags. The flag deletion type is selected from
the Delete Error Flag menu.
Delete Error Flag list
To delete single or multiple error flags select them in the map window and click
on the Delete Error Flag button.
To delete all error flags of a particular type e.g. intersections or endpoints select
the appropriate option from the Delete Error Flag list.

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The Automatic Error Flag Deletion option will automatically delete flags as they
are moved through for correction using the View Next Error Flag button.
Free End Point Errors
If after running Check Linework two lines intending to finish at the same point
overshoot by a small distance this will result in two free end points and an overlap
as shown below.
If the Extend and Break Linework utility is run on this data the overlap error will
be automatically fixed and only the free end point errors will remain.
Overlap and free end points
There are two types of Free End Point errors which are flagged:
1. Overshoot/Dangle - A line overlaps the line it was intended to finish and
an overshoot or dangle results. Dangles are lines that do not contribute to
the boundary of a polygon and should be removed.

11 Working with Map Objects 301
Free End Point Dangle - Before and after deleting the dangle
In the example above the Free End Point error flag is placed on the line segment
which is the dangle. This short line segment was created after going through the
PolyBuilder processes (Check Linework and Extend and Break Linework).
The original line has been broken, correcting the overlap error and the Free End
Point error flag placed at the end of the dangle.
To correct this dangle, the line segment should simply be deleted using the
keyboard Delete button. Click on View Next Error Flag to move to the next error
flag.
Note
It is only possible to view the previous error flag if the Automatic Error Flag
Deletion option is unchecked in the Delete Error Flag menu.
2. Undershoot - A line falls short of its intended finish position and a gap is
present. Gaps within linework used to create polygons restrict the creation
of areas and must be repaired.

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Free End Point Undershoot - Before and after extending the undershoot
In the example above the Free End Point error flag is placed on the line which
requires extending to remove the gap. Using the MapInfo Selection tool from
the Main Toolbar, highlight the line to intersect. Then select the Fix Linework
tool from the PolyBuilder toolbar. The line will automatically be extended to the
selected line and close the gap. The selected line is also automatically broken at
the point where the lines intersect.
Click on View Next Error Flag to move to the next error flag.
Note
It is only possible to view the previous error flag if the Automatic Error Flag
Deletion option is unchecked in the Delete Error Flag menu.
Overlap
The error flag and overlapping linework are highlighted. This error is automatically
fixed using the Extend and Break Linework utility and should not require manual
intervention.
Duplicates
The error flag and the elements that contain the duplicate section are highlighted.
This error is automatically fixed using the Extend and Break Linework utility and
should not require manual intervention.

11 Working with Map Objects 303
Create Polygons
Create Polygons is a procedure that joins line segments which enclose an area
and then converts the closed linework strings to a region or polygon object. The
new polygon data file is named using the clean linework file with a “_polygon”
extension. i.e. if the clean file is Linework_clean.TAB, the file containing the
polygons will be named Linework_clean_polygons.TAB. The new file is created
using the same projection as the clean linework table and is added to the map
window.
1. In the PolyBuilder dialog select the cleaned linework from the Linework
Layer pull-down list.
2. Click on the Create Polygons button on the PolyBuilder toolbar.
3. To see the Create Polygons results expand the PolyBuilder dialog.

304 Engage User Guide
The polygon table generated by PolyBuilder has a standard structure:
• POLY_ID - Character (1)
• AREA - Float
• CENT_X - Float
• CENT_Y - Float

11 Working with Map Objects 305
The POLY_ID field for each polygon is populated with "*" until it is attributed using
the Attribute Polygons with Text utility. The AREA field is populated with the area
of the polygon and the CENT_X and CENT_Y are populated with the X and Y
coordinates of the centroid of the polygon.
To create an additional table that contains the centroids of each newly created
polygon make sure that the Place Polygon Centroids option is checked in the
Preferences dialog.
Polygon Errors
When creating polygons it is possible to get a polygon loop error. This error
occurs when the line loops back on itself while tracing out a polygon. The error is
flagged by a red triangle symbol and it may be difficult to determine the cause of
the loop.
Generally a polygon loop error may indicate unnecessary or missing linework. For
example, in the figure below a possible line is missing which is need to divide the
larger polygon into two regions a and b. PolyBuilder will create polygons
irrespective of polygon loop errors but it is important to later locate the cause of
these errors and either delete unnecessary linework or add linework until all the
errors have been corrected.
Another error that may be encountered in this process is the centroid error which
will occur if a polygon is too small to contain the calculated centroid. It is possible
to construct shapes that are so small that no possible centroid point falls inside
them. This normally indicates extreme circumstances such as 'sliver' polygons,
which are usually small and safe to ignore. Later processing is not normally
inhibited.

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Donut Polygons
Where a polygon is created that falls entirely within another polygon it will be
excised (or donuted) from the larger polygon.
Attribute Polygons with Text
Attribute Polygons with Text enables polygons created from a linework file to
be assigned an attribute from a piece of text which is located within the enclosed
polygon object. The text is added as an attribute in the browser for each polygon
object into a column named POLY_ID.
Linework with text annotations in separate layer

11 Working with Map Objects 307
The location of the text used to attribute a polygon is always the bottom left hand
corner irrespective of its justification. The text can be any size and length provided
that the bottom-left corner of the text label is located within the designated
polygon. When the text is added to the polygon table the POLY_ID column will
automatically be adjusted to the width of the longest text string in the text file. To
attribute polygons using text:
1. Make sure the cleaned linework dataset is open in a map window.
2. Open the table that contains the text data into the same map window.
3. In the PolyBuilder dialog select the cleaned linework from the Linework
Layer pull-down list.
4. Select the text layer from the Text Layer pull-down list.
5. Click on the Attribute Polygons with Text button on the PolyBuilder
toolbar.
6. To see the Attribute Polygons with Text results expand the PolyBuilder
dialog.
After running the Attribute Polygons with Text process a number of possible
error conditions can result which are displayed in the PolyBuilderErrors layer
which added to the map window.

308 Engage User Guide
• No Node – Polygon does not contain any text strings and a red hollow
diamond shaped symbol is placed at the centroid of each polygon for
identification in the map window.
• Multiple Node – Polygon contains more than one text string. A red filled
diamond shaped symbol is placed at the centroid of each polygon for
identification in the map window.
• Node Outside – Text strings which do not fall within a polygon. A red
circle is placed at the text centroid for identification in the map window.
All polygons that are properly identified will have their POLY_ID field updated in
the polygon table. Any polygons which fall into any of the above error categories
will have an attribute entry of "*****" in the polygon table.
If there are polygons which are to be attributed with the same text make sure that
the Allow Duplicate IDs option is checked in the Preferences dialog. If this option
is unchecked and there are multiple instances of the same attribute in the text
table a large number of entries and symbols are added to the PolyBuilderErrors
table and a message such as "114 duplicate text id's" will be displayed. Check this
option in the Preferences dialog and rerun the process to correct.
Additional Linework Utilities
The PolyBuilder module contains additional linework utilities to aid in the
creation of linear networks. These include:
• Break Linework – Break overlapping linework into individual segments
and remove duplicates
• Join Linework – Join adjacent line segments together to create a series of
polylines
• Filter Linework – Reduce the number of vertices in polylines to simplify
complex linework and reduce file size
All of these processes create a new file containing the results of each procedure
plus any unprocessed data from the initial file, leaving the original files complete.
This enables the output files to be checked, corrected and re-processed if it is
found to be unsatisfactory before finally saving the new file to the original file
name.

11 Working with Map Objects 309
Break Linework
Break Linework takes linework from the selected linework file and breaks it into
individual line segments where an overlap occurs. Any duplicated lines are
removed and the resulting lines are saved to a new file. The new broken data file
is named using the original linework file with a “_break” extension. i.e. if the
original file is Linework.TAB, the file containing the broken linework will be
named Linework_break.TAB. The new file is created using the same projection
as the original linework table.
Overlapping linework
Line segments after breaking
Unlike Extend and Break Linework, the original file is not closed and the new file
is added to the current mapper window. After the Break Linework is completed
the Check Linework process is run on the new linework file. This should produce
no errors other than free endpoints, if applicable.
The Break Linework utility can only be used with line and polyline data and does
not support arc or multi-segment elements. Any arc or multi-segment elements
will be copied to the output file so that this file will look the same as the original
linework table except that all the linework errors, other than free endpoints, will be
removed.
If the Honour Symbology option is checked in the Preferences dialog only lines
with the same symbology (line style, colour and thickness) will be broken. If this
option is unchecked then overlapping lines with different symbology will be
broken. All linework must be in the same file for it to be broken.

310 Engage User Guide
Join Linework
Join Linework takes linework from the selected linework file and joins it into
continuous line strings where elements are adjacent. Joining lines can
significantly reduce the number of elements in a file and result in a reduction in
file size.
The new joined data file is named using the original linework file with a “_join”
extension. i.e. if the original file is Linework.TAB, the file containing the joined
linework will be named Linework_join.TAB. The new file is created using the
same projection as the original linework table. The Join Linework process does
not introduce any new linework errors.
Unjoined linework
Lines after joining
The Join Linework utility can only be used with line and polyline data and does
not support arc or multi-segment elements. Any arc or multi-segment elements
will be copied to the output file so that this file will look the same as the original
linework table except that all the linework errors, other than free endpoints, will be
removed.
All the joined linework will be open even if the strings have a common start and
end vertex. To convert closed polylines to polygons check the Close option in the
Preferences dialog.
If the Honour Symbology option is checked in the Preferences dialog only lines
with the same symbology (line style, colour and thickness) will be joined. If this
option is unchecked then adjacent lines with different symbology will be joined. All
linework must be in the same file for it to be joined.

11 Working with Map Objects 311
Filter Linework
Filter Linework is used to simplify complex linework and reduce file size and
processing time. Linework is filtered by removing vertices that are within the
tolerance or Filter Distance which is set in the Preferences dialog. The new
filtered data file is named using the original linework file with a “_filter” extension.
i.e. if the original file is Linework.TAB, the file containing the joined linework will
be named Linework_filter.TAB. The new file is created using the same projection
as the original linework table.
Original Linework and filtered result
Filtered linework is guaranteed not to deviate from the original linework file by
more than the tolerance set and the start and end points will remain the same. If
all the vertices are less than the tolerance distance from the first point the element
is removed. If a tolerance of 0.0 is chosen only duplicate vertices i.e. consecutive
vertices with the same coordinate value and co-linear points (points lying on a
line) are removed.
After filtering linework the output file may consist of many elements each with
only a small number of vertices. It is recommended that the Join Linework utility
is run to join all adjacent linework together.
Creating Polygons from Linework
Engage>Object>Manual Polygonize
The Manual Polygonize option in Engage is designed to assist in building
polygons from linework.

312 Engage User Guide
Select the lines from which you wish to build the polygon and click the Manual
Polygonize button. The selected lines are copied to the editable layer, combined
and made into a region. If the combined lines do not make a closed line, Engage
places symbols at the open segments and notifies you of the coordinates. These
misclosure symbols are placed into the Cosmetic Layer and can be cleared using
the MapInfo Map>Clear Cosmetic Objects menu option.
Note
Filter Linework is used to simplify complex linework and reduce file size and
processing time. Linework is filtered by removing vertices that are within the
tolerance or Filter Distance which is set in the Preferences dialog. The new
filtered data file is named using the original linework file with a “_filter” extension.
i.e. if the original file is Linework.TAB, the file containing the joined linework will
be named Linework_filter.TAB. The new file is created using the same projection
as the original linework table.
Colouring Map Objects
• Colour Map Objects from Look-up Tables
• Colour Map Objects by RGB Values
Colour Map Objects from Look-up Tables
• Creating Colour Look-up Tables
• Create a Colour Table from an Existing Map
• Create a Colour Table from a Thematic Map
• Edit a Colour Table
• Apply a Colour Map to Map Objects
• Create a Legend from a Colour Table
Creating Colour Look-up Tables
The EngageColourMap utility adds a separate menu to the MapInfo menu bar
and contains the following functionality:
UPDATE
• Create a standard colour look-up table for polygon, polyline or point data
maps.

11 Working with Map Objects 313
• Automatically assign colours and patterns to individual polygons or
polylines or symbol colour, size and type to points in a MapInfo table.
• Map objects may be permanently coloured or displayed using a thematic
shade.
The EngageColourMap utility can be used to build a standard table of map object
fill, line style or symbol colours and styles and then apply these standards to each
map object in a map window layer. Each map object in the layer must have an
attribute code which matches an attribute code in the ColourMap table. For
example, the code may be a standard abbreviation for a specific planning zone
(i.e. Res for Residential, etc and must be the same in both map and look-up
table.Codes could represent objects such as vegetation, soil types, roads, land
tenure, demographic regions, planning zones, etc.
MapInfo uses the 24-bit RGB method of colour definition, whereby the red, green
and blue components of a colour are each specified in the range 0 - 255 to give
a maximum of 16.7 million colours. When colours are assigned during the
creation of the ColourMap look-up table, the red, green and blue components are
automatically added to the table as attributes.
It might be useful to use a printer colour chart when assigning colours to map
codes.
To select or create a colour look-up table:
Select the EngageColourMap>Setup menu item to display the Colour Maps
dialog:
Colour Map maintenance and creation dialog
There are four Colour Table Options to choose from:
• Select colour table - Choose an existing colour table to apply to a new
set of map objects.

314 Engage User Guide
• Create empty colour table - Create a colour look-up table manually by
entering in RGB values for codes from an external source.
• Create colour table from existing map - Create a new colour look-up
table using map styles and codes from an existing table. The existing table
can be non-mappable such as a coding table. See Create a Colour Table
from an Existing Map.
• Create colour table from thematic map - Use the colours and styles
from a thematic map to create a colour look-up table. See Create a Colour
Table from a Thematic Map.
Once a colour table has been chosen the Edit Colour Table and Apply Colour
Map menu items are enabled.
To colour a map or add colours as a thematic layer to the map, choose the
appropriate Colour Table Option. Engage is able to colour region objects,
polyline objects, point objects and text objects using ColourMap.
Note
The attribute column in the data table to be used in the creation of the
ColourMap colour look-up table must be of CHARACTER data type.
Create a Colour Table from an Existing Map
EngageColourMap>Setup
1. Select an existing map table to colour from the Map Table pull-down list or
use the Open a Table option to open the table into a map window.
The existing map table may already contain map objects styles which can
be automatically added to the look-up table or the map object styles can
be selected during the creation of the colour table.

11 Working with Map Objects 315
2. Select the attribute column to use in the ColourMap look-up table from
the pull-down list. By default the first column in the table is selected. All
unique entries in this column will be used in the creation of the colour
table. These entries are added to the MapCode column in the Colour
table.
It is therefore important to make sure the data in this column is clean i.e.
eliminate duplicate entries of the same data due to spelling mistakes or
remove multiple data entry items for the same category. To quickly display
all the unique attribute entries for a column, use the Engage>Select>By
Attribute or Object Group menu option.
3. Click on the Save Colour Table button and browse to a directory to save
the new ColourMap look-up table. Enter an appropriate file name. Click
OK to exit the Colour Maps dialog.
4. In the following dialog click YES to use the existing map colours as the
basis for the new ColourMap look-up table or No to manually enter the
map object styles for each unique attribute value individually.
5. A new map window is opened that contains the newly created colour
table. The map window contains a single column comprising a polygon,
polyline or symbol map object and the unique attribute (MapCode) taken
from the data table.
In the case of a polygon object the object style will be a filled rectangle. In
the case of polyline objects the object style will be the line type, colour and
thickness. Symbol objects are represented by their symbol type, size and
colour. If the map that you are creating the colour table from has no
colouring or the table is not mappable, then all of the object styles will be
displayed as default symbols or polylines with polygons displaying a null
fill style.

316 Engage User Guide
Colour Table Map
6. To add colours or edit the existing colours for the map objects, work down
the list of map codes by selecting the object for each MapCode and
changing the style using the standard MapInfo region, polyline or symbol
style buttons. To create a custom colour in MapInfo, select the colour
square at the bottom right of the colours list and then specify the RGB/
HSV values.
Build Colour Table
When each MapCode has been assigned a map object style, choose the
EngageColourMap>Build Colour Table menu option.
When the colour table is built, Engage examines each of the MapCode object
styles and inserts the RGB values and any line and symbol parameters into the
corresponding columns in the colour table.
Polygon information is stored in the columns Fore_Red, Fore_Green and
Fore_Blue which are populated with details of the foreground colour selected. If
a patterned colour is used, the pattern number is inserted into column Pattern
and background RGB values into Back_Red, Back_Green and Back_Blue. A
different line style can be selected for the border of each map code polygon if
desired. The line style parameters are stored in columns Pen_Red, Pen_Green,
Pen_Blue, Pen_Pattern along with details about Pen_Style and
Pen_Thickness. Symbol style parameters are stored in Sym_Name, Sym_Size
and Sym_Red, Sym_Green and Sym_Blue. Both line and symbol objects may
have foreground and background colours such as when a point symbol contains
a halo.
The colour table is created with extra columns such as Desc1, Desc2 and Desc3
to store additional text enabling the columns from the colour table to be used with
the Engage>Map Layout>Create Map Legend feature.

11 Working with Map Objects 317
Colour Map browser
Create a Colour Table from a Thematic Map
Create a thematic map for the data table and make sure it is displayed in a map
window. To create a ColourMap look-up table from a thematic map, select the
Colour from thematic map option. Select the base data table from the Map
Table pull-down list and use the Save Colour Table button to enter a name and
location for the new colour table.
Engage will automatically create the colour table and permanently colour the
existing map objects according to those in the thematic map. The thematic map
may be created using any type of map object (regions, lines, points etc) as long
as the thematic map was created using an Individual thematic type and not a
numeric thematic type such as Ranged or Graduated. The Individual thematic
column must be of character data type.
As the colour table is created, the map objects are coloured at the same time.
There is no need to nominate a column to use as this is defined in the Thematic
Map process.
Edit a Colour Table
EngageColourMap>Edit Colour Table
To modify an existing ColourMap colour look-up table choose the
EngageColourMap>Edit Colour Table menu option for easy editing of
individual colour assignments. Highlight the MapCode to edit and click on the
appropriate style button. When a style is modified, click on the OK button to save
the change to the colour table.

318 Engage User Guide
Colour Table modification dialog
If there are global changes to make to the colour table, such as altering the
patterns for a number of codes, this is best done with the Browser window and
the select/update menu commands.
To edit the colour table without using the EngageColourMap>Edit Colour Table
menu option it is necessary to be able to enter patterns and line styles with the
correct numerical entries. Pen styles range from 1 to 77, with style 1 equivalent
to no style, 2 solid etc, in accordance with the order in the MapInfo Line Style
dialog. Pattern styles range between 1 and 71, with values 9-11 unavailable. Like
the pen styles, pattern 1 is invisible, 2 is solid etc, in accordance with the MapInfo
Region Style dialog. Symbol size and type can also be modified in accordance
with the MapInfo Symbol Style dialog.
If RGB values are imported from another source and you wish to make the hatch
pattern transparent, ensure that the product of Back_Red, Back_Green and
Back_Blue is negative (for example, make one of them -1, and keep the others
positive).
Apply a Colour Map to Map Objects
EngageColourMap>Apply Colour Map
Select an existing colour table from the EngageColourMap>Setup dialog and
choose the EngageColourMap>Apply Colour Map menu option to apply
colours and styles to map objects. Note that this action is automatically performed
when the Colour from Thematic Map option is selected as described above.

11 Working with Map Objects 319
Colour Map Table dialog
In the Colour Map Table dialog, select the table to colour from the Map Table
pull-down list. Use the Open a Table if the table to colour is not already open.
Engage can colour multiple tables at once using the Build Batch List option from
the Map Table pull-down list. Choose this option and highlight the tables to colour
from the available open table list.
Once the table or tables to colour are selected choose the table attribute column
from the Code from Column pull-down list. This is the column in the table that
matches the entries in the colour look-up table MapCode column. This column
must be of character type and must be the same column in each table when there
are multiple tables selected.
Engage can apply look-up table colours and styles in one of two ways:
• Create a thematic map layer using the QuickColour option
• Permanently modify the map object styles
Create Thematic Map Layer
Check the QuickColour using thematic map shading option to use the normal
MapInfo Thematic Mapping functions to colour the map objects according to the
look-up table colour and styles. This method of colouring is quick and provides a
MapInfo thematic legend window but is limited to a maximum of 255 different
codes in the colour table.

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One or more colour tables representing variables such as lithology, tectonic
setting, grade of metamorphism, alteration, etc can be displayed as thematic
maps in the same map window. The map window can then quickly be refreshed
by turning layer visibility on or off to show the appropriate variable with the
MapInfo thematic map legend window displaying a key for each colour look-up
table. This is much quicker than permanently colouring the map objects each
time.
Permanently Colour Map Objects
Uncheck the QuickColour using thematic map shading box to display the
Objects to colour and Symbol Options. The default Colour all objects option
is selected.
If the selected map tables contain a mixture of map object types then options are
available to apply the look-up table colours and styles to polygon, line or text
objects only, leaving all other map objects with their existing graphical attributes.
Point data can be coloured using look-up tables created for polylines with
additional Symbol Options available to modify symbol colour, size, font or
symbol style or combinations thereof.
During the colouring, a status message is displayed describing which map codes
are currently being coloured and which colour is being applied. When colouring
from a batch list the tables are processed in alphabetical order.
See Engage>Map Layout>Create Map Legend for information on how to create
a map legend from a coloured map.
Create a Legend from a Colour Table
EngageColourMap>Build Map for Colour Table
Using an existing Colour Table you have the option to create a map which
displays the colour schemes relevant for the Colour Table. This option can be
used after loading an existing Colour Table or when edits have been applied.
Simply load up the particular Colour Table and select Build Map for Colour
Table from the menu. The map can be used as a legend or style sheet for
subsequent map outputs.

11 Working with Map Objects 321
Colour Table Map
Colour Map Objects by RGB Values
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>RGB Colourizer
The Engage RGB Colourizer utility enables map objects to be coloured based
on RGB colour schemes entered as attributes in a table. The RGB Colourizer
can also be used to extract RGB values from point, line or polygon map objects
and save them into a table as attribute data.
RGB Colourizer dialog

322 Engage User Guide
1. Select the table containing the map objects from the Select Table pulldown
list.
2. Select the RGB Update Method:
• Update Object Colours – colour map objects based on RGB
values stored in the table
• Update Column Values - extract the RGB colour values from each
map object and save them back to the table
3. The Colour Mapping options determine the RGB format to be used. The
Engage RGB Colourizer can read colour values stored in either single or
multi column format. The columns that store the RGB values can be
numeric or character data types. Engage can also read or store colour
values in BGR format.
• Multi Column format - Red, Green and Blue values are each
stored in a separate column, e.g. Red (199) Green (181) Blue
(181).
• Single Column format - Red, Green and Blue values have a
formula applied to them to create a single number string. Using the
above example, the corresponding single RGB value is as follows:
Red (199) * 65536 + Green (181) * 256 + Blue (181) = 13088181
Note
When extracting the RGB values from map objects the single or multiple RGB
columns must already exist in the table. If the table does not contain these
column(s) use the MapInfo Table>Maintenance>Table Structure utility to add
the required columns to the table.
4. The default output option is to create a new table with the updated
coloured map objects or extracted RGB values. The new table is named
using the original source table with a “_Colourized” extension. To change
the output table name or location, click on the Save button.
The map objects or columns in the original table may be directly updated
by selecting the Change Source Table output option. This option will
cause the map objects in the table to be permanently coloured according
to the Colour Mapping column or columns selected.

11 Working with Map Objects 323
Warning
The Change Source Table option is irreversible. Make sure that the RGB
column or columns selected for colouring map objects are correct as map
objects can be coloured according to any numerical values in the selected
columns. It is recommended that a copy of the source table be saved prior to
using this utility or the Create New Table output is used.
Formatting Vector Objects
Engage>Data Utilities>Plot Vectors
Engage can display velocity/flow data as oriented vectors with either a fixed
vector length or with a length proportional to a magnitude attribute in the point
source table.
The Engage Plot Vectors utility provides quick visualisation of vector (magnitude
and orientation) data in map view. For example, water flow, soil creep, erosion
rate, dune movement or any surface measurement which has a magnitude and
direction component can be represented in this way. To use the Plot Vector
utility, a table must contain mapped point locations, with attribute columns for the
position coordinates (Easting and Northing) and the vector azimuth. An optional
column can also be added to control the length of the vector magnitude.
Plot Vectors dialog
1. Select the table to create the vectors from the pull-down list.
2. Select the appropriate columns for Easting, Northing, Azimuth and
Magnitude (optional).

324 Engage User Guide
3. From the Vector Type control, choose Vector to create vector arrows that
will be proportional in length to the magnitude of the selected data column
or Scalar to create vector arrows of the same length.
4. Select a vector Scale and Arrow Style. Adjust the length and aspect ratio
of the Arrow Head and adjust the distance units, to suit the map scale in
which you are working.
Engage will create orientated arrows at each point location according to the
column information specified. You can elect to output the vectors to either the
Cosmetic layer (default option), create a New Table to hold the vectors or to
overwrite the existing points in the current vector table. If the original point
symbols are overwritten and you wish to restore them, re-run Plot Vector utility
and select the Re-create Points option. Adjust the vector scaling by again rerunning
the utility on the same data.
The soil creep data is displayed as oriented arrows, the arrow length being proportional to
the soil creep magnitude
Dialog Help
• Plot Vectors Dialog Box
Plot Vectors Dialog Box
Vector table
Select the table containing the vector data.

11 Working with Map Objects 325
Re-create points
When re-running with new settings, select the check box to re-create the vector
display.
Columns
Select the vector data columns defining the position, orientation and magnitude
of each vector.
Easting
Select the column containing the X coordinate.
Northing
Select the column containing the Y coordinate.
Azimuth
Select the column containing the vector azimuth.
Magnitude
(Optional) Select the column containing the vector magnitude.
Output table
Select the cosmetic layer, the input vector table (to overwrite the current table),
another vector data table, or (to write the vectors to a new table).
Vector type
• Vector: Use the Magnitude column to modulate the length of the vector
arrow.
• Scalar: Vector arrows are the same length.
Distance units
Select the distance units of the vector coordinates.
Vector style
Scale
Select the scale factor in distance units per units of magnitude.

326 Engage User Guide
Arrow style
Click to select the arrow line style and colour.
Arrow head
Length
Type the length of the arrow head (to suit the map scale).
Width
Type the width of the arrow head.
See also
... Formatting Vector Objects
Cloning Object Styles
Engage>Object>Style Cloner
The Clone Style tool will copy the style of a selected point, line, polyline, region
or text object. This style can then be applied to selected map object/s in the
current or another mapper window.

11 Working with Map Objects 327
Clone Style dialog
Open the Clone Style dialog. In a map window. select the object to copy the style
from, and press the Copy Style button. The Clone Style tool will automatically
detect and display all style attributes for the selected object.
To apply the style to other objects, check or uncheck the parameters to apply in
the Paste Style Options pane. Select the target object/s to apply the style to (in
the same or another map window), and press the Paste Style button.

328 Engage User Guide
Clone Style dialogs for line, region, symbol, and text objects

11 Working with Map Objects 329
Linking Objects to External Documents
Click on a map object and display external documents or files associated with that
map object. For example, Link Documents can be used to display site location
photographs when a sample site is selected in the map window or open a report
when a property boundary is selected.
Document Linking or Hotlinking documents or files to map objects can be used
to integrate spatial data in your GIS system with data stored in other external file
formats. A map object may have one or more linked documents. When there is
more than one document to display a list of linked documents is available for
selection. Some of the more common linked document file types include:
• MapInfo table or workspace – If the document is a MapInfo workspace
or a MapInfo table, the table is opened within the current instance of
MapInfo.
• Text files – Files with the extension .TXT are opened using Notepad.
Larger text files will be opened using WordPad.
• Word/Excel/Access, etc – These files are opened if there is a recognized
application registered with the operating system. Therefore a .DOC file is
opened using Microsoft Word, an .XLS file is opened with Microsoft Excel,
etc., provided this application is present on the operating system. If there
is no application registered with Windows for the linked document,
Engage will display an error message.
Note
Each time a document is requested to be displayed, a new instance of the
associated application is started.
• Raster Images - If the document to be displayed for the selected object is
in a recognized raster format (such as BMP or TIF), the image is
automatically registered and displayed as a MapInfo image file.
Georeferenced images will be displayed as geographically registered
images.
If the linked document is an image that has not been registered, Engage will
automatically register the image in a non-earth projection and then display it in a
new map window. This feature can be used to display photos of mineralization,
thin sections or field sketches by clicking on sites of interest in the map window.

330 Engage User Guide
If the image is registered in an area that lies within the current map window, then
the image is loaded into this map window. If this occurs, the projection of the map
window may change as MapInfo Professional adjusts the map window projection
to the image base projection. The projection of an image overrides any other file
type projections within the map window. Therefore any vector data present within
the map window will be warped to fit the image projection.
If two or more images are displayed in the same map window, the projection of
the larger image will take precedence. If an image has already been registered,
but does not fall within the map window (such as a location photo already
registered into a non-earth projection), the image is opened in a new map window.
Using Engage with registered images allows the creation of a graphical imagery
index. For example, the outlines of a series of remote sensing images may have
been saved as polygons. Each of these polygons can be associated with the
name of the image file that it represents. When a polygon is selected, the
associated image can be displayed in the map window.
Any number of images can be linked to one map object and these can all be
displayed simultaneously. The images can then be added to the layout window
and printed out alongside the map objects to which they are associated.
Setting Up Hotlinks
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Document Link Setup
To link a document with a map object the full document file path must be entered
into a field in the table next to the corresponding map object record. Select the
Table and Workspace Utilities>Document Link Setup menu option and in the
HotLink Setup dialog choose the table and the column(s) to store the file path
information.

11 Working with Map Objects 331
The hotlink field may be created prior to entering the file path details using the
Table>Maintenance>Table Structure menu option. Alternatively, click on the
New Field button to add a new hotlink field to the selected table. By default the
new field is named HotLink and is 255 characters in size although these
parameters can be changed if desired. Make sure all hotlink fields are checked
and click OK to proceed.
Creating a Hotlink
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Link Documents
To link a document:
1. Select one map object from the table in the map window to enter the
linked document details. Choose Table and Workspace Utilities>Link
Documents. The Select document to associate with map object dialog
is displayed.

332 Engage User Guide
2. Browse to the desired directory and select the document to link to the map
object and click Open. In the Hotlink Selection dialog choose the hotlink
field to store the document file path.
3. Click OK to finish. To permanently save the linked document file path, use
the File>Save Table menu option.
To link multiple documents:
• Keep the map object selected, choose Link Documents and browse to
the location of the new document to link. Choose a different Hotlink field to
store the file path details.

11 Working with Map Objects 333
The only limit to the number of documents that can be linked to an object
is the maximum number of columns that a MapInfo Professional table can
contain (240). The same document can be linked to any number of map
objects.
Note
You can also manually enter document names into appropriate record fields.
Opening Linked Documents
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Open Linked Documents
Select a map object in the map window and either click on the Display
Documents button on the Engage toolbar or select Table and Workspace
Utilities>Open Linked Documents. If there is only one linked document the
document will be opened into MapInfo or a separate application. If there is more
than one document linked to the map object select the desired document and the
Preferred View from the list in the Display Document dialog.
Select linked document to display

12 Map Making 335
12 Map Making
• Creating Scaled Maps
• Add a Map Grid
• Add a Scaled Frame to the Layout
• Add a Title Block and Scale Bar
• Add a Map Legend
• Add and Format Text and Labels
• Apply Line Annotations
• Batch Printing
Creating Scaled Maps
Engage>Map Layout>Create Scaled Output
Insert a correctly sized and scaled frame of the front map window (with map grid)
into a layout. Alternatively use a layout from an existing workspace or use a map
sheet boundary to size and scale the frame. Additional frames for scale bar and
title block are added to the layout.
The Engage Scaled Output function gives you a wizard-style interface to simplify
the creation of hard-copy output from a map window. The process can be
summarised as follows:
Step 1 Size and scale Select the output map scale and
size, and paper size required
Step 2 Additional components Select the extra components to
include - map grid, title block and
scalper
Step 3 Refine the size and scale Refine the map position, scale and
size
Step 4 Map grid Specify the Map Grid parameters
Step 5 Title block Specify the title block parameters

336 Engage User Guide
Step 6 Output Save or print the map
A scaled map inserted into a Layout window by Engage Scaled Output
Create Scaled Output Map
To produce an accurately scaled map using Engage, open a map window, add all
the required layers and change layer settings as appropriate.
Select Create Scaled Output from the Engage>Map Layout menu, or click the
Scaled Output button on the main toolbar. Engage displays the following dialog,
from which a map scale and frame size can be specified.
A range of Map Extras can be selected to automatically include in the Scaled
Output Map, including a map grid, title block, and a scale bar.

12 Map Making 337
Scaled Output Dialog Box
Map Scale and Map Size
A range of pre-set map scales are available, or a custom scale can be specified.
Selecting a pre-set scale will modify the Map Size dimensions (real world extents)
displayed in the Actual Map Size box (the units of measure are defined by the
Options>Preferences>System Settings parameters). The Map Size value will
also be altered by the frame size (see Frame Setup) selected. If a custom scale
is specified, the Map Size will not update until the Preview button is clicked.
The Set Map Position button allows you to accurately define the position of the
map, see Position Scaled Output Map for more detail.
Frame Setup
Selecting a frame size from the Frame Setup list defines the size and position of
the frame that Engage places into the layout window. This frame contains the map
window and the size (in centimetres) is shown in the Actual Map Size box.

338 Engage User Guide
The frame size and orientation set here (for example, A3 Landscape) does not
change the Printer Setup. Select the MapInfo File>Print Setup menu option to
alter printer settings. When the Layout window is opened, it will be apparent
whether the Print Setup matches the selected frame size.
Alternatively, you can select a rectangle form the Map Window before selecting
Engage>Map Layout>Create Scaled Output. Scaled Output will then use this
rectangle as the Paper Frame size.
Note
The page size for the Layout window can only be altered after the Layout window
has been created. If you would like to set a preferred printer and page size use
the Options>Preferences>Printer menu item.
Configure Frame Settings
Engage is shipped with a list of frame settings for full page frames for all the
common page sizes. You can view, edit and add to the list of page settings by
choosing the Configure button on the Scaled Output dialog.
Engage allows you to set up and maintain a list of Frame Settings that define
where on a particular size of paper, or a particular printer, the map should appear.
When creating a new frame setting, select the page size on which you wish to
base the frame and then alter the margins and frame positions. Engage allows
you to base the frame on any page size in the groups A0-A5, B1-B5, C1-C5, and
A-F.
You generally need to adjust your frame size to account for non-printing margins
(which are different on different printers and different page layouts).

12 Map Making 339
Scaled Output Configuration Dialog Box
The Non-Printing Margins define the area around the page edge which your
printer cannot use (refer to set-up information for your printer). In the layout
window, these are the light grey margins. The Map Frame Position offsets define
the position of the lower left corner of the map frame within the printing area.
Choose Save Settings and give your new settings a name (for example, A4 Top),
then choose OK to return to the Scaled Output dialog.
Note
The Non-Printing Margins settings are separate to the Map Frame Position.
Therefore, if you increase the margin size, you will need to reduce the
corresponding frame height/width to maintain a total frame size/position that fits
within the paper size.
To remove a Frame Setting from the list click on the Remove button under the
Maintain Frame Settings List control and select the frame to delete from the
pull-down list.
Note
The Printer Setup is not stored with the Engage Page Setup list.

340 Engage User Guide
The Maintain Titleblock List control enables custom title blocks to be available
for selection when using Scaled Output. Custom title blocks are configured to
user-defined specifications and may contain company logos. Click on the Add
button to add a new title block to the title block list. Use the Remove button to
delete a title block from the list. See Add a Title Block and Scale Bar and
Customising Title Blocks for more information on creating your own title blocks.
During the Scaled Output process the map window is re-sized relative to the
layout window. Depending on the screen resolution of your computer the resulting
map window may appear very small or parts may even appear off screen. To
change the dimensions of the scaled output map window enter new width and
height values into the Max Windows Dimensions.
Map Extras
By default, the Draw Grid option is checked. To produce a map with no map grid,
uncheck this option. When Engage draws a map grid, the grid is sized to fit the
frame, and grid text labels are sized appropriate for the output scale.
Title block and scale bar styles can be selected from the available lists. The list of
available title blocks can be maintained using the Configure option. The scale
bar styles are pre-set in Engage and cannot be modified.
The Add frame border option will place a frame border around the selected title
block in the Layout window. This can be useful if the title block linework is
obscured by the edges of the mapper window.
From the Scalebar list, select the desired scale bar style you wish to include in
the Map. If no title block is selected, the scale bar will be shown separately and
saved to the default Engage temporary directory. For details on how the different
scale bars appear see Add a Title Block and Scale Bar.
Position Scaled Output Map
When the Preview button in the main Scaled Output dialog is pressed, Engage
draws a rectangle in the current map window. If the size is not appropriate, the
scale and frame settings can be altered in the dialog, and the preview MapSize
updated by clicking the Preview button again. Once the size is suitable click the
OK button. A text box will also pop-up inside MapInfo displaying the current
Scaled Output size and scale.

12 Map Making 341
The Scaled output text box showing current map size and scale
This rectangle (which is in a temporary table called MapSize) shows the area that
is covered by the map, and is always drawn in the centre of the window. You can
zoom and pan the map window as required, and drag the map size rectangle to
the exact position required by selecting it. You cannot change the size of the
MapSize rectangle as this will alter the predefined map scale.
If you decide that the map should be produced at a different scale or with a
different frame size, choose Scaled Output>Re-Specify Parameters to display
the main dialog again and change the settings.
Alternatively, the position of the Scaled Output map rectangle can be accurately
specified by entering coordinates for either the centre or one of the corners of the
map. Use the Set Map Position button (bottom right of the Scaled Output dialog)
to ensure that the map is accurately positioned for consistent output.
Scaled Output Map Position Dialog Box

342 Engage User Guide
Accept Map Position
When the MapSize rectangle covers the area you wish to print, choose Scaled
Output>Accept Map Position. Engage now resizes the map window to the
required area, and displays dialogs requesting input for grid generation and title
block information.
Note
If you change the view (pan or zoom) in any of the map windows after accepting
the map position, the map scale and the appearance of the map in the Layout
window is altered. Whilst Scaled Output is still running you can use the Scaled
Output>Restore Map Window menu option to restore the map window to the
correct aspect ratio and scale.
Configure Map Grid Settings
The map grid is constructed as described in Add a Map Grid, with the important
difference that the grid label font sizes are appropriate for the specified output
scale. You can preview the grid appearance by clicking the Preview button.
When the map grid is drawn, the labels often appear very small on the screen, but
are correctly sized for hardcopy at the nominated scale. You can draw multiple
map grids by checking the Overlay Another AutoGrid option.
If you want to use the map grid as part of a workspace later on, then use the Save
As button to save the map grid to a specific table name.
When map grid settings have been entered, click OK to proceed. The map grid
is added to the map window.
Enter Scaled Output Title Block Details
Engage prompts you for details to insert into the title block, which is then
displayed as a separate frame within the layout window. The title block is stored
as a template in a non-earth "cm" based table and can be customized. The dialog
displayed for data entry of title block details depends upon how the title block table
is customized. See Add a Title Block and Scale Bar and Customising Title Blocks
for more information on creating your own title blocks.
Select the position of the title block in the layout window. Also for larger paper
sizes you may wish to increase the scale of the title block.
By default, the title block is saved in the Engage temp folder as TITLEBLK.TAB.
If you are going to use this title block in the future (as part of a workspace) you
should use the Save As button to save the title block to a new table.

12 Map Making 343
The default title block will include the Data and Projection of the map, as displayed
at the top of the dialog. Fill out title block’s title text and information text details
as appropriate.
Choose to show the scale bar separately to the title block or to not display it in the
Scaled output layout window.
A list of the various layer names of the source map can also be displayed. You
can select the No List option if preferred.
You can also open a Layout template from a saved workspace file. See Add a
Title Block and Scale Bar and Customising Title Blocks for more information on
creating your own title blocks.
When title block details have been entered, click OK and the scale bar and title
block are drawn. If you wish to cancel adding a title block to the scaled output,
click No title.
The title block (and optionally scale bar) is created as an individual map window
and added to the layout as a frame. This means you can switch to the title block
map window and edit the details as required.
Note
Be careful not to zoom in or out or resize the title block map window - this could
change the size of the scale bar drawn on the hard copy map.
Modifying Scaled Output Layout
You can also change the positions of the title block and map window frames in
the layout window. Use the MapInfo Select tool to select the frame and drag to a
new position.
To re-align the title block frame with the map frame select both frames using the
Select tool and holding down the SHIFT key. Right-mouse click in the layout
window and select the Layout>Align Objects command from the pop-up menu.
This is useful when the title obscures required details on the map.
You can add extra frames to the layout using the Engage Map Layout>Add
Scaled Frame to Layout tool.
Preserving the Linked Map Window Scale and Extents
The Frame Object in a Layout Window is dynamically linked to its source mapper
window. Zooming/panning or resizing this mapper window will have a direct (and
possibly detrimental) impact on the Frame Object view.

344 Engage User Guide
If you intend altering the mapper window scaling or extents (for example, in order
to zoom in and resize labels or change object styles), the following options are
available for saving or returning to the mappers original settings:
1. If the Scaled Output menu is open and active for the current layout, use
the Scaled Output>Restore Map Window command to return the
mapper window to its original scale and extents
2. To save the current mapper's state before making any changes to the
mapper scale/ size, select Engage>Map Window>Save Mapper State
option. To restore this saved setting, select Engage>Map
Window>Restore Mapper State. Note that this is a one-off save and
restore option that only applies to the mapper that was current when the
Save Mapper State option was selected.
3. If the Layout is reused regularly, save the mapper scale/extents
permanently using the Engage Map Window>Standard Views menu
option. Any mapper can then be set to the scale/extents required for your
layout window at any time. This is a highly recommended option.
4. As a last resort, the ELC Previous View button will restore the map
window to a number of previous positions and scales after you have
zoomed to make some modifications. Note that this option can only cycle
backwards through previous views, not forwards, so press the button
slowly, and check its view before proceeding to the next view.
For further tips on added and changing a Scaled Output Map see Scaled Output
Hints.
Printing a Scaled Output Layout
To obtain a hard-copy print once Engage has generated the Layout, choose
File>Print from the MapInfo menu.
Creating Additional Scaled Output Maps
If you wish to make additional maps of the same area, but using different data to
that currently displayed in the map window, add, remove or customise the layers
in the map window. The changes to the map window are reflected in the layout. If
you want to make another map for a different area or for a different scale without
quitting Scaled Output, then choose the Scaled Output>Re-Specify
Parameters menu option. The size and position of the frames in the layout are
not changed, but the map window is zoomed to fit the new scale.

12 Map Making 345
Note
If you alter the size, position or zoom width of the map window at any time, the
scale of the map in the layout window changes. Whilst Scaled Output is running,
you can use the Scaled Output>Restore Map Window menu option to reset
the map window size, position and zoom level. You should always save a
workspace to ensure the layout settings are saved.
Scaled Output Hints
• If any polygon is currently selected in the front map window when Scaled
Output is run, the dimensions of this polygon are used to size the map
window. The selected polygon does not need to be a regular shape like a
map-sheet.
• Use the MapInfo Set Clip Region command with Scaled Output to quickly
produce a plot of just that map data which lies within a given tenement.
• Use the MapInfo Layout>Align Objects menu option to re-align the scale
bar/title block frames if you have moved them.
• Use Engage>Map Layout>Overlay Map Grid to overwrite or add to the
Map grid added during the Scaled Output process.
• Use the MapInfo Tools>Tool Manager Overview tool to quickly add an
overview map to your layout.
• Use the MapInfo Tools>Tool Manager North Arrow tool to quickly add a
north arrow to your map or layout.
• Add extra frames to the layout using the Engage>Map Layout>Add
Scaled Frame to Layout tool. This allows you to add an accurately
scaled frame to an open layout window, but does not provide map grid or
title block options.
• When running Scaled Output on a data set that takes a long time to
redraw the screen, use the ESC key to interrupt the MapInfo redraws. Be
careful not to cancel from dialogs for map grid and title block details.
Alternatively, set complex or large layers to invisible until ready to print.
• Use the Page Settings dialog to define other frame sizes such as
oversized A0 for large maps, or wide margin A4 and A3 for printing small
maps on large format printers (with large non-printing margins).

346 Engage User Guide
• If you need to make changes to the map window after it has been inserted
into a layout, then you must use the pan/zoom functions with great care,
otherwise the positioning and scaling of the frame in the layout is not
correct..
Scaled Output map with additional layout frames
Exit Scaled Output
To quit Scaled Output, select the Scaled Output>Exit Scaled Output menu
option. Engage then asks whether you would like to save the title block, scale bar
and map grid (if these tables are open) and a Workspace that includes the layout,
for future use. The title block, scale bar and map grid tables need to be saved
under new names or they will be overwritten the next time that Scaled Output is
used.

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Exit Scaled Output dialog
Dialog Help
• Scaled Output Dialog Box
• Scaled Output Configuration Dialog Box
• Scaled Output Map Position Dialog Box
Scaled Output Dialog Box
Map scale
Select a map scale for the frame, or select and type the scale in
the box below.
Frame setting
Select from the available map frame settings. This defines the frame size, position
and orientation in the layout window, and margins. Note that you may also need
to change the printer settings on File>Print Setup before printing.
Configure
Standard frame settings for A0-A5, B1-B5, C1-C5, and A-F page sizes are
shipped with Engage, which define the frame size, position, orientation, and
margins. Click the button to display the Scaled Output Configuration Dialog Box,
from which you can modify, save or create a new frame setting.

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Map extras
Draw grid
Select to display a map grid. The grid and labels are sized to suit the current
frame.
Title block
Select a title block from the list of available title blocks, or select .
To maintain the list of title blocks, under Frame setting, click Configure. See
Customising Title Blocks for information on creating new title block tables.
Scale bar
Add frame border
Select to display a border around the title block, if selected.
Select a scale bar from the list of available scale bars. For information on scale
bar styles and how to create a custom scale bar, see Scale Bars.
Actual map size
Displays the frame size in page coordinates and the map size in real world
coordinates for the selected map scale and frame setting. If you selected a
custom scale, click the Preview button to update.
Set Map Position
Displays the Scaled Output Map Position Dialog Box, from which you can set the
coordinates of any corner or the centre of the frame. If a frame has previously
been displayed, you can also select the frame in the map window and drag it to a
new position.
Preview
Click to preview the frame settings in the map window.
Scaled Output Configuration Dialog Box
Select, edit and save standard frame settings. After you have modified the frame
setting, click OK, and then you will be asked to save the settings or create and
name a new frame setting.

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Frame setting
Select the frame size from the list of standard page sizes, and then select either
a Portrait or Landscape frame orientation. The frame width and height is
displayed.
Max window dimensions
Type a new Width or Height to change the dimensions of the scaled output map
window.
Non-printing margins
The left, right, top and bottom printer margins (which your printer cannot use).
These are shown shaded grey in the layout window. Changing the left or bottom
margins will also move the map frame position.
Map frame position
The portion of the lower-left corner of the map frame relative to the printing area
(within the non-printing margin).
Maintain frame settings list
Click Remove to select and remove a named frame setting.
Maintain title block list
Click Add to add a new title block to the list of available title blocks. See
Customising Title Blocks for information on creating new title block tables.
Click Remove to remove a title block from the list.
Scaled Output Map Position Dialog Box
Reposition any corner or the centre of the frame to an exact coordinate.
Define map position
Select top-left, bottom-left, top-right, or bottom-left corner or centre of the frame,
and then type the coordinates in the East/Longitude and North/Latitude boxes.

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Add a Map Grid
Engage>Map Layout>Overlay Map Grid
Draw a map grid in any projection to the front map window. This function is also
available as part of the Scaled Output map-making wizard (see Creating Scaled
Maps).
Accessed from the button bar or menu, the Map Grid function allows you to add
a map grid to the current map window in any of the MapInfo standard projections
or in a user-defined custom projection. The style of the map grid is fully
customisable and you can overlay multiple grids on one another (for example a
Lat/Lon grid on a UTM grid). The map grid is drawn into a temporary table called
AUTOGRID, which is located in the Engage temporary directory unless you
nominate a different table name and location.
The Map Grid dialog box

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Map Grid Projection
By default (Auto option) the map window projection is automatically detected and
used to construct the grid. To change the projection of the map window, use the
Engage>Map Window>Favourite Projections function (see Map Projections).
If you wish to draw a map grid in another projection from the current map window
projection, choose the User Defined option. A list of projections from the Engage
favourite projection list is displayed. Select the projection that you wish to use
from the list or use the pull-down list to select another projection. The map window
projection is not changed, however the grid is drawn in the selected projection.
You can also display local (non-earth) grids and real world grids together. To
display local and real world grids together, you should define and store a grid
transformation setting (see Coordinate Transformations).
With one or more grid transformation settings saved, choose the Custom
Coordsys option from the Projection control and select the appropriate
transformation setting.
Grid Spacing
Engage suggests a rounded grid spacing based on the width of the map window.
The grid spacing is in the coordinate units of the grid projection - usually metres,
but degrees for Lat/Lon coordinate systems.
You can override the Engage suggested grid spacing by typing in your preferred
value. For Lat/Lon grids, choose between grid spacing in decimal degrees or
degrees, minutes, seconds by clicking the checkbox.
Map Grid Styles
The grid is drawn in one of three basic styles:
• Lines
• Points
• Edge ticks
These basic styles may be altered by changing the line, symbol type and colour.
Additionally, you may choose to have grid labels placed in a mask outside the
map frame.

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For a grid drawn as lines, each grid line is a polyline with normally one node
placed at each grid line intersection. Where the grid lines show substantial
curvature (for example, when a Lat/Lon grid over a large area is displayed in a
projected coordinate system) you may need additional nodes for each grid line.
Set this value in the Other Label Options button.
Grid line labels are, by default, drawn at the left and top margins of the map
window. In a map window with metres labels, choose a small font size (9 or less)
so that the labels do not appear too intrusive. The grid label font size is relative to
the current map window scale.
You can also draw grid labels to the bottom and right margins of the map window.
You may wish to use this option when overlaying grids in different projections, for
example so that labels for a UTM grid are drawn at top and left, whilst labels for
a Lat/Lon grid are drawn at right and bottom.
Other options available allow you to control the frequency of grid lines labels
(choose from no labels, every line labelled or an intermediate setting), and what
prefix or suffix to add to the coordinate label (for example, choose to label as
E 5000 or 5000 m E etc). You can simply re-order the arrangement and add
spaces or characters in between them, or remove the value altogether.
= The coordinate value of the line
= units of the coordinates
= an 'E' or 'N' for the Easting or northing axis.
When you choose to have the grid labels drawn in a mask around the edge of the
map, Engage creates an extra table (called AUTOGRID_MASK) to hold the
mask. The map window is enlarged slightly so that the visible area of the map
window (inside the mask) remains the same. In some cases the page margins
accessed via Print Setup may need to be adjusted for the map to fit correctly on
the page.
To save the Map Grid Style settings as default, tick Save as default settings, and
when Preview or OK is clicked the style settings will be saved as default.

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The three basic styles of map grid that can be generated by Engage
Save and Overlay Map Grids
Save the map grid using a unique table name with the Save As button, otherwise
the map grid is written to a table named AUTOGRID in the Engage temporary
folder. If you then wish to save the map grid for use later on, you need to use the
Table>Maintenance>Rename Table menu option or the File>Save Copy As
menu option to save AUTOGRID with a new name.
If you use the Save As button to specify a table name for the map grid, then
MapGrid does not overwrite the existing map grid. Use this option when you need
to save a map grid to disk for later use.
If there is already an AutoGrid table in the front map window, Engage overwrites
it unless the Append to existing Autogrid option has been selected. If there is
an AutoGrid table open but not in the front map window, Engage prompts you for
a name to save this table to. If you do not want to save the old grid, click Cancel.

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If you wish to overlay another grid with a different projection, choose the Overlay
another Autogrid option. After drawing the first grid, Engage displays the map
grid dialog again and you should choose different parameters (different projection
and probably different grid style).
When the Preview button is clicked, Engage constructs a temporary grid and
then displays it as a layer in the front map window with the current gridding
options. If you wish to adjust any display settings, click Preview again to apply
the changes to the preview grid.
When the OK button is clicked, Engage constructs the grid and then displays it as
a layer in the front map window.
Dialog Help
• Overlay Map Grid Dialog Box
• Grid Label Options Dialog Box
Overlay Map Grid Dialog Box
Map projection
The map window projection is displayed. To change the map window projection,
see Map Projections.
Projection
• Auto (current map window): Draw a map grid using the current map
window projection.
• Custom coordinate system: Draw local and real world grids using a
custom transformation. To create a custom transformation coordinate
system, see Coordinate Transformations.
• User defined: Draw a map grid in a different projection by selecting the
projection from the list of Engage favourite projections.
Grid spacing
The default grid spacing is calculated from the width of the map window. Type a
new grid spacing in the units of the map window projection (typically metres or
degrees).

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Grid style
Choose Lines, Points, or Edge Ticks grid style. If grid lines have significant
curvature, you can smooth the grid lines using Label Options.
Aa (text style)
Displays the MapInfo Text Style dialog box, from which you can change the label
font, font size, colour, background style and colour, and ornamentation.
Symbol style
(Point style grids) Displays the MapInfo Symbol Style dialog box, from which you
can change the grid point symbol, colour, size, and other effects.
Line style
(Line and edge-tick style grids) Displays the MapInfo Line Style dialog box, from
which you can change the line style, colour and line width.
Label size
Displays the grid label font size. Type a new value in pts, or select the text style
(Aa) button. Text size will change with the scale of the current view.
Map scale
The map scale at which the label text size is correct.
Place labels in mask polygon outside map frame
Select to draw grid labels in a mask outside the map frame. Clear to draw grid
labels in the map window margins.
Display labels at
Select or clear check boxes to show and hide labels at the top, bottom, left, and
right of the map window.
Label Options
Displays the Grid Label Options Dialog Box, from which you can smooth curved
grid lines, add a label suffix and prefix, set the frequency of grid labels, and
change the number of decimal places.

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Save as default grid
Select to save the settings and use as the default for new grids. This will cause
the AUTOGRID table to be overwritten.
Options
Append to existing Autogrid
If there is already a grid drawn in the active map window, select the check box to
add the new grid to the existing grid. Clear the check box to replace the existing
grid.
Overlay another Autogrid
Select to overlay a second grid with a different projection and style. After you click
OK, the first grid is drawn, and the Map Grid dialog box is displayed again so that
you can define the second grid.
Save As
Click to save to a user-defined table instead of the default AUTOGRID table. You
can also save the AUTOGRID table to a new table later using File>Save Copy
As.
Preview
Draws or redraws the grid in the active map window using the defined settings
without overwriting the existing grid.
Grid Label Options Dialog Box
Smooth curved grid lines, add a label suffix and prefix, set the frequency of grid
labels, and change the number of decimal places.
Node per grid interval
Add nodes between grid points to smooth curved grid lines.
X-axis label
Define label suffix and prefix using the following building blocks:
map projection coordinate
map projection units
map projection X-axis label (E or N)

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For example, the label string “ ” will display a label in the
form “140000 mE”. Other fixed characters can be used in the label string.
Y-axis label
Define label suffix and prefix using the following building blocks:
map projection coordinate
map projection units
map projection Y-axis label (E or N)
For example, the label string “ ” will display a label in the
form “52000 mN”. Other fixed characters can be used in the label string.
Label every N grid lines
Change the frequency of grid labels. Type a value of 2 to label every second grid
line.
Restore Default
Restores grid label option defaults.
Decimal places
Number of decimal places of grid labels.
Add a Scaled Frame to the Layout
Engage>Map Layout>Add Scaled Frame to Layout
This tool allows a scaled frame to be added to the layout window for the front
map window. The scaled frame is added to a newly created layout window if one
is not currently opened.

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Add Scaled Frame to Layout Dialog Box
Use this tool in conjunction with Scaled Output to add additional frames, such as
an overview or legend, to the layout, with the Create Titleblock function or on its
own when a scale bar and title block are not required.
Dialog Help
• Add Scaled Frame to Layout Dialog Box
Add Scaled Frame to Layout Dialog Box
Frame parameters
Scale
Type the scale for the new frame
Frame width
Type the frame width in centimetres
Frame height
Type the frame height in centimetres

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Position in layout
Offset from left
Type the horizontal offset in centimetres.
Offset from top
Type the vertical offset in centimetres.
Add frame to existing layout
If a layout is open, select this check box to add the new frame to the existing
layout.
Position in map
Select a position relative to the map border (Centre, Top-left, Bottom-left, Topright,
or Bottom-right), or type the map coordinates of the top-left corner of the
frame (Easting and Northing).
See also
...Add a Scaled Frame to the Layout
Add a Title Block and Scale Bar
Engage>Map Layout>Create Titleblock
Use the Create Titleblock tool to open a custom title block, add details to that
title block and optionally create a scale bar to add to the title block. The title block
map window is sized to fit the extents of the title block so that it can be easily
added to a layout window.
When the Create Titleblock tool is opened, an initial dialog prompts you to select
the title block template to edit and the scale bar and scale to use. For information
on adding and removing custom title blocks from the selectable list see
Customising Title Blocks.

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Titleblock Dialog Box
Scale Bars
The title block shipped with Engage contains a range of scale bars to choose
from. Both metric and imperial measurement system scale bars are available.
The scale bar can be drawn in one of the six selectable formats.
Alternatively, create a scale bar so that it is displayed in a separate map window
that can be moved in the layout independently of the title block. This scale bar can
be saved and re-used in later layouts. To enable the correct scale to be displayed
in a layout make sure the scale bar map window is displayed at a 1:1 zoom and
that the scale bar frame in the layout window is scaled at 1:2 for page sizes up to
50 cm in width or at a 1:1 scale for layouts larger than 50 cm.
The main scale bar formats that can be selected from the initial dialog are as
follows:
Scalebar 1
Scalebar 2
Scalebar 3

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Note
To produce more customised scale bars, the Engage>Map Window>ScaleBar
provides more powerful options and you can save this scale bar at the
appropriate window scale for future use. Ensure that the dynamic scale bar is
saved at a map scale that matches the Scaled Output.
Title Block and Scale Bar Options
The title block is stored as a template in a non-earth “cm” based table and can be
customized. The dialog displayed for data entry of title block details depends
upon how the title block table is customized. See Customising Title Blocks for
details on customizing the title block.
The default title block shipped with Engage presents a dialog similar to that shown
below. The five Title Lines are concatenated (and centre justified). The details
(Author, Reference etc.) are placed in the appropriate positions within the title
block. The font styles used are defined in the title block template table on disk.
Title Block and Scale Bar Options Dialog Box

362 Engage User Guide
Title Block Options
Titleblock Position defines where in the layout window the title block frame is
placed. The default is in the lower right corner of the main map frame. Normally,
the title block is displayed in the layout as a frame on top of the map window
frame. However, for customized title blocks, you may wish to have the title block
behind the map and you should check the Send Titleblock to Back check box.
By default, the title block is saved in the Engage temp folder as TITLEBLK.TAB.
If you are going to use this title block in the future (as part of a workspace) you
should use the Save As button to save the title block to a new table.
When entering title block information, you can specify a scale for the title block.
By default, if the map to be printed is more than 50 cm wide, the title block is
displayed at a scale of 1:1; otherwise the display scale is 1:2. Use this control to
enter the scale required for the title block.
Scale Bar Options
By default the scale bar in the format that was selected on the initial dialog will be
displayed embedded in the title block.
Show ScaleBar Seperately will display the scale bar in a separate window. By
default this will be saved to the Engage temp folder as SCALEBAR.TAB If you are
going to use this title block in the future (as part of a workspace) you should use
the Save As button to save the scale bar to a new table.
If you choose Don’t Show Scalebar the scale bar will not be opened.
Other Options
Open layout template from workspace enables a workspace for a layout to be
opened with a pre-defined format instead of opening a new empty layout. For
example, the layout could contain extra annotation (such as north arrows, extra
legends, fixed logos and legends) as well as other map windows such as an
overview window for the state or country that the map is part of.
When creating a layout template to be used in this way, be careful that only those
tables and windows required for your layout are actually open when you save the
workspace. You may also need different workspaces for each different map
format (paper size, orientation etc) that you wish to produce.
Display list of layers in map will display a list of the various layer names of the
source map at a selectable location. Note that by default this list is produced, but
you can select the No List option if preferred.

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Dialog Help
• Titleblock Dialog Box
• Title Block and Scale Bar Options Dialog Box
Titleblock Dialog Box
Select a template, scale bar and map scale, and then click OK. The Title Block
and Scale Bar Options Dialog Box is displayed.
Select custom title block template
Click to select a template. For information on adding and removing title block
templates, see Customising Title Blocks.
Select scale bar type
Both metric and imperial scale bars are available. Three scale bar styles are
available. Click to select a scale bar style:
Scalebar 1
Scalebar 2
Scalebar 3
Scale bar map scale
Type the scale bar scale.
See also
...Scale Bars

364 Engage User Guide
... Add a Title Block and Scale Bar
... Customising Title Blocks
Title Block and Scale Bar Options Dialog Box
Type or select the options for the title block placeholders defined in the title block
template. The font styles are also defined in the template table.
Title lines
Type the text for the title line placeholders.
Title block details
Type the text for the title block details placeholders.
Position and scale
Position
Click to select the position of the title block when it is added to a layout.
Scale
Type the plot scale of the title block. At a scale of 1:1 the default template creates
a 50 cm wide title block.
Save As
Click to save the title block to a new table. By default, the title block is saved in
the Engage temp folder as TITLEBLK.TAB.
Send to back
Select to display the title block behind other frames in the layout.
Scale bar
Displays the scale bar scale. Select the display option:
Create scale bar in title block
Scale bar is created in the title block map window.
Create separate scale bar
Scale bar is created in a separate map window.

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Save As
Click to save scale bar to a new table. By default this will be saved to the
Engage temp folder as SCALEBAR.TAB.
No scale bar
No scale bar is created.
Options
Layout
Click to open a workspace for a layout with a pre-defined format (instead of an
empty layout). For example, the layout might contain north arrows, legends, logos
and other map windows such as an overview window for the state or country that
the map is part of.
When creating a layout template to be used in this way, be careful that only those
tables and windows required for your layout are actually open when you save the
workspace. You may also need different workspaces for each different map
format (paper size, orientation etc) that you wish to produce.
Display list of layers in map
Click to select the position where the list of layers is displayed, or select No List.
Cancel
Click to close dialog box without creating a title block.
See also
...Title Block and Scale Bar Options
...Add a Title Block and Scale Bar
...Customising Title Blocks
Add a Map Legend
Engage>Map Layout>Create Map Legend
Create a customizable legend for up to 10 layers in a multi-layered map. The
order of items within the legend may be altered. The legend is created in a map
window for easy insertion into a layout

366 Engage User Guide
The Engage Create Map Legend utility is used to create detailed legends where
individual map objects contain attribute data in one or more columns. The Create
Map Legend menu option can create a legend using up to three of these attribute
column entries in the map legend. To create a simple legend for map objects
based purely on map object style regardless of attribute data use the MapInfo
Map>Create Legend menu option. The legend window created using this
method is not a true MapInfo Professional table and can only be edited by doubleclicking
in the legend window.
The Engage legend is created into a map window in Non-Earth (centimetres)
projection. This allows Engage legends to be edited and scaled. Engage legends
can be added to a layout using the Map Layout>Add Scaled Frame to Layout
tool.
Legend Tables and Columns
In order to create a Engage legend the active or front map window must contain
the layers to include in the legend. Select the tables to display in the legend from
the Create Legend 1 Dialog Box.

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The selected tables are displayed in the Create Legend 2 Dialog Box.
Dialog for legend creation. The user has already selected 4 layers to incorporate into this
legend.
The tables selected are displayed in map layer order. Legend items from each
table are displayed in the legend according to record order within the table. To
alter the order of the legend items in a table check the Specify Order option. This
will enable legend items to be sorted alphabetically or by a user-defined order
such as geological age.

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Choose the primary column from each table to be used for legend creation from
the Legend Column 1 pull-down list. The column (or field) that you nominate for
each table from the Legend Column 1 defines what objects are drawn on the
legend. For example, if you had a table containing Planning Zones you may
nominate Code, as the legend field and Engage will draw an object for each
planning zone code. If you nominate Description, Engage draws an object for
each planning zone description (Rural, Residential, Public Land, etc). The data
held in Legend Columns 2 and 3 is added as supplementary text.
The legend tool only produces sensible results if the data is structured
appropriately. That is, all records containing a specific value in Legend Column
1 should have the same graphic style. For example, all polygons having planning
code = RU01 should have the same colour. If this is not the case, the legend may
be misrepresentative as the legend style is obtained from the first record in the
table that has this value.
Two additional columns containing text may be displayed in the legend. Make
sure the text in these columns is structured correctly in relation to the column
specified in Legend Column 1. The text selected for columns 2 or 3 may be
obtained from a related lookup table. Select Lookup from the list of available
columns and browse to the location of the look-up table. Match the column in the
look-up table with the corresponding column from the Legend Column 1. In the
above example, if the planning code descriptions were held in a separate table
you would choose Lookup from the Legend Column 2 pull-down list, select the
LookUp table and then select the field that corresponds with the values in the
Legend 1 column and the Legend Text column in the lookup table to add to the
legend.
Legend Style
By default, Engage generates the Legend in one column with the title at the top
and legend items at 2 cm spacing. Engage provides the option of creating the
Legend in 2 columns with a user-defined line spacing. Legends can be easily
edited once they are created using the MapInfo and Engage editing tools. The
font style for legend titles and each text column can be set by clicking the Style
button. The option to display a Legend Box Border is also available.

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By default legend items will only be created for map objects that are currently
visible in the map window. To include all map objects from the selected tables
uncheck the Legend from objects within map window only option.
Legend Order
The order of individual items in the legend can be specified in one of the following
ways:
• No ordering - items are placed into the legend in the same order that they
are read from the table.
• Custom - manually order the individual items in the legend by moving
them up or down the list.
• Alphabetic order - order items in ascending or descending.
• Look-up Code from Table – order items according to a value in another
column in the same table.
• Look-up Code from Look-Up Table - order items according to a value in
external look-up table.

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For each layer that the Specify Order option has been checked, the Legend
Order Dialog Box is displayed. A list of the legend items for that layer is displayed
and the Re-Order options. With the Re-Order Mode set to Custom, use the Up,
Down and Delete buttons to alter the list. Alternatively, set the Re-Order Mode
to Alphabetical, either ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A).
When using a Look-Up Code to re-order legend items the Legend Order from
Column Values Dialog Box is displayed, from which you can select a column from
either the same table or a different one. In this instance the legend item is
matched to a numeric value which Engage can use to determine the order of the
legend items. These options could be used, for example, to re-order by planning
zone using a specific user-defined order. To specify the lookup code from another
column make sure the column is numeric and that there is a corresponding legend
column and a numerical fields with the legend order number.
Dialog for changing the order of legend items
Dialog Help
• Create Legend 1 Dialog Box
• Create Legend 2 Dialog Box
• Legend Order Dialog Box
• Legend Order from Column Values Dialog Box
Create Legend 1 Dialog Box
Select the tables that you want to create legends from. You can create legends
for up to three attribute column in each table. Click OK to display the Create
Legend 2 Dialog Box.
The legend tool only produces sensible results if the data is properly structured:

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• Make sure that records with the same value in the primary column have
the same graphic style.
• Make sure the text in the supplementary text columns relates to the
primary column. You can also use a lookup table.
See also
...Add a Map Legend
...Legend Tables and Columns
Create Legend 2 Dialog Box
Legend tables
Legends tables are displayed in map layer order.
Specify order
Legend items are displayed by record order in the table. Select the check box to
allow legend items to be sorted alphabetically or by a user-defined order, such as
geological age. The Legend Order is displayed when each selected legend is
created.
Column 1
Select the primary legend column. This column defines which objects are drawn
on the legend. For example, if the nominated column is “CustCode” then Engage
will create a legend entry for each unique CustCode.
Column 2 and 3
Supplementary text fields.
To use a lookup table, select from the list of available columns and
browse to the location of the lookup table. Match the column in the lookup table
with the corresponding column from Column 1.
Legend style
• One column: Creates a single column vertical legend.
• Two columns: Creates a two-column legend.
Legend box width
Type the box width in centimetres.

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Legend box height
Type the box height in centimetres.
Line spacing
Type the vertical spacing of legend items in centimetres.
Legend title
Type the main title.
Subtitle
Type the subtitle.
Create legend from objects in map window only
Select check box to restrict legend items to map objects that are visible in the map
window. Clear to include all map objects from the selected tables.
Styles
Click to select text style for title, subtitle and legend items, and the legend border
style.
See also
... Legend Tables and Columns
... Legend Style
... Legend Order
Legend Order Dialog Box
Displays the legend items and their order.
Order by
The order of individual items in the legend can be specified in one of the following
ways:
• Custom: Select an item and use the Up, Down, and Delete buttons to
reorder and delete.
• Alphabetical order: Order items in ascending (A-Z) or descending order
(Z-A).

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• Look-up code from table: Order items according to a value in another
column in the same table. Displays the Legend Order from Column Values
Dialog Box.
• Look-up code from lookup table: Order items according to a value in
another table. You are asked to select a table, and then displays the
Legend Order from Column Values Dialog Box.
See also
...Legend Order
Legend Order from Column Values Dialog Box
When using a Look-up code to re-order legend items select a column from either
the same table or a different one. In this instance the legend item is matched to a
numeric value which Engage can use to determine the order of the legend items.
Legend code column
Select the column containing the lookup code.
Legend order column
Typically, a column containing numeric values to set the order.
Ascending, Descending
Order the legend order column in ascending or descending order.
See also
...Legend Order
Add and Format Text and Labels
• Adding Titles to Frames
• Adding Text Labels
• Formatting Text
• Modifying MapInfo Label Angles
• Updating Labels

374 Engage User Guide
Adding Titles to Frames
Frame Titling is an Engage feature available for the Layout window to enable
automatic labels to be added to map frames. The label corresponds to the map
title name that can be edited in the ELC (see ELC Window Controls). To add
Frame Titles to a map in the Layout Window, right click on the layout window to
display a pop-up menu and select Add Frame Titles. The Add Frame Titles
Dialog Box is displayed, which allows you to control the placement and text style.
Adding a Frame Title in the top left inside corner of the map.
Dialog Help
• Add Frame Titles Dialog Box
Add Frame Titles Dialog Box
Vertical alignment
Select the vertical alignment: Top-inside, Top-outside, Bottom-inside, or
Bottom-outside.
Horizontal alignment
Select the horizontal alignment (Left, Centre, or Right).
Text style
Click Aa to select text font, size, colour, background, and style.

12 Map Making 375
Create
Click to add titles.
See also
...Adding Titles to Frames
Adding Text Labels
Engage>Text>Label Creator
Label Creator is a powerful tool for creating text labels at a specified scale (i.e.
labels at a fixed size) for professional quality map production. With this tool you
can label:
• An entire table dataset
• A selection (spatial or attribute query)
• Individual objects as they are selected

376 Engage User Guide
To use the Label Creator tool:
1. Ensure the target dataset to label (e.g. a polyline table of streets or a
polygon table of municipal boundaries) is open in the current map window.
This table requires an attribute field from which the labels will be created
(e.g. 'Name' or 'Shire').
2. If a subset of the dataset is to be labelled (recommended initially for larger
datasets to finesse the labelling parameters) make a selection with the
appropriate tool. For example:
• To label all major streets in a dataset with a second field with
'major', 'minor' and 'track' attributes, use the
Engage>Select>Select by Attribute or Object Group tool to
select only the streets attributed with 'major'. Or use the MapInfo
Query>SQL Select tool.

12 Map Making 377
• To label only streets within particular Map Sheet polygons, ensure
the Map Sheet series is open in the same window as the street
table, and then use MapInfo Professional Boundary Select tool
to select one or more map sheet polygons (hold down SHIFT to
multi-select). The streets contained by these polygons will be
selected.
Note
A selection is not required for adding labels dynamically to individual objects
using the Add Single Label button.
3. Select Engage>Text>Label Creator.
4. Select the target table or *Selection* in the Label Source Table pull-down
list. If using the Add Single Label button, specify the source table instead
of *Selection*.
5. Select the attribute field to create labels from in the Label Source
Column pull-down list.
6. Set the desired Style options (colour, font and size, etc). Labels are sized
according to scale. This can be either by the scale of the current Window
Scale, or a user-defined Map Scale (recommended)
7. For polylines and polygons, labels can be either centred on the Object, or
aligned with the First or Last point (Object node) using the Options Label
control. The Angle of the label can also be set as either Parallel to the
object (recommended for polylines) or Fixed. A fixed angle allows the user
control over the label display angle. A number of Advanced Labelling
Options are available for more precise label control.
8. Labels can be output to either the MapInfo Cosmetic Layer or a defined
Table. If finessing your labels in terms of size, scale, density, etc, it is
recommended to operate on only a small subset initially (see step 2
above), and utilize the cosmetic layer for output. The Clear Cosmetic
Layer button allows its contents to be quickly deleted with the dialog still
open, so that another variation of label parameters can be regenerated.
9. If labelling an entire table or existing selection, press Generate to create
your labels. If dynamically adding labels to individual objects, press the
Add Single Label button, and select the first object to label. Repeat for
each additional object.

378 Engage User Guide
Advanced Labelling Options
The Advanced button on the Label Creator tool allows the following options:
• Control the Vertical position of the label with respect to the object. The
vertical position of the label can be positioned Above, Centered and Below
the object centroid. If set to either Above or Below, the Perpendicular
Offset can be set (in mm) from the map object centroid.

12 Map Making 379
• Offset Labels East and North (in mm) of their initial position. Use negative
values for West and South displacements
• Change the Case of labels to:
• to apply title-style (capitalise the first letter in each word).
• to apply uppercase to all letters.
• to apply lowercase to all letters.
• Control how labels are wrapped along polyline with Label Splitting:
No splitting Word splitting Letter splitting
• When processing features (e.g. a road) comprising of multiple line or
polylines with coincident end/start points, you can Allow Duplicates for
joined lines. Each line or polyline will have a separate label. Disabling
this option will label the first line or polyline (in any collection of identical
attributed objects, if they have coincident start/end points) :
• Allow Overlapping Labels allows labels to over-print.
• Filter the size of Line and polygon Region objects that are to be labelled.
• To only label line objects over a certain length select the Process Lines
option and specify a length in metres.
• To only label polygons 'less than' or 'greater than' an area, select the
Process Regions option and specify an area in metres squared.

380 Engage User Guide
Formatting Text
Engage>Text>Format
Set the current font size, or resize selected text, for a specified output scale.
Use Format Text to set the text font size for a specified output scale. You can
also resize any selected text objects to prepare a map for printing at a new scale.
Often you want to change the font size of existing text to prepare it to be displayed
at a different scale. With the standard MapInfo text tool, you must have the
window at the correct scale in order to get the text size correct. Using the text
formatting utility in Engage you can adjust the text size by entering the font size
that you want and the map scale that this size refers to. Additionally you can
change the angle at which the text is displayed.
You should have a map window open and active. If you have selected text, it is
altered to the style that you select. The Format Text Dialog Box is displayed.
Specifying text size, style and angles
Enter the Font Size and angle and the map scale at which this size is correct.
The map scale defaults to a rounded value of the current Map Window scale.
The Font Size defaults to 10 point at the current Map Window scale, but accepts
any valid numeric input. The Text angle defaults to 0º, i.e. left to right horizontal
(normal text orientation).
Note
MapInfo text angles increase anti-clockwise from this direction so that 90º is
vertically up and 270º is vertically down. Also, when you change the scale/zoom
of the map window, you need to reset your text size using this menu option.

12 Map Making 381
Dialog Help
• Format Text Dialog Box
Format Text Dialog Box
Font size
Type the text size in pts.
Map scale
Type the map scale. The text size is correct when printed at this scale.
Aa (text style)
Set the text style. Displays the MapInfo Text Style dialog box.
Change text angle
Select to change the text angle.
Angle
Type the text angle in degrees anti-clockwise from horizontal. An angle of 90 is
vertically up and 270 is vertically down.
See also
...Formatting Text
Modifying MapInfo Label Angles
Engage>Text>Rotate MI Auto Label
This feature alters the label angle for a specified map layer.
MapInfo Professional labels are drawn horizontally. There is no way to change
the label angle for more than one label at once. Use the MapInfo Label Angle
feature in Engage to set the label angle to a value other than zero for all objects
in the layer.

382 Engage User Guide
Engage uses the current label settings (such as label column, zoom layering and
font) for the specified layer, but alters each label so that it displays at the required
angle. If the labels for this layer are not already displayed, then Engage causes
them to be displayed. If you wish to store the labels for later use, you must save
a workspace for the map.
Note
This feature is not available with query layers.
Dialog Help
• Label Angles Dialog Box
Label Angles Dialog Box
Layer
Select a layer from the active map window.
Angle
Type an angle in degrees anti-clockwise from horizontal. An angle of 90 is
vertically up and 270 is vertically down.
If the labels for this layer are not displayed, they are displayed. To store the labels
for later use, you must save a workspace for the map.
See also
... Modifying MapInfo Label Angles
Updating Labels
Engage provides a range of functions for modifying text labels that are already on
your map. Commonly text labels are stored in a table used just for map annotation
purposes, and it does not contain data. Once the label has been created, the link
between the data and the label is based on location only.
You may wish to alter the text labels for a number of reasons, such as:
• Having adjusted the position of sample labels to avoid over-posting, you
want to change the label text from the Monthly_Income value to the
Monthly_Expenditure, but keep the new label positions.

12 Map Making 383
• Labels have been provided as text in an AutoCad .DXF file with a
corresponding spreadsheet with no coordinates. You need to be able to
create a MapInfo Professional table with these labels joined to the location
of the samples.
Note
Note that these functions work with text objects and not MapInfo labels. If you
need to convert MapInfo labels into text objects use the MapInfo
LABELLER.MBX tool.
Updating Text Labels from Table
Engage>Text>Update Labels from Table
Use this option to update the text in text objects according to the values in a
nominated column. This column can be in the same table or a different table.
When updating with values from a different table, Engage joins the two tables
simply by record number in the two tables. If the record order in the two tables is
not appropriate then you need to join the two tables using SQL.
See also
...Updating Labels
...Updating Table from Text Labels
Updating Table from Text Labels
Engage>Text>Update Table from Labels
Updating the table from text labels provides a simple method of adding the text
label string into a column in the browser window. This feature is especially useful
when dealing with DXF files containing sample number labels.
See also
...Updating Labels
...Updating Text Labels from Table
Dialog Help
• Update Label Text from Table Dialog Box
• Update Table from Text Dialog Box

384 Engage User Guide
Update Label Text from Table Dialog Box
Update labels in table
The table containing the text column that you want to update.
Column
The column containing the text that you want to update.
Using text from table
The table containing the update text column.
Column
The column containing the update text.
See also
... Updating Text Labels from Table
Update Table from Text Dialog Box
Add labels from table
The table containing the text column.
Column
The column containing the text that you want to add.
See also
... Updating Table from Text Labels
Apply Line Annotations
Engage>Object>Line Annotation
The Engage Line Annotation function is specifically for adding customised
annotation to linework for map output. Annotation for a variety of styles is added
at a user-specified spacing and size, for a specific output scale. Similar to the
Engage text labelling function, the annotation appears at a different size if output
is at a different scale to that specified.

12 Map Making 385
Line Annotation Dialog Box
Line annotations may be displayed at a specified interval by checking the Place
Every control and entering a distance. Alternatively, check the Place with
Cursor control to use the Annotation Tool to display the line annotation at a
location along the line selected by the cursor in the map window.
The Annotation Type can define text characters selected from a list of all
available characters (ASCII codes 32 to 255) or special symbol fonts, such as ET
Environmental. (See Appendix C and D). Other attributes such as text size,
colour, etc. can be selected using the Text button.
Check the Use Line Direction box to place the annotations on the left or right
according to the direction in which the line has been digitized. To place the
annotations on the left make sure the Left/Facing Up box is checked as well.
Dialog Help
• Line Annotation Dialog Box

386 Engage User Guide
Line Annotation Dialog Box
Placement
Place every
Adds annotation at the specified spacing to the selected lines.
Place with cursor
The annotation tool will be displayed with which you can place the annotation
at any position on any line.
Annotation type
Non-text
Select a non-text annotation style from the Line annotation box. Includes line
styles for faults, synclines, shear zones, and such.
Text
Select a character from the Character to place box. ASCII codes 32 to 255 from
the standard text font are available.
Symbol
The current symbol is displayed on the Symbol to place button. Click the button
to select an different symbol from the MapInfo Symbol Style dialog box. In
addition to the MapInfo symbols, special symbol fonts supplied with Engage, can
be selected. For more information on special symbol fonts supplied with Engage,
see Hydrographic Symbol Font and Environmental Symbol Font.
Annotation style
Symbol size (non-text only)
Select the symbol size in millimetres.
Font size (text and symbol only)
Select the character size in millimetres.
Map scale
Type the map scale. The text size is correct when printed at this scale.

12 Map Making 387
Facing left/up
Annotation is placed on the line facing out towards the side or top of the map
window.
Use line direction
Annotation is placed on the left or right according to the direction in which the line
has been digitized. Select this option and Facing left/up to always place
annotation on the left of the line.
Use selected line style
Clear the check box to change the line and fill styles shown on the adjacent
buttons. Click the buttons to display the MapInfo Line Style and Fill Style dialog
boxes.
Save annotation to table
Select the table the annotation is stored in.
See also
...Apply Line Annotations
...Symbol Fonts

388 Engage User Guide
Batch Printing
The EngageBatchPrinting module automates the generation and printing of
multiple map sheets covering a region. Simply select a layout template and a map
series (comprising polygons outlining each required map boundary), and
EngageBatchPrinting will do the rest, automatically batch creating and printing
professional maps for each polygon boundary.

12 Map Making 389
The EngageBatchPrinting Menu
• Open Map Series – open an existing map series for batch printing (see
Open Map Series)
• Generate Map Series – create a new map series covering the area of
interest (see Creating a New Map Series)
• Generate New Template – create a layout template, to automate batch
printing of map series (see Generate New Template)
• Generate Map Index – compiles a listing of an entire feature set within a
table, with each feature referenced by both map sheet name/number and
map sheet coordinates (see Indexes)
• Edit Existing Map Template – modify an existing template (see Edit
Existing Map Template)
• Configure Map Templates – control the template display order (see
Configure Map Templates)
• Print Map Catalog
• Print Map Sheets – batch print a map series using a specified
template (see )
• Print Map Index – print a previously compiled index (see Compiling
and Printing a Map Index )

390 Engage User Guide
• Print Key Map – provides the user with a visual guide to the
location and extents of each map sheet in the series (see Key
Maps)
• Print Standard Map – quickly print the map window area using a map
template (see Printing Standard Maps)
• Label Creator– creates customizable text labels for line objects, including
density controls and character field case sensitivity (see Labelling Tools)
• MapShop Configuration – customises entries in the MAPSHOP.INI file,
such as the reference grid and scale bar (see Configuring
EngageBatchPrinting)
Batch Map Sheet Generation and Printing

12 Map Making 391
Setup
1. Ensure a map series is open in the map window
(EngageBatchPrinting>Open Map Series). See Open Map Series for
creating map series tables. If only a few map sheet boundaries are to be
printed, select these polygons.
2. Ensure a map template exists that meets your layout requirements. See
Templates for creating and editing templates.
3. Select the Print Map Catalog>Print Map Sheets menu option.
Configuring the Map Catalogue Plot dialog
4. In the Map Catalogue Plot dialog, set the input Map Series from the pulldown
list. If a subset of the map series polygons has been selected, the
Selection Only option will be ticked: the whole series can be generated
by ticking the Do All Maps option.
5. Enter a Map Title as required, otherwise each map Sheet will by default
use the Map name as the title (recommended).
6. Select the desired Template.
7. Select the required Map Scale. In addition to standard scales, a custom
scale can be specified via the Key in Scale option (a prompt for the scale
value will appear after this dialog is accepted). The output map sheets can
also use the Same zoom width as on map.
8. Set the required handling of table Zoom Layering.
9. Printing order and adjacent map labelling options (for the key map) are
available, as well as a toggle for viewing each layout prior to printing. The
Styles button provides controls for detailed formatting and spacing of grid
lines and grid numbers.
10. Press OK. Any template or key in scale prompts will now be displayed.
Layout preview and printing
11. If the View/Edit layout before printing the Plot option was enabled, a
layout will be generated for preview using the specified template and first
map series polygon. Layout components can be moved if desired.

392 Engage User Guide
• If the process needs to be stopped (e.g. wrong template or map
series, wrong scale, etc) use the Stop button on the Map Output
toolbar to terminate the process.
• If satisfied with the layout preview, press the Print button to print
the layout.
• When ready, Generate the next map with the Map Output toolbar
button.
• To automatically print the remainder of the map series, select the
Batch mode button
12. If the View/Edit layout before printing the Plot option was disabled, the
map series (or the selected subset) will be automatically generated and
printed with no user layout preview.
Note
For map series with large numbers of map sheet polygons, it is recommended to
preview the first couple of layouts to ensure scale, size, layout, etc is
configured properly, prior to selecting the batch printing option .

12 Map Making 393
Styles
The Styles button at the bottom left of the Map Catalogue Plot dialog allows
customization of the grid and reference numbering styles. These include:
• The Neatline is the line that is drawn around the map sheet but it fits the
map edge exactly (0 mm offset). Later we will see when we might use an
offset. You can also change the style of the line it draws if you like (the
thick dashed casement style looks good). Obviously there is no spacing
on a neatline so the last column is n/a.
• The Join Edge and Corner Marks are disable here but we will look at
them in an example later.
• The Grid Ticks are enabled and have a size of 4 mm on the final output.
You can see them on the sample map to the right. Also notice that they
are 200 apart. 200 what you ask. The values used in the Spacing column
are the map units (e.g. metres on metric projections) of the projection the
map series is in. So in this case they are 200 metres apart. You can also
see that the grid tick are 200 apart because the bottom line is at 6,143,800
and the next is at 6,144,000.

394 Engage User Guide
• The Grid Crosses are also disabled but all they give you are crosses are
the intersection on internal grid lines. You can use Grid Crosses with or
without grid lines.
• The Grid Lines are enabled on this map. They appear as dotted lines as
the style was set on the dialog. Grid lines would typically have the same
spacing as the grid ticks. They have no size because they got right across
the map sheet to the neatline.
• The Ref # are enabled above so we see them on the map around the
edge. These are the A,B, C etc and 1, 2, 3 etc. The style for this item is a
font picker. The offset is the distance out from the real neatline.
• The Corner # are also enabled above and are only 1 mm out.
As shown in the sample map above, we are showing grid numbers but only the
ones at the bottom left are full numbers. The rest are cut back to avoid clutter. To
set this look, go to the bottom section of the dialog and turn off the Add Full check
box. Then above this use the Position and Size buttons to set the position.
The normal map convention is to show the digit that is changing plus the next digit
as well. In the above example we are using 200 metre space, so I want to show
o,oo0,0oo which is the third and fourth digits.
The 2nd last control on the dialog is a radio group that allows you to set the
Reference # to be either aligned to the Grid or at the fixed spacing set in the INI
file. The above setting is set to align to the grid so the 1 and the A are placed
evenly between the grid numbers.
The final setting rotates the reference number to face inwards on the map.
There are a lot of settings that you can change. Almost all are logical in their use,
so its not too difficult to get the results you want.
In the next example you can see that the map looks very different. This time, the
neatline is offset 20 mm and added a join edge of 10 mm. This means that more
detail is shown than the on the real map (this is sometimes called a bleed edge.
The third line in is the actual neatline and the true edge of the map.
Notice also that the lines between the reference numbers are the actual grid tick
but a negative value means the come inwards 10 mm to achieve the results
below. In this case no grid numbers are shown.

12 Map Making 395
Printing Standard Maps
The Print Standard Map option allows the user to simply print the visible map
window area using a selected template: it does not utilize a map series (in
contrast to the Print Map Sheets option).
The Standard Map Setup dialog box is displayed with which you can set up
parameters for printing a standard plot:
• Map Title: Type in a title that will appear in a specified position on your
printed map. This title usually is a description of the map being printed.
You may specify no title at all if you wish.
• Template: Select the template to use from the drop-down list of available
templates. This is the template that the map will be added to for printing.
The templates available for use are specified by your system
administrator.
• Plot Scale: Select the scale to print the map at from the drop-down list of
available scales as specified by the system administrator. Choices here
include:

396 Engage User Guide
1:500
1:1000
1:2500
1:5000
...
Key In Scale
Same zoom width as on screen
• will allow you to type in the scale.
• uses the current scale of the
active map window.
• Zoom Layers: Select the zoom layering setting option with 1 of 3 possible
choices:
• Maintain zoom layering settings: Leave the current zoom
layering settings as they are.
• Show layers currently visible: Whatever layers are visible at the
current zoom as a result of their zoom layering, show only these
layers on the final output. (This setting is needed because when the
scale is set for map output the scale of the mapper is set to that
scale meaning that some layers which were previously visible
because the user was zoomed in close would now no longer be
visible).
• Turn all zoom layering off: Remove all zoom layering settings
when generating the map.
• Highlight current selection: If this option is checked, the current
selection (lines and polygons only) will be highlighted on the final output in
a different colour.
• View/Edit layout before: If this option is checked, the layout will be
shown before it is printed. This will allow you to make modifications to the
layout before you print it by using the Map Output toolbar. If this option is
not checked, the layout will not be shown before printing, as it will
automatically be sent to the printer. You will only be shown a standard
system Print dialog on which you can specify options such as which
printer to print to, the pages to print and the number of copies to print.
• Printer: If you click on this button, the standard Page Setup dialog will be
shown on which you can specify settings such as the printer to print to, the
paper size, paper source, paper orientation and margins.

12 Map Making 397
Note that:
Once you have specified all options on this dialog and clicked on the OK
button, the layout will be generated according to the options chosen on
the dialog. If you chose to edit the layout before printing, the layout will be
displayed so that you can check it before you print it. While this layout
window is open, you still have access to all of the standard MapInfo
commands and tools. Therefore you can zoom in or out on the layout as
well as move around it using the grabber hand tool. You also have access
to the drawing tools in MapInfo so that you can add text or other MapInfo
objects, such as circles, rectangles and rounded rectangles.
• If more than one map windows currently opened and the template you
selected contains more than one map, a dialog will be shown with a dropdown
list for each map area. The first entry in the list is and the
rest of the entries are all the map windows currently opened. In this dialog,
select the map that will be placed on the template at print time. For
example, if your template contains a Pink map and a Blue map then the
dialog will only display the drop-down box for Blue Map Area. The Green
Map Area and the Red Map Area drop-down boxes are greyed-out.
• If a browser window is currently opened and the template you selected
contains a browser, a dialog will be shown with a drop-down list. The first
entry in the list is and the rest of the entries are all the browser
windows currently opened. In this dialog, select the browser that will be
placed on the template at print time.
• If a legend window is currently opened and the template you selected
contains a legend, a dialog will be shown with a drop-down list. The first
entry in the list is and the rest of the entries are all the legends
windows currently opened. In this dialog, select the legend that will be
placed on the template at print time.
• If a graph window is currently opened and the template you selected
contains a graph, a dialog will be shown with a drop-down list. The first
entry in the list is and the rest of the entries are all the graphs
windows currently opened. In this dialog, select the graph that will be
placed on the template at print time.

398 Engage User Guide
Map Series
A Map Series is a MapInfo Professional table containing a number of userspecified
polygons outlining the required printing extents for one or more map
sheets. For instance, this might be a continuous series of adjacent 100 km x 200
km polygons providing coverage of the northern Yukon Territory. The
EngageBatchPrinting tool can then automatically generate and print output (e.g.
regional geological mapping) from multiple selected map series polygons, or all
polygons in a map series.
Creating a New Map Series
1. New map series polygons can be either added to an existing map series
table (opened via the Open Map series option) or created in a new map
series.
2. For either situation, select the Generate Map Series menu option. If no
map series table is open, select Yes in the following dialog to
automatically create a new map series.
3. Specify an appropriate name for the new map series (for example,
incorporating the intended scale/extents and location e.g.
Yukon_100200). It is recommended to leave the new table in the default
Engage>EngageBatchPrinting>MapSeries directory location.

12 Map Making 399
4. In the Set Map Series Style dialog, select the appropriate map series
template and desired Series Scale.
A number of standard templates are available, such as Australian Topo
Series at various scales, and the British National Grid Tiles and U.S.
Geological Survey Series with preset height and widths.
The user can also create a custom Special Map Series defined by height
and width in the appropriate Units. This can involve a % Overlap between
the sheets (where 0 = no overlap (i.e. adjacent map sheet boundaries). A
special map series can also be rotated along a selected line.
5. If multiple map series tables are open in MapInfo Professional, select the
target series at the bottom right of the dialog (Draw into…).
6. The line style of the map series polygons can be set via the style button at
the bottom left of the dialog.
7. Press OK; the Map Series toolbar will appear. . With the Add Map Sheet
button selected, click on the location in the map window for the first map
sheet polygon location; a polygon will be placed at the specified scale/
size.
8. Repeat this process for each additional required map sheet boundary. If
creating a large number of map sheet polygons, Save the Changes to the
map series occasionally (on the Map Series toolbar). The File>Revert
Table menu option can then be used to undo incorrectly positioned
polygons.
9. Each new map sheet polygon is attributed with a sequential number (in
the Map# field) as well as a Name (e.g. ‘Map Sheet12’) and the scale.
These attributes can be edited.
10. When complete, press the Finish button (on the Map Series toolbar) to
complete the Map Series table and close the Map Series toolbar.

400 Engage User Guide
Open Map Series
Map sheet production and printing (Print Map Catalog> Print Map Sheets)
requires a map series to be open in MapInfo Professional. Use the Open Map
Series menu option to open an existing map series from the available list (in the
default map series location Engage>EngageBatchPrinting>MapSeries as set
under Engage>Configuration in the File Paths>EngageBatchPrinting Files
section).
Templates
What are templates? Templates are simply MapInfo workspaces which contain
a layout window showing the map edge details. When a template is created,
features such the map area, scale bar size and location, and Index to Adjoining
Map Box location, are specified with special coloured boxes. Specific text items
such as map title, map scale, map number, current date, etc are specified with a
reserved word which defines the text location and scale.
When the end user produces a map with a specific template, these special boxes
and reserved words are replaced with the actual mapper, scale bar, current date,
etc. Without having to do anything else, the user will be able to produce a map to
the same quality and detail as if it was created by someone with many years of
training in MapInfo. The map would also be produced in a matter of seconds and
would look exactly like town planning maps produced by all other users in your
organisation.
Creating Templates
There are three ways you can produce map templates.
• First you can use the EngageBatchPrinting Generate New Template
command. This function opens a new layout window and displays a tool
bar containing buttons to place the standard items on the template. The
user then draws the skeleton for the map specifying where all items are to
go on the page. The last command on this button pad saves the template
and adds it to the list so end users have access to it.
• The second method is to close all files that are currently opened and
create a Layout window using the standard MapInfo commands. Then use
the standard MapInfo commands to draw the components you need.
• The third and final method is to copy (or Save As) an existing template to
a new name then make any minor adjustments that are needed. This way
is probably the easiest once you already have one or two templates
looking and working the way you want them to.

12 Map Making 401
Generate New Template
1. Choose the MapInfo File>Close All command to close all open layers so
that when we save our template as a workspace, there are no other layers
open.
2. Choose the Generate New Template command.
Note
If you already have a layout window open when you choose this command, it will
ask you if you want to use the current layout or create a new one.
On this layout window, the grey area represents the paper size and the
white area is the printable area on the paper. This is where you can draw
your template objects. We want to create an A4 Portrait template, so we
will have to check the Page Setup command.
3. Choose the MapInfo File>Page Setup command and set the paper size
and orientation to A4 Portrait.
To make drawing on the layout easier, resize the layout window so that it
fills most of the page (do not maximise it as this will cause problems later).
Also choose the Layout>View Entire Layout command. Your layout
window should now look like the sample shown below.

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Notice that the Template Toolbar has also been displayed. We will be
using the buttons on this button pad to create the rectangular objects and
reserved words mentioned earlier. To create your template, you will also
need access to the standard MapInfo Drawing button pad, so display it if it
is not currently shown.
4. Use the MapInfo Options>Toolbars command to display the Drawing
toolbar.
Firstly, we want to specify on the paper where the map will be located.
5. Choose the button from the Template Toolbar.
The cursor should appear as a small black cross. Click in the top left
corner of the page and hold the mouse button down. Drag the mouse to
the right and down to about three quarters of the way down the page.
Leave a little bit of room at the top for a title which we will add later. When
you let go, your page should look like the one shown below.

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This pink box will tell EngageBatchPrinting where the map will go on the
printed output. EngageBatchPrinting will recognise the box by its line style
and colour. You should only ever need to add one of these per template.
This box is just a standard MapInfo rectangle object, so you can move it
and resize it as required.
Note
It is very important that when you create a template to be used with the Map
Series command, that you know in advance the ratio of height to width that the
map series sheets have. You should then try to make sure that the pink box you
just added is roughly the same ratio (in this case about square will do). If their
shape differs greatly (especially the map being taller), then you will have trouble
later trying to get the map to appear correctly on the page. If the map template is
being used for the other print commands, this is not a concern.
Next we will specify where the Index to Adjoining Maps box will sit. IAM
Boxes should only be drawn on Map Series templates as Series Maps are
the only time that EngageBatchPrinting can determine if there are
adjoining sheets or not.
6. Choose the button from the Template toolbar and draw a smaller
square at the bottom right of the page.
7. Choose the button and drag out a rectangle representing the scale
bar location and size.
This rectangle should be long and flat and about half the width of the
page. See sample below.

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Notice that the three boxes all have a different line style. Once again,
these styles are important and should not be changed. You can however,
change their position and size.
Finally, we will add some reserved words to place the map's title and
scale. As we don't know these in advance, EngageBatchPrinting accepts
reserved words to define the text style and position on the page.
8. Choose the button and click once on the map just under the scale bar
box.
A dialog is displayed asking which type of text to add to the template.

12 Map Making 405
9. Select Map Scale as the reserved word to add and then click on the Add
button.
You will then be presented with a dialog asking you to choose a
justification value for the text you are inserting:
10. Select Left Justify and click OK.
The command will then place a piece of text on the layout with the letters
"MapScale". This is one of the 9 allowable reserved words. Whenever
EngageBatchPrinting finds a piece of text with one of these spellings at
print time, it replaces it with a real value. In this case it will be the scale of
the map it is about to print.

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11. Click again at the very top centre of the map and this time, select Map
Title as the reserved word to add.
These reserved words are just text objects, so you can move them or
change their text style, etc by double clicking on them. Your page should
now look something like the sample below.
This is all we are going to add to this template. We must now save it into
the Templates database and give it a user-friendly name.
12. Click on the button on the Template toolbar.
You will be asked to specify the name for the new template and the
directory to save it into.
13. Save the template as Test.WOR and save it into the MapShop\Template
directory.

12 Map Making 407
14. Click on the Save button.
Note
Remember that no other files should be open at this point, otherwise your
template will include these as well and this may cause a fault later when called
up by the end user.
You will then be asked if you wish to add this template to the list of
templates that are used in the print commands in EngageBatchPrinting.
Even though you have saved the template as a workspace, it has not
been added to the template database yet for the end users to have access
to.
15. Click on the Yes button.
You will then be asked for a user-friendly name for the template as shown
below. The name that you enter should be meaningful to the end user.
16. Enter a description such as "Test using A4 Portrait" and then choose the
OK button.
Your layout should then be closed and you will be left with a blank screen.
You are now ready to use this template.
17. Restart EngageBatchPrinting again by selecting MAPSHOP.MBX from the
bottom of the File menu.
You should see the town again with the custom map series over it.
18. Use the MapInfo select tool to select the Coconut Grove map sheet (top
left) and then choose the Print Map Series Map command from the
EngageBatchPrinting menu.
19. Select your new template (e.g. "Test using A4 Portrait") as the Template to
use.

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20. Leave the rest of the settings as they are and choose OK.
The map to be printed will be created using your new template. It should
look similar to the one shown below.

12 Map Making 409
If you compared the map shown above to your template, you would see that the
pink boxes have been replaced with the graphical objects (e.g. map area, IAM
Box and scale bar). The Map Title has been changed to "Coconut Grove" which
is the name of the map sheet selected, and the Map Scale has changed to
"1:12,731" which is the scale of the map when it is printed.
This section has shown us how to create a template to match how you want your
output to appear. We have also made this template available to all users so
everyone can produce the same types of maps.

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Template Toolbar
The buttons on the Template Tools button pad are:
Use the Add Map button to add a rectangular object to the template that will be
replaced at print time with the actual map being printed. To use this tool, select
the button on the button pad and the cursor will become a cross hair. Use this
cross hair to click in one corner of the area where you wish the map to be placed,
and, holding down the mouse button, drag out the cursor out to the opposite
corner of your map area. When you release the mouse, a default rectangular
object will be drawn on the template in a specific region style. Do not change this
style as the application is looking for a rectangular object of that particular style
at print time to know where to place the map. You can move and resize this
rectangular object using the standard MapInfo Select tool.
Note • Only four maps can be added on the template. If you try to put more than
four maps it will give a warning message.
• Each map is colour coded (Map 1=Pink,Map 2=Blue,Map 3=Green and
Map 4=Red). The Pink map will change the scale etc. The other 3 will stay
exactly how they are. The current map is automatically placed in the Pink
one.
• If one of the maps is removed from the template (e.g. the Pink map), the
next time you add a map area it will be the lowest colour (Pink).
Use the Add Browser button to add a rectangular object to the template that will
be placed at print time with a browser. Only one browser can be added on the
template. If you try to put more than one browser it will give a warning message.
Use the Add IAM Box to add a rectangular object to the template that will be
replaced at print time with the Index to Adjoining Map Box.
Use the Add Scale Bar to add a rectangular object to the template that will be
replaced at print time with a scale bar reflecting the maps true scale.
Use the Add Legend button to add a rectangular object to the template that will
be placed at print time with a legend. Only one legend can be added on the
template. If you try to put more than one legend it will give a warning message.
Use the Add Graph button to add a rectangular object to the template that will
be placed at print time with a graph. Only one graph can be added on the
template. If you try to put more than one graph it will give a warning message.

12 Map Making 411
The Field List Box will add a rectangular object to the template that will be
replaced at print time with a field list box. This will only work with templates used
for printing custom maps. The field list box will contain a list of every field in the
custom map table and the value of that field for the selected object that the
custom map is being printed for.
Use the Quit button to close the template creation process without saving.
Adding Text Labels
Use the Add Text to add text objects to the template that will be replaced at print
time with actual words based on the printed map. To use this tool, select the
button on the button pad and the cursor will become a cross hair. Use this cross
hair to click on the spot on the template where you wish to add the text. After
clicking on the layout, the following dialog is displayed.
On this dialog you must select which type of text to place. When the Add button
is clicked, the following dialog will appear asking for a justification value for the
text. After choosing OK the required text will be placed on the layout.

412 Engage User Guide
Note
For justification purposes, choosing left justify will justify the default text using
the position the left hand side of the text object. Choosing center justify will justify
the default text using the center position of the reserved word. Choosing right
justify will justify the text to the position of the right hand side of the text object.
• The current MapInfo text style is used for text objects. If you wish to
change this style, you can double click on this text object with the MapInfo
Select tool and you will be presented with the standard MapInfo Text
Style dialog. On this dialog, you can click on the Style button to change
the font style, colour, size and attributes such as bolding, italics and
underline. The style used for this text object is the style that the actual title
will be shown in when printed using the Print Map Series Map and Print
Standard Map commands.
• You can also move text objects around by clicking on it with the standard
MapInfo Select tool and, holding down the mouse button, drag it to a new
location. Release the mouse button when the text is in the correct
position.
Most of the add text options are self explanatory, however some of them do
require explanation:
• Sheet X of X: Shows the sheet number for the current batch print. For
example, if 10 maps were being printed, the 3 rd map would be Sheet 3 of
10.
• Sheet X: Shows just the sheet number for the batch print.
• OrderNumber: This shows sheet number for the current sheet without the
word "Sheet".
• Custom Map Field Label: This will prompt the user to enter the name of
a field in the table being used for the custom map. It will return the value in
that field for the selected custom map object.

12 Map Making 413
• Map Series Label: This will prompt the user to enter the name of a field in
the map series layer. It will return the value in that field for the map series
sheet being printed.
• User Text Prompt: This allows a prompt to be written so that when the
map is created the user can be given the prompt. Their response is what
will be placed on the mapper.
Finalizing the Template
The above tools are used to add special objects to your template which will be
replaced at print time with the appropriate information. You can also add standard
MapInfo objects to the template using the tools on the MapInfo Drawing toolbar.
Keep editing your template until you have it looking how you want it to. Your
template should look something like the example shown below.

414 Engage User Guide
Use the Finish Template to save your template and add it to the list of templates
that can be used in the Print Map Series Map and Print Standard Map
commands. When you select this button, a dialog is displayed on which you
must specify the location and name for the new workspace file that your template
will be saved as. It is recommended that you store all of your templates in the
default directory (Engage>EngageBatchPrinting>MapSeries). All templates
are stored as MapInfo workspace files (.WOR file extension).
When you have specified the file to save it as and clicked on the Save button,
you will be asked if you now want to add this template into the list of templates
that are available in the Print Map Series Map and Print Standard Map
commands.

12 Map Making 415
• If you choose No, the template will only be saved as a workspace file and
not added in to the list of templates. You can add it later by using the
Configure Map Templates command.
• If you choose Yes, you will be shown another dialog on which you can
specify a description for the template that will be shown in the dialogs for
the plotting commands when referring to this template. This description
can be up to 40 characters long and may contain spaces.
Once you choose OK on this dialog, the details about your new template are
added to the Template setup table and the layout window is closed down.
Edit Existing Map Template
To alter an existing template:
1. Select EngageBatchPrinting>Edit Existing Map Template
2. Select Yes to close all open layers
3. From the list of available templates, choose the template to edit
4. The selected template will be displayed in a layout window. Use the
[Template toolbar] to modify the template as necessary
5. Use the Finish Template button to finalize the template.
Configure Map Templates
Use this dialog to add new templates and delete redundant templates from the list
of available templates. It also allows the template list to be reordered, for instance
to place commonly used templates at the top of the list.

416 Engage User Guide
Indexes
A Map Index is a summary listing of an entire feature set within a table (for
instance, streets and roads or localities such as mine locations and townships),
with each feature referenced by both map sheet name/number and map sheet
coordinates (e.g. F12). An example of this is the street index in a city street
directory.
Map indexes consist of a minimum of three columns, but may contain up to five
columns of information. It must contain:

12 Map Making 417
• The name of each feature being indexed (Feature Name e.g. street name
or mine sight),
• The map reference (indicating the position of each feature in the map
sheet area that it falls in), and
• Either the name of the map sheet that each feature is in (Map Name) or
the number of the map sheet that each feature is in (Map Number).
• Optionally it may also contain the Locality that each feature falls in (for
example, if creating an index of road names, you could list the suburb that
each road falls in).
Map indexes are created with the EngageBatchPrinting>Generate Map Index
option, which creates a DBF format file storing the index information.
They are then printed using the EngageBatchPrinting>Print Map
Catalog>Print Map Index option.
Compiling and Printing a Map Index
Creating a map index requires at least one mapper layer (containing the target
features) and one map series layer open.

418 Engage User Guide
Compiling a Map Index
1. Open the EngageBatchPrinting>Generate Map Index menu option
2. In the Setup Indexing dialog:
• Specify the Feature table containing the target objects
• Optionally, specify the Locality table with the containing regions
(tenements/suburbs/council boundaries/etc)
• Set the map series in the Map pull down
3. In the Fields section:
• Set the source Feature Name field (from the Feature table)
• Set the Locality Name field (e.g. suburb) if a Locality table was
assigned,

12 Map Making 419
• Either (or both) a Map Number or Map Name field must be
assigned from the selected map series.
4. In the Map Sheets section, select whether to build the index for all maps
in the map series, or just the selected maps.
5. Press OK. Set a name and destination directory for the output Index DBF
file
6. When indexing is complete, a dialog will indicate the number of map
sheets and the total number of features indexed.
Note
The DBF file can be opened in MapInfo Professional (via its TAB header file)
and edited at any time prior to printing. For example, if a Locality column was
considered unnecessary in the index, this field could be removed.
Printing the Map Index
1. Once a map index has been created, select the
EngageBatchPrinting>Print Map Catalog>Print Map Index option.
2. Browse for and select the .DBF file created in step 5 above.
3. In the Setup Map Index Output dialog:
• Rename the Feature Type to the object type (e.g. ‘Land Parcels’ or
‘Street Names’.
• Set the desired paper size and orientation
• Use the Set Margin option to customise the output field widths to
prevent overprinting

420 Engage User Guide
• Enable Automatic Print if the output is to be sent directly to the
printer.
4. Press OK. The Map Index will be generated onto multiple layout pages.
Layers
A map index created using land parcels as features, suburbs as localities, and
referencing map sheet numbers.
• Feature: The layer to create the index from, such as streets or mine
locations. Each object in this layer is stored in a new row in the DBF file.
The list of layers shown in this setting is a list of all currently open layers. If
you have not yet specified a Feature layer, this setting will read "- - Not
Selected- - ". Examples of the types of features you may wish to index
includes roads, cadastral parcels, rivers and school locations.
• Locality: The region type locality layer. This layer must contain region
objects, such as postcodes, suburbs, shire boundaries, exploration
licences/tenements, etc. This layer is used to specify the locality that each
feature falls in. Shown here is a list of all currently open layers. If you have
not yet specified a Locality layer, this setting will read "- - Not Selected- - ".
• Map: The map series layer created using the Generate Map Series
command. This layer is used to provide the number and name of each
map sheet, and the reference number, that each feature falls in.

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• In the Fields group you must specify the fields that will be used to create
the columns in the index. The settings are:
• Feature Name: Compulsory field from the Features layer specified above;
used to create the Feature Name column in the index.
• Locality Name: Optional field from the Features layer specified above;
used to create the Locality Name column in the index.
• Map Number and Map Name: You must select at least one of these two
fields for each index, but may select both if required. They are both
extracted from the Map Series layer specified above; and are used to
create the Map Number field in the index and the Map Name field in the
index, respectively.
Note
The default field value for Map Number is "Map#" if there is one available,
otherwise it defaults to "1".
Note
The default field value for Map Name is "Name" if there is one available,
otherwise it defaults to "1".
Note
The other compulsory column that is created - the Reference # column, does
not need to be specified here as the reference number as it is generated from
the location of each feature in the map sheet.
Key Maps
The Map Shop module can generate a Key Map for a selected map series: this
provides the user with a visual guide to the location and extents of each map
sheet in the series.
Creating a Key Map:
1. Select the Print Map Catalogue>Print Key Map command and you will
see the following dialog.

422 Engage User Guide
2. Ensure that the Template is set to Standard Map (A4 Portrait) and
uncheck (turn off) the Show Map Number control. Click on the OK button.
(Note: User must key in title.)
After a brief pause you should see the following layout.

12 Map Making 423
3. Click the Print Current Map button to send the layout to the current
printer.
4. Click the Stop Outputs of Map button to close Key Map layout window
and return to your original mapper.
Labelling Tools
The EngageBatchPrinting module includes a powerful labelling tool that produces
label objects in a new layer at a specified scale. This allows precise control of the
label sizing for professional quality map production. A number of advanced
labelling controls, such as density filters, multi-attribute labelling and character
field case sensitivity, provide excellent labelling results.
This tool can also be accessed from the Text menu. For more information, see
Adding Text Labels.

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Configuring EngageBatchPrinting
• EngageBatchPrinting Configuration Tool
• Configuring EngageBatchPrinting for Server-Located Templates and Map
Series
EngageBatchPrinting Configuration Tool
Use the EngageBatchPrinting>Configuration tool to customise the
alphanumeric grid referencing system and the format of scale bars.
Note
You must close and restart the EngageBatchPrinting menu before any changes
to the EngageBatchPrinting dialog box will take effect.
To configure the alphanumeric grid:
The alpha-numeric grid can be customized with the following options:

12 Map Making 425
• The number of divisions across the page (X axis) and up the page (Y axis)
can be controlled either by the appropriate slider bar, or by entering value
directly. These options will only be utilized if the Space Ref #'s using …
across and ... up the sheet option is enabled in the Print Map
Sheets>Styles>Set Map Style dialog. These options control the
SetIndexRangeX and SetIndexRangeY settings in the MAPSHOP.INI file.
• The order of the reference coordinates can be specified either as X axis
(XY) or Y axis (YX) first (e.g. K12 or 12K). This option controls the
RefNumXY setting in the MAPSHOP.INI file.
• The axis and direction of the character and numeric components of the
reference system can be specified using the pull-down list of options. This
option controls the RefNumMode setting in the MAPSHOP.INI file.
The parameters in the MAPSHOP.INI file are described in Appendix D:
Customising Batch Printing.
To configure the scale bar:
The scale bar (added to Templates) can be customized as follows:
• Scale bar units can be specified as either Metric or Imperial. The scale of
the final map will govern the magnitude of the units (for example if metric,
whether the displayed units or metres or kilometres). Auto will set the units
to metres for Cartesian map projections, and Imperial for Lat/Long map
projections). This option controls the ScaleBarUnit setting in the
MAPSHOP.INI file.
• The scale bar type can be set as one of three styles. This option controls
the ScaleBarType setting in the MAPSHOP.INI file.
• Scale bar labels (i.e. text objects) can be limited to the extents of the scale
bar (recommended). This option controls the ScaleBarWithin setting in
the MAPSHOP.INI file.
The parameters in the MAPSHOP.INI file are described in Appendix D:
Customising Batch Printing.
Configuring EngageBatchPrinting for Server-Located Templates and
Map Series
By default, the EngageBatchPrinting module stores:
• Map Series tables to the Engage>EngageBatchPrinting>MapSeries
directory location

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• Template workspaces to the Engage>EngageBatchPrinting>Template
directory location
The various tools that access and create these files (e.g.
EngageBatchPrinting>Open Map Series and EngageBatchPrinting>Edit
Existing Template) will therefore automatically go these locations.
These locations can be set to a different default location, such as a shared
directory on a server, so that all users can access the same map series and
templates.
To change the default location:
1. Ensure the appropriate directories exist in the target location (to setup, we
recommend simply copying the MapShop directory and its contents from
the Engage installation path to the destination directory)
2. In MapInfo Professional, select the Engage>Configuration menu option
3. In the Configuration dialog, alter the MapShop Files path to the new
MapShop directory location and press OK.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 427
13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies
• Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
• Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows
Additional tools for creating registered raster images are described in Raster
Imagery. For information on editing, reprojecting, registering and other image
functions, see Working with Images.
Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
Engage>Map Window>Convert Map to Registered Raster
The Convert Map to Registered Raster tool will convert the select map window
view into a raster image in a number of compressed formats, including ECW, at
the selected level of detail and resolution.
To convert any data into a registered raster, open a new map window in MapInfo
Professional that contains the required tables or make an existing map window
the active window.
1. Set the window dimensions and scale so the map window contains the
information to save. Whatever is visible within the map window will be
saved as the raster image.
2. Select Engage>Map Window>Convert Map to Registered Raster to
display the Create Registered Raster Dialog Box:

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3. Select the window you to wish to convert to a raster image from the Select
Window to Save list.
4. Select the raster format from the Image Type drop down list. Available
formats include *.ECW, *.PNG, *.BMP. *.JPEG, *.TIF, *.GEOTIFF. For best
compression, save the window as an ECW. For compatibility, GEOTIFFs
are also recommended as they contain an embedded EPSG code for the
projection system.
5. Use the Detail drop-down list to increase the level of detail in the image
from the fixed screen resolution (96 dpi). By default Engage will save an
image which is double (2x) the size (width and height) of the map window
on the screen.
6. Enter a value into the Transparency box to apply a transparency to the
entire image (enter 0% for an opaque image).
7. Check the Set background transparent box to change the white
background default.
8. Check the Create World File box to create an associated world file for the
image which contains the registration information – this is useful for
opening in programs without using the TAB file.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 429
9. Click OK for the conversion to raster image to proceed.
See also
...Supported Data File Formats
Dialog Help
• Create Registered Raster Dialog Box
Create Registered Raster Dialog Box
Select window to save
Select the map window to be converted to a registered raster image.
Preview
Displays the image from the selected window.
Output options
Image type
Select a raster image type: ECW, BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIF, or GEOTIFF. For best
compression, use ECW.
Detail
1x saves the map at screen resolution (96 dpi). 2x will save the map with the same
dimensions but at twice the resolution. Increasing the detail level increases the
display size and file size of the image.
Transparency
Apply transparency to the entire image. Type 0 for an opaque image.
Set background transparent
Click to set the white background as transparent.

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Create world file
Creates the georeferenced raster image in a portable world file format that can be
read by third-party application software. A world file is a six-line text header file
that contains information relating to the image pixel size in X and Y direction,
rotation of row or columns and the X and Y coordinates of the centre of the image
top left pixel. Depending on the raster type selected for the registered raster
image, a world file may have one of the following file extensions: .PGW, .JEW,
.BPW or .TFW. Third-party software programs can read and use this information
along with an entered projection to view the raster image in the correct
geographical location.
Note
You can add a black border around the raster image with
Options>Preferences>Output Settings.
Note
Problems may be encountered when saving a map to registered raster if the
operating system display adapter DPI settings are customised and specify a
scale percentage greater than 100%. This may result in the raster image being
offset some distance from the original map window data. Setting the display
adapter DPI scale percentage back to 100% should correct the problem.
See also
... Supported Data File Formats
... Saving a Map Window as a Registered Raster Image
Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows
Engage>Map Window>Make Movie or Animation
The Engage Make Movie or Animation tool is designed to capture a series of
different map window or data views which can be then be viewed as a continuous
animation sequence within MapInfo. Alternatively, the animation sequence can
be exported as a movie file which can be replayed through software such as
Microsoft Windows Media Player. The utility can be used to enhance
presentations examples of its use include displaying regression of vegetated
areas with either imagery or vector layer sequences; or to display the increase of
coverage for telecommunication towers with changing buffer layer sequences.
To optimise the animation file or movie created using the Engage Windows
Animator utility adhere to the following rules:

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 431
1. Make sure that the map window containing the data to be used in the
animation is NOT maximised. If the map window is maximised, i.e. the
map window fills the entire MapInfo screen, use the Restore Down button
to display the window as “floating”.
2. An animation file can only be created from within a single mapper window.
3. Do not adjust the extents or size of the mapper window at anytime during
the animation creation.
The Window Animator dialog has two tab pages:
• Create/Edit - Create new or edit existing animation files
• Play - Load a saved animation file or play the animation file through a
mapper window in MapInfo.
Windows Animator Create/Edit Tab

432 Engage User Guide
Create Animation File
The Create/Edit tab is split into two sections:
The Frames section displays the created frame records (Captured window
layers) along with buttons to capture, update, delete and save an animation or
movie file.
The Preview section displays a preview of the captured mapper window. The
Lock Window Size box should be checked after creating the first frame so that
the map window dimensions are the same for all subsequent frames in the
animation. To view a created frame in the Preview window select the frame in
the Frames section and click the Preview Selected Frame button.
1. Open a mapper window and adjust the window dimensions to the desired
size. Arrange the data layers in the map window to display the first capture
view.
2. Select the New button to capture the current mapper window view. This
view is added to the Frame list and is assigned the default name of
‘Frame 1’ and a default timing of 2.0 seconds. To change the default frame
name click in the name cell and overwrite with the new name.
The Timing value entered is how long the captured mapper window view will be
displayed in the animation or movie playback. If the animation is to move rapidly
through a series of views, a short time frame should be selected. Alternatively, for
an animation to change between views more slowly, longer timing values should
be selected. A different timing value can be entered for each frame.
Note
Do not adjust the mapper window dimensions using the cursor while creating the
frame views as this will adversely affect the animation or movie file generation.
3. In the map window set up the view for the next frame capture. This may
involve zooming, panning, adding new map layer(s), turning on a thematic
layer or annotating map objects. Once the view is ready for capture, select
the New button again and modify the frame name and timing values.
Continue to update the map window view and create animation frames as
required.
To change the order of the frames as they appear in the animation
sequence use the buttons to the right of the Frame list. These options
include; Move to First, Move to Last, Move Before and Move After.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 433
4. Once the created animation is completed, select the Save button and
navigate to a selected folder to save the animation. The animation file is
suffixed with a *.ani extension.
Note
The animation file created can be considered to be similar to a traditional
MapInfo Workspace. The animation file stores information such as the map
window dimensions, full file paths for all layers open in the map window, zoom
parameters, amount of time each view is displayed along with details relating to
thematic map layers, labels, style overrides, etc. When the animation file is first
loaded Engage opens each of the tables from the file path listed when the
animation was created. Therefore, if any of the tables referenced in the
animation file are moved or delete, the animation will not load correctly.
Iterating Through Multiple Tables
The Tables button allows the selection and ordering of multiple tables to be
consecutively displayed in your animation. Any tables not selected in this dialog,
but present in the map window, will be displayed statically as the 'base map'
layer.
This is a quick and easy way of automatically configuring many tables for
display, such as tens or hundreds of gridded surfaces depicting salinity variation
over time.
On clicking OK in the Table Series dialog, the tables are added as individual
frames to the Window Animator dialog.
Iterating Through Field Values
Instead of iterating through tables, the Fields button allows the user to specify a
field within one vector dataset to create a series of groups: the animator can then
sequentially display these groups—for instance, a date or time field in
environmental monitoring data.

434 Engage User Guide
Field Value Series dialog box with numeric field
The Field Value Series dialog requires a Table, Field and grouping Method to be
specified. This functionality supports numeric, character, date, time and date/time
field types; the available Methods will depend on the selected field's format. For
instance, numeric data (assay values, sample counts, etc) will have a range of
statistical methods listed, as well a custom option (see numeric example above).
Character fields will present a list of unique entries (see character example
below). Date, time and date/time fields will present a range of temporal options
(see date example below) as found in many other Engage tools, such as grouping
by year, month, day of the month, day of the week, etc.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 435
Field Value Series dialog box with character field
If a date or date/time field is present in the dataset, a date range of interest can
additionally be set (regardless of what field was set as the primary grouping field).
In the example below, data grouped by day of the week has been limited to a date
range of interest, set as illustrated below. Note that all the components of the Start
and End range dates can be typed directly into the interface (for example, select
the month, and type '11' to set November).

436 Engage User Guide
Field Value Series dialog box with date field
Defining the date range
On clicking OK in the Field Value Series dialog, the groups are added as
individual frames to the Window Animator dialog.
Play Animation File
Animation files can be loaded and played in order to review the final animation
sequence, perform modifications to an existing animation e.g. adding new layers,
adjusting timing or to save the animation as a movie file.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 437
To load an animation Browse the Play tab of the Windows Animator dialog,
select the Browse button and navigate to the folder where the animation file is
stored. Once the animation file is loaded, use the following Playback Controls to
review the animation:
• Play – Play animation file from start to finish. Note that the animation file
will play from whichever frame is highlighted in the Create/Edit tab. If this
is not the first frame then the animation may not be played in full.
• Stop – Halt the animation playback.
• Pause – Suspend the animation playback. Click Play to resume.
Windows Animator Play Tab
Note
If the Hide dialog during playback box is enabled, the Stop and Pause buttons
will not be accessible.

438 Engage User Guide
Edit Animation File
Animation frames can be modified during creation or after the animation file has
been saved and re-loaded into the Windows Animator utility.
1. In the Create/Edit tab click on the frame to be modified in the Frames list.
2. With the frame selected, click on the Preview Selected Frame button.
The frame view is displayed in the current map window.
3. Modify the data display to the desired map window view.
4. Click on the Update button to update the selected frame with the current
mapper window view. Alternatively, use the Delete button to delete the
selected frame.
5. Once the modified animation is satisfactory, re-save using the Save
button.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 439
Create Movie File
The Window Animator tool can save an animation as a movie file. Movie files
can be viewed in a number of different media software applications, e.g. Microsoft
Media Player.
To generate a movie file select the Create Movie button and enter a name for
the movie file and location. A video compression dialog is then displayed. It is
recommended to choose a compression option when saving a movie file, as
even simple animations can have an uncompressed size of ten to hundreds of
MB.
AVI Movie File Format
One of the oldest and still most commonly found video file formats available today
is the AVI format. This was the early Microsoft file format that allowed content
producers to combine audio and video into a single file. The acronym AVI stands
for Audio/Video Interleave-Microsoft video format. Microsoft has since given up
development of the AVI format, instead preferring to develop its own video
compression technology in the form of Windows Media Video (WMV).
The AVI format has a simple architecture which means it can be run on many
different systems like Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Unix. In fact many media
players such as WMP, Real and QuickTime can play AVI files. As the AVI format
is not suited for Internet playback, AVI files are downloaded to a PC and then
played locally rather than trying to ‘stream’ the content.

440 Engage User Guide
Since the AVI format is so simple, many vendors and individuals have created a
CODEC that can work with AVI files. CODEC stands for COder/DECoder. It is a
small piece of software that allows you to create or play compressed movie/audio
files. MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX ... are all examples of a CODEC. AVI,
ASF, WMV are file formats that can be used with a CODEC. AVI is also a
container format, meaning it can be made using many different CODECs. MPEG-
4 is a new international standard from the International Organisation for
Standardization (ISO). The MPEG-4 Video is closely related to ISO H.263.
Note
After creating a movie file (*.avi) the playback may appear distorted or pixelated.
This may be due to incorrect CODECs loaded on your computer. If you require a
CODEC update, many resources are available on the Internet.
See also
... Supported Data File Formats
Dialog Help
• Window Animator Tool
• Create/Edit Tab
• Play Tab
• Video Compression Dialog Box
Window Animator Tool
Follow these guidelines to get the best results when creating animations:
• Make sure that the map window containing the data to be used in the
animation is not maximised. If the map window is maximised, click the
Restore Down button to float the window.
• An animation file can only be created from within a single mapper window.
• Do not adjust the extents or size of the mapper window at anytime during
the animation creation.
The Windows Animator tool has two dialog tabs:
• Create Animation File: Create new and edit existing animation files.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 441
• Play Animation File: Load a saved animation file or play the animation file
through a mapper window in MapInfo.
For instructions on creating, editing and viewing animations, see Making Movies
and Animations from Map Windows.
Create/Edit Tab
Frames
Lists the created frame records (captured window layers).
Name
To rename the frame, click the frame record to edit.
Timing
The time interval the frame is displayed in an animation. Click the controls to
increase or decrease.
New
Captures the active mapper window and adds the frame to the Frame list.
Important
Do not adjust the mapper window dimensions using the cursor while creating the
frame views as this will adversely affect the animation or movie file generation.
Update
Replaces the selected frame from the active map window.
Delete
Deletes the selected frame.
Frame order controls
(Move to First, Move to Last, Move Before and Move After)
Click a frame and then use the controls to change the frame order.

442 Engage User Guide
Save
Saves the frames in the defined order and with the defined timings as an
animation (.ANI) file.
Create Movie
Saves the animation in AVI Movie File Format, which you can replay in most
Windows movie players. Displays the Video Compression Dialog Box, from which
you can choose a video compression option.
Preview
Displays a preview of the captured mapper window
Lock window size
Select after creating the first frame so that all subsequent frames are the same
size.
Preview Selected Frames
Click to display the selected frame.
ab
Note
The animation file is similar to a MapInfo Workspace. The animation file stores
information such as the map window dimensions, full file paths for all layers open
in the map window, zoom parameters, amount of time each view is displayed
along with details relating to thematic map layers, labels, style overrides, and
such. When the animation file is first loaded, Engage opens each of the tables
from the file path listed when the animation was created. Therefore, if any of the
tables referenced in the animation file are moved or delete, the animation will not
load correctly.
See also
... Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows
Play Tab
Loads and plays an animation file. Use this tab to review the animation sequence.
Load animation file
File
Click the Open button to locate and select the animation (.ANI) file.

13 Capturing Maps as Images and Movies 443
Playback controls
Use the playback controls to review the loaded animation file.
Play
Plays the animation file starting from the frame selected on the Create/Edit tab.
Stop
Stops the animation playback.
Pause
Suspends the animation playback. Click Play to resume.
Hide dialog during playback
Hides the Window Animator dialog box during the playback.
Note
If the Hide dialog during playback box is enabled, the Stop and Pause buttons
aren't available during the playback.
See also
...Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows
Video Compression Dialog Box
Select a compression option when saving a movie file. Even simple animations
can have an uncompressed size of ten to hundreds of MB.
See also
...Making Movies and Animations from Map Windows

14 Viewing Data in Three Dimensions 445
14 Viewing Data in Three Dimensions
Engage3D allows you to rapidly visualize, model and analyse your datasets in 3D.
It is designed to work seamlessly with MapInfo Professional and requires an
upgraded licence.
An Engage3D licence allows surfaces representing any mapped data
combinations created using MapInfo Professional/Engage to be displayed in the
Engage3D interactive three-dimensional environment. Additional objects such as
3D DXF files, grid surfaces and raster images, plus point and line data can be
added to the 3D displays via MapInfo Professional or directly into Engage3D.
Engage3D enables data to be viewed interactively with zooming, panning and flythrough
capability. View orientations can also be taken from Engage3D back into
MapInfo and displayed in a layout for presentation purposes.
For more information about displaying data in 3D with Engage3D, refer to the
Engage3D and 3D Pro User Guide.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 447
15 Using the GraphMap Tool
The GraphMap tool provides interactive data display and analysis functionality
using an extensive range of 2D and 3D graphical visualisation and analysis
techniques. Data exploration is a fundamental component in understanding
complex patterns and relationships which may exist in your datasets, whether the
data is geochemical, demographic or sales-orientated. GraphMap provides a
powerful and intuitive way to identify these relationships and examine their
interactions.
• About GraphMap
• Getting Started with GraphMap
• GraphMap Menus and Toolbars
• Creating Graphs
• Preconditioning Data
• Creating Derived Columns
• Viewing Data Values
• Arranging and Modifying Graph Displays
• Selecting Data in Graphs
• Multi-Table Relationships
• GeoLocated Graphs
• Displaying Statistics
• Changing the Style of Graph Objects
• GraphMap Settings
About GraphMap
The GraphMap module can provide solutions to a diverse range of industries and
their datasets. Some examples of use include:
• Sales, demographics and marketing (histograms, pie charts, line & bar
graphs such as age vs. income or expenditure)

448 Engage User Guide
• Hydrogeological and environmental monitoring (scatter, line, box and bar
graphs)
• Crime analysis (histograms, line and pie graphs)
• Structural geology and exploration geochemistry (stereograms, rose
diagrams, probability plots, scatter diagrams, ternary diagrams, box
graphs)
The GraphMap tool being used to examine a structural dataset
The GraphMap utility incorporates the following key functionality:
• Extensive graph display modes, including Scatter, 3D Scatter, Bar,
Histogram, Bubble, Lines, Box & Whisker, Pie, Scatter Matrix, Probability,
Ternary, Stereogram and Rose.
• Linked selections between multiple graph windows
• Ability to link selections between GraphMap graphs and MapInfo mappers
and browsers.
• Add background reference images to graphs to help identify relationships
amongst datasets.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 449
• Add a graph to an existing map window.
• Extensive symbology management including the ability to modify the
colour, size and symbol properties using a discrete grouping variable, a
continuous variable or a selection and apply these across multiple graphs.
• Create and examine relationships between multiple tables, such as collar
and assay files, or stream sampling sites and temporal water quality data.
• View summary Statistics such as Median, Variance, Standard Deviation,
Kurtosis, etc for an entire dataset or selection.
• Create complex derived fields using an extensive range of mathematical
functions and operators.
• Save selections to either a Boolean field (i.e. attributed True or False) and
apply these as a filter to subset your data. Alternatively save selections to
a Group field.
• Create and import reusable selection regions for identifying groups of
data.
• Export graphs as MapInfo tables.
• Export graphs as raster images.
• Export dataset, including derived fields and selection filters to a MapInfo
table or a comma separated value (.CSV) file.
• Save and reload GraphMap workspaces.
Getting Started with GraphMap
EngageAnalytics>Start GraphMap
GraphMap is accessed via the Start GraphMap item on the EngageAnalytics
menu. The tool can be started with or without a dataset being open in MapInfo. If
an appropriate dataset is already loaded in MapInfo when GraphMap is started,
a selection dialog will be presented for you to choose a dataset to load into the
utility. Alternatively if no dataset is open in MapInfo then you can load a data file
directly using the GraphMap File menu.

450 Engage User Guide
Various components of the GraphMap user interface
The GraphMap user interface consists of several key components. These are
summarised below and described in detail later in this chapter.
• File Menu - provides facilities to load and export data
• Quick Access Toolbar – customisable toolbar of commonly used tools
• Menu Tabs – a range of menu specific ribbon bars containing the main
graphing utilities
• Sidebar Windows – a number of dockable sidebar windows are available
to display selected dataset fields, legends for graph selections, dataset
statistics and graph data in tabular format
• Graph Windows and Tabs – main graph area to display graph windows.
Graph Tabs across the top enable the individual graph windows to be
brought to the front

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 451
GraphMap has been designed to work with either spatial or a spatial datasets of
a univariate or multivariate nature. Spatial datasets are represented internally in
GraphMap as point locations, however these can be linked back to more complex
objects (such as lines and polygons) that are open in MapInfo through the use of
selections.
The following exercise explains the basics of using GraphMap.
To create a graph with the GraphMap tool:
1. Open the EngageAnalytics menu (Engage>EngageAnalytics Menu)
and select the Start GraphMap option. Select a file or query to load into
GraphMap from those open in MapInfo.
Alternatively choose None and open datasets from directly within
GraphMap from the File Menu. This menu contains options for opening,
saving and exporting graph data along with a list of recently used graph
files.
2. On the Create tab, click the Builder button to open the Graph Builder
dialog.
3. The bottom portion of the dialog will change to display the required axis
assignments (X, Y and/or Z) appropriate to the graph type. Use the pulldown
menus to assign the required data fields (e.g. X and Y fields for
Scatter and Stereogram graphs, Y field for Probability graphs, X or Y fields
for Bar, Histogram and Rose graphs, etc).

452 Engage User Guide
4. Additionally, a Group field can be assigned for any graph type, allowing
the data displayed to be separated based on each unique attribute in this
designated field. If required, set this using the Group pull down list on the
right of the dialog. Within the following Select Groups dialog, the user can
choose to display either:
• Single graph window for all the data with each group coloured
separately
• Multiple graph windows, each representing a unique attribute or
• A Layout window of a matrix of graphs, each relating to a unique
attribute.
• A Geo Located window in which all the graphs are arranged
geographically next to the corresponding sample site.
The user must also select which groups to display from the list provided,
allowing only those groups of interest to be plotted. Examples of the use of
groups include separating geochemical data by geology, sampling or
assay method or date; analysing sales data by suburb or product; or
assessing demographic data by age group, occupation or salary levels. It
is not generally recommended to use a numeric field as a Group field.
5. Press OK to generate the graph: a new graph window (or windows) will be
displayed. Experiment with the graph types to create a number of graph
windows.
6. To pan around a graph window, hold down the right mouse button whilst
moving the mouse (or activate the Pan button on the Quick Access
toolbar at the top of the GraphMap window). Use the Zoom buttons to
control the view level, or the mouse wheel.
7. To make a selection from the graph window, use one of the three selection
tools on the Quick Access toolbar at the top left of the GraphMap window.
Once a selection is made, change to the View Menu tab, and press the
Statistics button. This will open a new window displaying the statistics for
the current selection, which will update with each new selection.
8. If multiple graphs based on the same dataset are open, a selection made
in one will be highlighted simultaneously in all graph windows. This is an
excellent way to visualise different aspects of the same selection easily.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 453
Set Colour
Set Size
Set Symbol
9. To change the symbology of the current selection, change to the Modify
Menu tab and select new display options from one of the Colour, Size or
Symbol pull-down menus. The selection will adopt this new style in all
open graphs. Multiple selections in multiple graphs can thus be identified
with user-defined symbology.
GraphMap Menus and Toolbars
• File Menu
• Quick Access Toolbar
• Menu Tabs
• Sidebar Windows
File Menu
• Open From MapInfo – allows datasets already open in MapInfo to be
loaded into GraphMap.
• Open from File – opens a MapInfo .TAB, Comma Separated Value .CSV,
SQL Express .MDF, or MS Access database file directly from the file
system.
• Open Workspace – open an existing GraphMap Workspace .GMW file.
• Save Workspace – the current GraphMap session (graphs, symbology,
legends, etc) can be saved as a GraphMap workspace (.GMW).
Alternatively, all datasets open in the session can also be saved into the
.GMW file using the Save Workspace and Data option.
• Print – print one or more graph windows to a Printer or installed PDF
Printer.
• Export Graph As - outputs one or more graph windows as MapInfo TAB
files (and opens them within MapInfo) or the current graph window as a
raster image in .PNG or .XAML formats.
• Save Data As - outputs the current dataset to a new MapInfo TAB file or a
comma-delimited text file (.CSV), including user defined filter fields and
derived-columns

454 Engage User Guide
• Save Legend to MapInfo – outputs the Legend window (see Load and
Save Styles from Legend) to a MapInfo TAB file, and opens it into
MapInfo.
• Close - closes selected datasets and all associated graphs.
• Options – displays the GraphMap Global Options dialog.
• Exit – exits the GraphMap utility.
• Recent Documents – For convenience GraphMap maintains a list of
recent files in a panel to the right of the main File menu. Selecting a file
from this list will load it automatically.
Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access toolbar is automatically docked at the top of the GraphMap
dialog. The toolbar contains a number of icons relating to the selection of sample
points in a graph window and general graph navigation functions as follows:
Selection
Select by Rectangle allows a selection rectangle to be created by pressing and
holding the left-mouse button and dragging the mouse. All graph point samples
within the rectangle are highlighted in the graph window.
Select by Region allows a freehand selection region to be drawn around a
number of graph point samples by pressing and holding the left-mouse button.
Releasing the mouse button will close the region.
Select Live Rectangle - as the selection rectangle is drawn, all graph sample
points within the selection region are highlighted within all graph windows
automatically.
Create overlay selection region creates a permanent selection region which
can be saved and reused with other datasets.
Navigation
Zoom In and Zoom Out by either left-mouse clicking within a graph window or
draw a rectangle to zoom to the contents.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 455
Pan enables the graph view to be moved by clicking and dragging with the leftmouse
button
3D Navigation enables rotation in graphs such as 3D Scatter and Bubble plots.
Hold the left mouse button down whilst moving the mouse to rotate the view.
Customise Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar can be customised by selecting the pull-down menu
at its right end, and selecting Customise Quick Access Toolbar from the dropdown
menu.
The Customise Quick Access Toolbar dialog contains four customization
options:
• Select the User Customise option, and populate/reorder the right hand
window with the desired tools from the left-hand pull-down list of
categories. Note that some tools are mouse-button specific. Press OK to
apply.
• Select either the Wheel Mouse, Laptop Pad or All Tools (default) Preset
options and press OK to apply

456 Engage User Guide
The Quick Access Toolbar can also be placed below the Menu Tab ribbon bar
by selecting the appropriate option either from this dialog, or from the Quick
Access Toolbar drop-down menu.
The Menu Tab ribbon bar can be minimised so that it only appears when a menu
tab is selected (e.g. Create, Modify, etc). Select the pull-down menu at the right
end of the Quick Access Toolbar, and select the Minimise the Ribbon option.
Menu Tabs
The menu tabs provide access to the main toolbars:
Create Toolbar
The Create tab ribbon bar contains buttons for all the different available graph
types, a simple graph builder wizard and the ability to assign fields in the source
data table as graph axes, group or filter fields. For more information, see Creating
Graphs.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 457
Modify Toolbar
The Modify tab ribbon bar contains buttons for enhancing the appearance of
graph selections with a range of colour, size and symbol options. For more
information, see Changing the Style of Graph Objects.
Data Toolbar
The Data tab ribbon bar contains buttons for making and saving graph selections.
Selections can be made and viewed in both the graph window and in the source
data table in MapInfo. Buttons for creating derived columns to graph from existing
columns, data preconditioning to remove nulls or negative numbers and set up
table relationships to link data in one table with another are also available. For
more information, see Selecting Data in Graphs.
Settings Toolbar
The GraphMap Settings ribbon bar contains options to enable the programming
of mouse buttons for various graph functions and modification of global settings
for general and selected graphs and axes.
View Toolbar

458 Engage User Guide
The View menu tab ribbon bar contains buttons to control how individual graph
windows are displayed and also the ability to view graph windows outside of the
GraphMap module. Visibility of the side bar Data, Legend, Statistics, Relations
and Properties windows can also be toggled on and off.
Current Graph Toolbar
The Current Graph menu tab contains buttons for customizing the graph display
and modifying axis lines and labels,

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 459
Sidebar Windows
Data Window
The Selecting and Transforming Data Columns displays the properties of the
current dataset including field names and current field assignments. It allows
switching between multiple datasets. Preconditioning Data to remove nulls or
replace below detection level samples will result in the creation of new
transformed columns. Mathematical calculations can also be performed on
existing data fields to created new derived columns (see Creating Derived
Columns). The visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the View Menu tab.

460 Engage User Guide
Legend Window
The Legend Window displays the currently assigned symbol, colour and size for
graph selections (see Load and Save Styles from Legend). The visibility of this
window is toggled on/off via the View Menu tab.
Table Window
The Table Window displays the attribute data of the current dataset in a tabular
format (see Selecting Data in Graphs). The visibility of this window is toggled on/
off via the Data Menu or Create Menu tabs.
Statistics Window

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 461
The Selection Statistics Window displays various standard statistics for the
current graph selection (see GraphMap Settings). The visibility of this window is
toggled on/off via the View Menu tab.
Relations Window
The Table Relations Window displays the relationships between linked tables
which enable graph data to be selected from one table and the associated records
in a linked table will automatically be highlighted in another graph (see View menu
tab). The visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the View Menu tab.

462 Engage User Guide
Properties Window
The Graph Properties Window contains options to set the font, colour, scale,
offset and styling options applicable to each parameter of the graph (i.e. each axis
as well as the graph background area). For more information, see Selecting Data
in Graphs. This visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the View Menu tab or
the Current Graph tab.
Creating Graphs
The Create Menu tab provides the tools for creating an extensive range of Graph
Types. Most graph types have a number of compulsory Axis/Field Assignments
(e.g. a Y field for a Probability plot): if these fields are not assigned, the user will
be prompted to assign them before the graph can be created. Graphs are created
by setting the required Axis/Field Assignments and then pressing the desired
Graph Types button. Alternatively, the Graph Builder presents an intuitive wizardstyle
dialog to guide the new user through graph creation

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 463
Graph Builder
The Builder button on the Create tab opens the Graph Builder dialog, which
provides an intuitive wizard-style interface to guide the user through graph
creation.
1. Graph buttons are presented on the side of the dialog. Select a Graph
Type.
2. The main area of the dialog will display the compulsory (dark blue) and
optional (light blue) Axis/Field Assignments (X, Y and/ Z) for the
selected graph type as pull down lists. Use these pull-down lists to assign
the required fields, and a preview of the graph will be displayed.
3. If satisfied with the graph type and field assignments, set a Group field if
required. See the end of the Axis/Field Assignments section for
information on the options available within the Select Groups dialog.
Selecting either a Multi- or Layout Window display type will update the
preview screen accordingly.
4. Press OK to generate the output graph/s.
Axis/Field Assignments
Each Graph Types button has a tool tip (hover the cursor over the relevant graph
button) to detail the axis/field assignments required for that graph type. If
unnecessary fields are assigned (e.g. Z field for a Histogram graph), then they will
be ignored during graph creation.
To assign a field either:
• Select the desired assignment button from the Axis Assignment control
on the Create tab and from the pop-up list, choose the required field or
The Axis/Field Assignment controls on the Display tab.
• Select/highlight the field in the Data window and then press the
appropriate keyboard shortcut: e.g. the X key for the X axis, the G key for
the Group assignment or the O key for the data Ordering field.

464 Engage User Guide
• Select/highlight the field in the Data window and then press the right
mouse button within the Data window to display the data pop-up menu;
select the Axis Assignment option and choose the appropriate
assignment
The Axis/Field Assignment controls on the Data window pop-up menu.
• The Order field can additionally be specified by dragging the target field
in the Data window onto the Order area at the Data window’s base. This
area will then indicate the Order field assignment until it is cleared/reset.
Order field indicator area
Note
It is possible to select multiple fields (by holding down the left mouse button and
dragging over multiple items) or by using the normal SHIFT/CTRL key
combinations, and assign them the same Axis/Field Assignment (e.g. to assign
multiple Y fields, or to clear existing assignments)
The following axis/field assignments are available:

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 465
Axis/Field
Assignment
Keyboard
shortcut
Description
X Axis X Sets the selected field as an X axis parameter.
Multiple X field assignments are possible.
Y Axis Y Sets the field as a Y axis parameter. Multiple Y
field assignments are possible.
Z Axis Z Sets the field as the Z axis parameter. Only one
field at a time can be assigned as a Z field.
Group G Sets the selected field as a Group field. Data will
be grouped based on each unique attribute.
This is most appropriate for string fields such as
company name, sample type, mesh size,
lithology, etc (not for numeric data such as
assays). Only one field can be assigned as the
Group field at a time.
Filter F Sets the selected field as a Filter. The field must
be a Boolean field (True or False) in order for it
to be assigned. Filter fields can be created using
the Save Selection as Filter Column icon (at
the top of the Data window) or from the Data
tab. Assigning a Filter field will enable you to
create graph displays for only those entries
marked as true in the filter. Only one field at a
time can be assigned as a Filter.
Order by
[only applicable
to Line Graphs]
O
Set the selected field as the Ordering field – a
field can be set as both an axis assignment and
an ordering field.
By default a Line graph is drawn in the row order
of the table (the _key field). If an Ordering field
is set, points will be drawn and connected in the
increasing order of this field. An example of use
would be plotting a Line plot of Cu vs. Pb - set
the Cu field as both the X Axis and the Order
field.
Clear Space bar Clears the selected field’s current assignment.

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Note
For many graphs requiring for example a single Y field assignment, assigning
multiple Y fields will result in the creation of multiple separate graphs, one for
each Y field assignment.
If a Group field is assigned (whether manually or via the Graph Builder), a Select
Groups dialog will be presented when a graph is created. This dialog allows the
user to select one or more group items and display the graphs using one of three
display options:
• Multiple Windows - a separate graph window is created for each
selected/highlighted group
• Single Window - a single graph window incorporating all selected groups
is created for the selected/highlighted groups. This display mode includes
an option to colour each group uniquely to assist in identification.
• Layout Window - multiple plots are created in a single graph window, with
plot representing one of the selected groups.
• A Geo Located window in which all the graphs are arranged
geographically next to the corresponding sample site.
The Groups to be displayed must be highlighted in the list before pressing OK.
The graph(s) will then be created for only those items which are selected.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 467
The Select Groups dialog displayed when a non-compulsory Group field is assigned.
Graph Types
The following table lists the available graph types and their compulsory field
assignments:
Normal Graphs
Map – opens the dataset as a map using the existing mapped fields (either the
fields assigned using the MapInfo Table>Create Points menu option, or the
Obj_X and Obj_Y fields if the data has spatial objects but no spatial columns).
Alternatively, different X and Y fields can be assigned (e.g. for an Access table
or for unmapped data) using one of the X & Y field assignment methods.
Scatter – scatter plots produce an XY point plot and require an X and Y field to
be assigned. If only one field is assigned, the opposing unassigned axis will
default to the ‘Key’ or record index field (row ID of each data entry) of the
dataset. This graph type allows a Regression line to be plotted, and therefore a
Residuals graph to be created; see Selecting and Transforming Data Columns.

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Line – line plots produces a continuous line profile using either an X and/or Y
field assignment. If the opposing axis is unassigned it will default to the ‘Key’ or
record index field (row ID of each data entry).
Bar – this utilises only an X or Y field assignment, setting the unassigned axis as
the Key field. It produces a series of individual vertical bars representing the X or
Y field value of each data entry. Its output is comparable to setting only the same
field in either the Scatter or Line graphs.
3D Scatter – produces a 3D scatter plot, requiring X, Y and Z axis assignments.
Once the 3D scatter plot is created, hold down the middle mouse button and
move the mouse to rotate the 3D view. If either the X or Y axes are unassigned,
they will be set to the ‘Key’ or record index field.
Bubble – produces bubble plot requiring X and Y assignments, with an optional
Z assignment. Similar to output to a Scatter plot.
Table – opens a browser view of the current dataset. See Viewing Data Values
for further information.
Grouped Graphs
Lines – allows multiple line plots to be displayed on a single graph, using
multiple Y field assignments. The following prompt will be displayed allowing
each line to coloured separately. A simple legend indicating the field/colour
association will be displayed at the top left of the graph to assist in identification.
Individual line colour and legend for a Lines graph.
Histogram – displays a graph of the count of records that fall within a predefined
bin. The unique attributes are displayed as bins along either the X or Y axis, and
the count is displayed on the unassigned axis. The bin size can be modified
through the Graph Properties dialog (see Selecting Data in Graphs).

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 469
Box – produces a Box plot of the assigned Y field. If an optional X field is
assigned, the dataset will be separated along the X axis based on each unique
attribute within this field (e.g. sample type or lithology). Box plots display a
summary of the important aspects of a distribution. The central box extends from
the lower hinge (25 th percentile) to the upper hinge (75 th percentile) and
therefore represents the middle half of the data spread. The line across the
middle of the box represents the median. If the median is not positioned in the
middle of the box it indicates that the data distribution is skewed. The vertical
bars or whiskers which extend from the box represent the spread of the data (the
minimum & maximum data points) unless outliers are present, in which case
they extend to the nearest data point within a maximum of 1.5 times the interquartile
range. Points outside the fence (or whiskers) are outliers or suspected
outliers in the distribution. Points outside 3.0 times the inter-quartile range are
drawn with smaller points to delineate the extreme outliers.
Pie – creates a multi-segment pie chart, where each segment represents a
unique attribute within the assigned X or Y field. The arc of each segment
represents the proportion (count) of that attribute in the total population. For
numerical data, the bin size of each pie slice can be modified through the Graph
Properties dialog
Statistics Graphs
Scatter Matrix – uses multiple X and/or Y fields to create multiple scatter plots
in a matrix pattern, allowing multi-element analysis/comparison. This graph type
allows Regression lines to be plotted, and therefore Residuals graphs to be
created; see Graph window tools (see Selecting Data in Graphs).
Probability - produces a normal probability plot of the assigned Y field(s). A
normal probability plot is a graphical technique for assessing whether a data set
is approximately normally distributed. The normal probability plot is constructed
by plotting the ordered normal response values for the assigned field against the
normal ordered statistic medians if a theoretical normal distribution. If the data
set is normally distributed the resulting plot should represent a straight line.
Deviations from a straight line represent deviations from normality. This can
easily be converted to a log-normal probability graph by converting the Y axis to
log under the Current Graph menu.
Other Graphs
Ternary - creates a normalised scatter plot of three fields on a triangular
diagram. The assignment of X, Y & Z fields is required in order to produce a
Ternary plot. In order to plot a point on the triangular axes the X,Y,Z data for
each row is normalised such that X+Y+Z = 1. If your data is not normalized then
GraphMap will do this for you automatically.

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Stereogram - displays structural measurements using dip direction (X) and
dip (Y) fields. This graph type has options to display either Equal Area or Equal
Angle projections, as well as plotting the data as either Lineations or Poles to
Planes. These options can be accessed via the Graph Properties dialog (see
Selecting Data in Graphs), and changing the Data Display or Projection
options at the bottom of the list.
Rose – uses an azimuth/bearing field assigned as either an X or Y field to create
a Rose diagram. The radius of each petal or bin indicates the number of data
values that fall within that range. The bin size (default of 30 degrees) can be
modified through the Graph Properties dialog (see Selecting Data in Graphs).
Examples of use include evaluating regional structural trends, wind direction,
fluid migration patterns (e.g. water or hydrocarbon), etc.
Clock - uses a two-axis display within a circle, with the X field bins incremented
on the outside segments of the circle, and the Y field bins incremented within the
circle as concentric rings. Sections within the circle are coloured accoridng to
their frequency.
Selecting and Transforming Data Columns
The Data window on the left off the GraphMap window lists all fields in the current
dataset. Its primary function is to display the variables from the current dataset
and to set Axis/Field Assignments for the various graph types. The pull-down list
at the top of the Data Window allows the user to switch between open datasets.
The Data window is subdivided into sections depending on the field type:
• Numeric – lists all numeric fields (e.g. float, integer, decimal). It is not
recommended to numeric fields as a Group assignment.
• String – lists all character fields
• Date – lists all date, time or date-time fields
• Derived Columns – lists any Derived Columns
• Transformed Columns – lists any Preconditioned Data
• Selection Columns – lists any fields created from a saved selection,
whether they are a filter or group.
• Ranged Columns – lists any ranged columns derived from other fields.
It also contains the following options:

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 471
The Show Table button opens a browser or table view of the dataset. See
Selecting Data in Graphs for further information on this view type.
Add Derived Column allows the creation of a new field based on calculations
performed on existing fields; e.g. the addition of the values of two fields to
produce a new field. See Creating Derived Columns for further information.
Save Selection as Filter Column this will save the current selection to a new
Boolean field with a user-specified name. The Boolean field records the
selection with a True flag, whilst the unselected data is flagged as False. The
selection fields can be assigned as a Filter field, allowing graphs to be created
for only the filtered portion of the data set. For more information, see Axis/Field
Assignments.
Setup Multi-Table Relationships allows the creation of relationships/joins
between multiple parent and daughter tables. See Multi-Table Relationships for
further information.
The Views button provides a number of options for visualising the data fields.
Options include Tiles, Icons, List and Details. The Details view display a full
range of summary Statistics for each field in the dataset.
The Data window can be moved by clicking and dragging its title bar, or by
double-clicking on the title bar to undock it. To return the Data window to its
default location, select the Reset Layout option on the Settings tab. The
AutoHide icon at the top-right of the window allows the Data window to be
toggled between a window view and tab in the left margin.
The Data window pop-up menu
Right mouse clicking in the Data window will open up the data pop-up menu. This
contains the following functionality:
• The Axis Assignment option discussed in Axis/Field Assignments.

472 Engage User Guide
• If an existing derived column (see Creating Derived Columns) is selected,
the Edit Derived column option enables the column’s expression to be
edited.
• Create Ranged Column requires two existing columns of the same type
to be selected. It then creates a new Ranged column based on setting the
first selected coulmn as the minnimum bounds of the range, and the
second selected column as the maximum bound for each row. This is
useful for a start and end time or date, or the minimum and maximum
value measured over a time or sample range. This Ranged column can
then be used in graphs or exported back to MapInfo.
• The Preconditioning Data option allows null and negative data in the
selected field to be handled correctly
• Break Date/Time into parts allows a selected Date and/or Time column
to create a new column base don chronological groupings, such as Month
of Year, Day of Week and time of Day. A user can select to construct the
new column on a combination - for example grouped by both the Month of
year, then the Day of Week, as well as any user entered text.
• Update Column Statistics forces the statistics for all columns to be
updated (viewable via either hovering the mouse over the column in the
Data Window, or via the Details option of the Views button).
• To remove an existing column, use the Delete Column option. Note this
does not alter the underlying MapInfo table, but simply removes it from
view within GraphMap.
• Duplicate Column will create an identical copy of the selected column.
The Data window at the left of the GraphMap utility will display all fields present
within the current dataset. Use the pull-down menu at the top of the Data window
to change between open datasets.
Preconditioning Data
The Precondition Data option allows the effective handling of negative, nonnumeric
and zero values. It can be accessed either:
• by right-clicking on the target fields in the Data Window and selecting
from the pop-up menu or
• via the Precondition Data button in the Data tab. This opens a list of the
current datasets fields - select the target fields from this.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 473
The Data Handling Options dialog, accessed via the Precondition Data option
Either option will open the Data Handling Options dialog. The default new output
fields will utilise the source field name and apply a ‘_PC’ suffix; this can be altered
in the top text window. The following options are provided:
• Negative Values - To ignore negative assay values in a data table check
the Set negative values to box and leave the default “Null” entry.
Alternatively, set all negative values to a single user-specified value.
• Check the Multiply negative values box by -0.5 to convert each negative
value to a new positive assay value which is half the detection limit.
Alternatively, multiply all negative values by a single user-specified value.

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• Non-Numeric Values – To ignore non-numeric values in a data table
check the Set non-numeric values to box and leave the default “Null”
entry. Alternatively, set all non-numeric values to a single user-specified
value.
• Zero Values - To ignore zero values in a data table check the Set all zero
values to box and leave the default “Null” entry. Alternatively, set all zero
values to a single user-specified value.
• Custom Template – To apply different replacement values for element
data in a table or for multiple replacements within the same element field a
custom template can be created. The template must contain three fields
which contain the element name, the original assay value and the new
replacement assay value. The template must be open in MapInfo in order
to select it for use in the Data Handling Options dialog.
• Data Type Conversion - To convert the data type of the columns, tick the
box and select the target data type from the list. For example, converting
dates in a string column into a date column will improve their display in
graphs.
Once the required preconditioning is applied, the new fields will appear in the
Data Window under the Transformed Columns section. Set this as the required
field assignment rather than the original source field for graph creation to utilise
the applied preconditioning. To save the new column, use the To save this table,
use the File>Save Data As>MapInfo table menu option
Creating Derived Columns
The Add Derived Column tool in either the Data Window or the Data Menu tab
enables a new column to be created and populated based on mathematical and/
or logical operation on existing columns. It opens the following dialog:

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 475
The Add Derived Column dialog
Formulae for a derived column are entered in the Expression pane. A name for
the new derived column can be entered in the Column Name control above (if no
column name is assigned, it will default to the expression syntax).
To enter an expression, place the cursor at the required insertion point within the
Expression pane, and type the formula. To assist in the construction of a formula,
items can be chosen from the Function, Operator, Value or Column assignment
lists in the bottom half of the dialog. The expression pane also provides colour
syntax highlighting and ‘intellisense’ to assist with the construction of valid
formulas, enabled with the Auto Complete option.

476 Engage User Guide
Each field in the dataset can be inserted into a formula as either a Value or
Column parameter by selecting them from the appropriate pull-down lists:
• A Value parameter references an individual cell value in the data set and
must be surrounded in the Expression pane by square brackets (e.g.
[Value]). A value parameter is used in functions that operate on individual
values e.g. [Cu]+[Zn] or Log10([Pb]).
• A Column parameter references an entire column of cell values, and must
be surrounded the Expression pane with curly brackets (e.g. {Column}).
Column parameters are generally required in the statistical functions e.g.
Mean({Cu}).
Both Values and Columns can be referenced in a formula in the expression
pane. For example to compute the Z score for a given field you would enter the
following expression, where ‘theValue’ is the field you are interested in.
([theValue]–Mean({theValue}))/StDev({theValue})
A range of mathematical and statistical functions are also available in the
Functions list. Some of these functions accept Value parameters (such as the
Log([value]), Sqrt([value]) and Tan([value])) whilst others require Column
parameter assignments (i.e. statistical functions such as HarmonicMean({value}),
Kurtosis({value}) and Count({value})). A brief summary of each Function and its
required parameters is displayed at the base of the derived column dialog when
each function is highlighted. Some functions may also require the insertion of
another function inside them (e.g. ZScore([value], Mean({value}, StDev({value})).
Assignment of the wrong parameter type for a function will result in an invalid
expression error (e.g. Log10({Cu}) will return an error message, whereas
Log10([Cu]) would be valid).
The ZScore function description, including required parameters and other functions
A range of Operators are available, both mathematical and logical. Logical
operators (e.g. =) are only applicable when the Expression type is changed to
Conditional using the pull-down option to the right of the Expression window.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 477
Creating a derived column using a Conditional Expression
Some examples of valid expressions:
[Cu]/Mean{Cu}
[Pb]+[Zn]
ZScore([Zn],Mean({Zn}),StDev({Zn}))
Once a new derived column is created, it will be listed within the Data Window.
An existing derived field can be edited by right-clicking on the icon, and selecting
the Edit Derived Field option form the pop-up menu. This will reopen the Add
Derived Column dialog and the expression for the column will be displayed.
To save derived fields permanently, use the GraphMap File>Save Data
As>MapInfo table menu option
Viewing Data Values
The Table Window is similar to a MapInfo browser; it displays each record as a
row of attributes in a browser format. The Table window can be displayed using
either:
• the Table button on the Create Menu tab
• the Show Table button within the Data window or
• the Table button on the Data tab
The Table window also incorporates any derived columns or Saved Selection
columns that have been created, as well as a “Selected” column. The Selected
column indicates any currently selected records with a tick mark. Pressing the
Show Selected Only option at the top of the Table window, will show only the
selected entries in the list. This is an excellent way of viewing the browser records
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478 Engage User Guide
Individual records can be selected within the Table window by ticking the
appropriate row within the Selected column. To select multiple records, highlight
the records of interest (using SHIFT or CTRL key combinations) right-click in the
window and choose the Assign Selection option from the pop-up menu.
Deselect multiple records by highlighting them and use the Clear Selection
option (right-click menu in the Table view).
The Table window Assign Selection menu
The Show Background Colour option will shade rows in the Table view using
the current colour scheme (as applied using the Colour controls and displayed in
the Legend window ).
A column can be sorted in ascending or descending order by clicking on the
column title. The displayed field list can be customised (similar to the MapInfo
Pick Fields option) by right clicking in the column title area: this will open a field
selection list, with displayed fields highlighted. Select and deselect fields as
required.
Field customization within the Table window
Multiple columns can be filtered using the Filter button. This adds a row of filter
controls above the table. Multiple fields can be filtered simultaneously.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 479
• Numeric fields will have an operator and value control. Select an operator
and enter a value: the table window will update to display only data
matching the specified criteria. The asterix * functions as an exact match
operator; it will convert the data and search values into strings and try to
find an exact match.
String fields will have a single string control; type a search string in this to filter the
table view. This is a dynamic operation: the view will be refiltered with each
successive character entered. The asterix * functions as a wildcard e.g. *zoic will
find entries of Cainozoic and Mesozoic.
Arranging and Modifying Graph Displays
• Closing Graphs
• Hide and Show Windows
• Arranging Graphs
• Adding a Graph to a Map Window
• Zoom, Pan and Rotation
• Axis, Scale, Background, and Other Display Options
• Displaying Legends
The View tab provides options for the display and positioning of graph and other
windows. By default individual graphs are created as floating windows which can
be identified by name in the graph title bar or via tabs along the top of the main
graph display area. These tabs can be hidden using the Show Tabs toggle
(below). Individual graphs can be selected using these tabs or via the Window
List. The arrangement of graph windows can be controlled using the Tile,
Cascade or AutoTile menu options.
Closing Graphs
Graphs can be closed in a number of ways:
• Using the Close All option will close all graph displays,
• Using the Windows option under the Windows List button will present a
dialog listing all the open graphs. Multiple graphs can be selected in the
list and closed at once.

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• The Close option under the File menu allows selected datasets to be
closed. All graphs associated with a selected dataset will be closed.
• Using the individual close button at the top right of each graph
The following controls are available on the View Menu tab:
Hide and Show Windows
Graph Windows
Tiles all open graph windows in the GraphMap window.
Cascades all open graph windows
Automatically retiles all graph windows after each new graph created. This is a
toggle button.
Toggles the display of the current graph window inside or outside the GraphMap
application. Graph windows can also be toggled in and out by pressing “I” on the
keyboard when the mouse is placed over a graph window.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 481
Sidebar WIndows
Toggles the Data Window On or Off
Toggles the Legend Window On or Off
Toggles the Selection Statistics Window On or Off.
Toggles the Table Relations Window On or Off
Toggles the Graph Properties Window On or Off
Graph Windows
Toggles whether the Graph tabs are displayed or not. If not select from the
available open graphs using the Window List option (below). This option helps
increase the available space for graph window display.
Closes all open graph windows
Opens a list of all open graph (and table) windows. Selecting a list item will bring
that graph window to the front.
MapInfo
Toggles the GraphMap application between displaying inside the MapInfo
window and displaying outside of it. The latter option is useful when running dual
monitor screens.

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Arranging Graphs
Multiple graphs can be opened into the graph window display area. Each graph
has a tab which, when selected, enables the corresponding graph to be displayed
at the front of the other graphs. Graph windows can be dragged to new locations
by clicking on the title bar of the graph window and dragging the window to a new
location.
Use the icons on each graph window to Minimise, Restore or Close
respectively.
The View Menu Tab contains additional window arrangement options as follows:
Tiles all open graph windows in the GraphMap window.
Cascades all open graph windows

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 483
Automatically retiles all graph windows after each new graph created. This is a
toggle button.
Toggles the display of the current graph window inside or outside the GraphMap
application. Graph windows can also be toggled in and out by pressing “I” on the
keyboard when the mouse is placed over a graph window.
Toggles whether the Graph tabs are displayed or not. If not select from the
available open graphs using the Window List option (below). This option helps
increase the available space for graph window display.
Closes all open graph windows
Opens a list of all open graph (and table) windows. Selecting a list item will bring
that graph window to the front.
Toggles the GraphMap application between displaying inside the MapInfo
window and displaying outside of it. The latter option is useful when running dual
monitor screens.
The GraphMap Settings also contains two Multi-Window Creation options:
• In Separate Windows – this option will display multiple graphs in a
separate window for each
• In Tabbed Window – this option will display all graphs in a single window
with tabs to switch between the individual graphs
Adding a Graph to a Map Window
Right-click inside a graph window to display the graph shortcut menu.

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UPDATE
View in MapInfo – Add a graph to an existing map window. In the Show in
MapInfo dialog select the map window to add the graph. Enter in an X and Y
origin for the graph in map window coordinates or click on the Select on Map
button and click the desired location in the map window. Alter the Scaling for the
graph as required and select a base output file name.
This process may add a number of layers to the map window.
Zoom, Pan and Rotation
Panning
Three methods are available:
• Hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse to reposition the
graph content

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 485
• Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to pan the view in the direction of the
arrow.
• Select the Pan button from the top customizable Quick Access Toolbar.
Depress the left mouse button in the graph window whilst moving the
mouse to pan the view.
Zooming
Two methods are available:
• Use the middle mouse wheel to increase or decrease the zoom level.
Rolling the mouse wheel in a forward direction will increase the zoom and
rotating the wheel in a backwards direction will decrease the zoom level.
• Alternatively, select the appropriate button Zoom from the top
customizable Quick Access toolbar, and either left click within the graph
window, or draw a rectangle to zoom to its extents.
3D graph rotation
(e.g. 3D Scatter graphs)
Three methods are available:
• Depress and hold the middle mouse wheel and move the mouse to rotate
the view.
• Hold down the SHIFT button and use the keyboard arrows to rotate the
view around each of the axes.
• Select the 3D Navigation button on the top customisable Quick Access
Toolbar. Click and hold the left mouse button whilst moving the mouse to
rotate.
To continuously spin the graph around a fixed axis hold down the CTRL key while
using the keyboard keys. Pressing the “T” key on the keyboard whilst part of the
dataset is selected will re-centre the rotation point on the centre of the selection,
rather than the centre of the dataset.

486 Engage User Guide
Axis, Scale, Background, and Other Display Options
The following options are provided for changing individual graph windows:
Click in a graph window and use the arrows on the X and Y axes to increase,
decrease and restore the axis extents.
Right-click inside a graph window to display the graph shortcut menu.
Reset Graph – resets the graph view to the full data extents
Set Background Image – a MapInfo map window can be added as a
background reference image for the current graph. Note: it is important that the
spatial coordinates (data range) of the MapInfo window is the same as
coordinates of the graph in which the background is being added.
Set Selection Overlay – previously defined selection overlay regions can be
added to the current graph. These regions need to be created using the Create
overlay selection region tool on the main toolbar. The selection overlay regions
are stored on a per user basis in the “My Documents\Encom GraphMap”
directory.
Show Regression Line :– adds a Regression line to Scatter and Scatter
Matrix graphs. This option is not available for any other graph types.
Create Residuals Graph :– if the graph has a Regression Line plotted, this
option creates a new Residual graph.
Current Graph Controls
The Current Graph tab contains the following controls for customising the current
graph:
• Grid Lines – toggles the display of grid lines for either the X or Y axes
• Log Axis – applies a logarithmic scale to either axis
• Axis Label – toggles labels on the axes
• Graph Titles – inserts the graph tile into the graph window (useful when
exporting the graph as an image or MapInfo table)
• Colouring – Numerous controls for the colour of axes, grid lines, labels,
tick marks and backgrounds

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The Properties window of the current graph is displayed on the right side of the
GraphMap display, and can be accessed via two options:
1. Right-clicking in the graph window and selecting Properties from the popup
menu.
2. Selecting the Properties option from the Current Graph Menu ribbon bar
This window contains a multitude of font, colour, scale, offset and styling options
applicable to each layer of the graph (i.e. each axis as well as the graph
background area). The last layer listed (named after the source dataset) also
contains controls specific to the graph type: for instance Stereograms have
options for dataset plotting (PoleToPlanes or Lineations), whilst Rose &
Histograms graphs allow control of the Bin size.
Selecting Data in Graphs
GraphMap provides real time selection and visualisation functionality; data
selected in a graph window is immediately highlighted in all graph windows
relating to the same dataset (links between different datasets can also be setup
using Multi-Table Relationships). This is an excellent way of examining different
aspects of a subset of data, for example the various geochemical ratios (scatter
plots, ternary diagrams) and statistical analyses (box and probability plots) of soil
samples sourced from a basalt terrain vs. those from doleritic terrain.
To make a graph selection use one of the selection tools on the top customisable
Quick Access toolbar:
Select by Rectangle allows a selection rectangle to be created by pressing and
holding the left-mouse button and dragging the mouse.
Select by Region allows a freehand selection region to be drawn by pressing
and holding the left-mouse button. Releasing the mouse button will close the
region.
Select Live Rectangle - as the selection rectangle is drawn, all data within the
selection region is highlighted within all graph windows automatically.
Create overlay selection region creates a permanent selection region. See
Permanent selection regions below
Additional selection tools are available in the Data Menu tab menu ribbon:

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Selection tools
Selects all records in the entire dataset
Deselects all records in the entire dataset
Selects all data points not currently selected (i.e. inverts the selection)
Saving Selections
The current GraphMap selection is selected in MapInfo (providing the same
dataset is open and a primary Key has been assigned).
Whenever a selection is made in GraphMap, it can be saved to a new field in the
dataset and assigned as either a Filter or Group field. To save a selection, select
either the Save Selection as Filter Column button in the Data tab or in the Data
Window after making a selection (these buttons will be inaccessible if there is no
current selection).
• When a selection is saved as a Filter, each record is assigned a Boolean
field to record a true or false value: thus every record selected will be
marked as True, whilst those not selected will be marked as False. In the
Save Selection dialog set the Type as Filter, and either choose an
existing column from the Selection pull-down list or type in the name for a
new column. Press OK; the field will now appear within the Data Window
under the Selection Columns section. This field can now be used to
Filter the dataset (by assigning it as a Filter), thereby enabling graphs to
be created using only the specified subset.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 489
• Saving a selection as a Group allows it to be attributed. In the Save
Selection dialog set the Type as Group, and in the adjacent GroupName
window enter an attribute (e.g. ‘Anomaly 1’). Either choose an existing
field from the Selection pull-down list or type in the name for a new field.
Press OK; the field will now appear within the Data Window under the
Selection Columns section. Repeat this process for additional
selections, giving each a unique attribute (e.g. ‘Anomaly 2’, ‘Anomaly 3’,
etc) and utilising the same Selection field. This field can now be used to
Group the dataset (by assigning it as a Group), allowing graph output to
be separated by each unique attribute.
You can reuse these Filter and Group columns in a future session by saving
them to a new dataset. Use the GraphMap File>Save Data As>MapInfo table to
save the dataset, including Filter fields and any derived columns permanently.
Viewing Selections in MapInfo and GraphMap
The currently assigned selection in MapInfo (e.g. a spatial or SQL selection) is
selected in GraphMap (providing the same dataset is open in GraphMap and a
primary Key has been assigned).
The current GraphMap selection is selected in MapInfo (providing the same
dataset is open and a primary Key has been assigned).
Displaying Object Information
The attributes for an individual graph object can be viewed by right-clicking in the
graph window and enable the Object Info option. Place the cursor over the
target object: a pop-up dialog will appear displaying the object’s attributes. An
Object Info toggle is also in the Current Graph tab.
Clearing Selections
The current selection can be removed from Map, Scatter and 3D Scatter graphs
using the Remove Selection option under the Current Graph tab. This will not
affect the records in the dataset.

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Creating Permanent Selection Regions
Using the Create overlay selection region button (on the top customisable
Quick Access toolbar or the Current Graph tab), multiple selection polygons can
be created and saved for a particular graph. This tool functions in a similar
manner to the Select Region tool; once activated, each vertex of the selection
region can be added by left-mouse clicking at the desired coordinate. A double
mouse-click will complete the region (or press the keyboard ESC key to cancel
the region)
The New Overlay dialog displayed when a polygon selection region is created
Upon completion of the polygon, the New Overlay dialog will be displayed. The
graph name is assigned as the default Overlay Name; this is the file into which
the polygon will be saved. It is not recommended to use the same overlay
between different graphs, unless the axes values (and the type of graph) are the
same, as it will result in the incorrect display of data and selection polygons.
Individual polygons can be assigned a unique name using the Polygon Name
field (e.g. ZoneA, ZoneB, etc). A boundary line Colour for the region can also be
set.
The X and Y coordinates for each vertex can be viewed and modified in the dialog
before saving the polygon. Extra vertices can be added by entering their
coordinates in the last blank row. Unwanted vertices can be deleted by
highlighting the required rows (by selecting their marker cell - grey cell to the left)
and pressing the keyboard DEL key.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 491
Pressing OK will complete the selection polygon definition and display it in the
graph window.
If an Overlay region file already exists with the same name, a dialog will be
presented to either Overwrite or Append to the existing overlay file. Overlays are
stored as .XML files on a per user basis in the C:\Documents and
Settings\username\My Documents\Encom GraphMap folder.
To select all data points that fall within a selection overlay region, enable the
Select Rectangle tool on the main toolbar, and click once within the polygon.
Clicking within the overlap of two or more overlapping regions will select the
contents of all those regions. Holding down the SHIFT button allows the selection
of multiple regions.
Pre-existing overlays can be added to a graph via the graph pop-up menu Set
Selection Overlay option. Choose an appropriate overlay for the current graph
and press OK.
Note
It is recommended that you do not mix overlays created in different graphs due
to possible differences in axes range and scales and the potential for it to distort
the graph. To remove an overlay from a graph, choose the None option from the
Set Selection Overlay pop-up menu.
Importing Selection Regions
MapInfo polygons can be imported into GraphMap as Selection regions, provided
they are in the same projection as the destination graph. An example would be
importing half a dozen polygons representing vegetation types as selection
regions, in order to alter the symbology of any point samples within these units,
examine the statistics of these samples, and graph these samples as a scatter
matrix separately to the entire dataset (Saving Selections as a Filter Column, and
then setting this new field as a Filter field when creating the Scatter Matrix).
With the polygon map open in MapInfo (it can also be a selection, but cannot be
polygons in the cosmetic layer), select the Manage Selection Overlay option
from the EngageAnalytics menu.

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The Manage Selection Overlay dialog will open. Ensure the source table is
selected in the Input MapInfo Table pull-down list (or *Selection* if appropriate).
If required, assign a field to name individual selection regions using the Polygon
Details pull-down list (e.g. lithology). Ensure the GraphMap XML Output Option
is enabled, rename the output if required, and press OK.
Switch to the destination graph in GraphMap, and use the Set Selection Overlay
option (pop-up menu or Current Graph tab) to choose the newly created
selection overlay. If it doesn’t appear, check that the projection of the polygon
table matches the dataset and that the output region colour set is visible (i.e. not
a white region on a white graph background).
Multi-Table Relationships
GraphMap allows relationships to be created between multiple tables. This allows
graph data to be selected, and the associated records in a linked table will
automatically be highlighted in another graph.
Examples of use:
• An environmental monitoring program may have a table of 35 sample
sites, and an associated table of temporal data comprising water quality
measurements taken at each sample site at weekly intervals over 3 years.
Plotting of all the measurements of total suspended solids (TSS) vs. flow
rate as a scatter plot may indicate an anomalous grouping (e.g. high TSS
and flow rates). With a Multi-Table Relationship created for these two
tables, selecting the anomalous samples in the Scatter plot will
automatically highlight the relevant sample sites in a Map graph of the
sample site data.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 493
• Similarly, by creating a Multi-Table Relationship between a drillhole collar
and downhole data tables, various anomalous groupings of assay ratios
(e.g. Cu vs. Zn) can be selected and the associated collar locations will be
highlighted in a Map graph of the collar locations. Alternatively, selecting a
number of collars in the Map graph will highlight all related downhole
samples in any open graphs.
Multi-Table Relationships setup between drillhole data tables and a parent collar table.
To create relationships between a number of datasets:
1. Ensure that all required datasets are already open within GraphMap.
2. Select the Setup Multi-Table Relationships button either from the Data
Window or the Data tab. The Table Relationships dialog will open.
3. Assign the Parent Table from the pull-down list (e.g. the drillhole collar or
sample site table). Then set the Parent Key, the identifier allowing a
single record to be linked to multiple records in the Child Table. This
might be a Hole_ID or Sample_Site field.
Note
The Parent-Child relationship must be one-to-many (not many-to-many, or
many-to-one). Also, multiple relationships can be created with the same Parent
table by adding each in a new row; e.g. Town-District, Town-Street, and Town-
Work_Order
4. Assign the Child Table from the pull-down list (e.g. downhole_assays or
water_quality), and the associated Child Key field.
5. The Description field will be automatically populated based on the field
assignments; this can be overwritten if required.

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6. Ensure the Active tick box is enabled. This turns the selected relationship
on; a GraphMap session can contain a number of Multi-Table
Relationships, but these do not have to be all active at any point.
Activating table relationships after they have been created is possible,
either by re-entering the Table Relationships dialog, or via using the
Table Relations window (accessed via the Relations button on the View
tab).
7. The Must Match tick box is an optional data validation routine; enabling it
will check that every Child record has an associated Parent record, and
return a warning if this is not valid.
8. Press OK to close and apply the created table relationships.
GeoLocated Graphs
The GeoLocated graph functionality in GraphMap enables graphs to be created
and displayed next to the geographic location of their data source. For example,
downhole data can be displayed adjacent to a drillhole collar location or water
monitoring data next to a sample site.
To create GeoLocated graphs the following steps are performed:

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 495
• Define Graph Type
• Create GeoLocated Graphs Wizard
• View GeoLocated Graphs
• Global Options
Define Graph Type
As there are likely to be many analytical values per location the data is generally
stored in two separate tables. The point or sample site locations are stored in one
table while the associated analytical data values are stored in another table.
You will firstly have to select the table and fields and graph type for each
geolocated graph by the following steps -
1. Open both the point location and analytical data tables into the GraphMap
module using the File menu.
2. Choose the table which contains the analytical data from the Data window
pull-down list.
3. Select the Graph Builder from the Create menu. In the Graph Builder,
choose the type of graph from the sidebar to use for each geolocated
graph. GeoLocated graphs can be created for the following graph types:
• Scatter Plots
• Line Graphs
• Bar Charts
• Histogram
• Pie Charts
• Probability Plots
4. Select the columns to be used for X and/or Y axes for the desired graph
type.

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5. In order to create a Geo Located graph a Group field must first be
assigned. The Group field should be assigned to primary key column in
the analytical table that was used to join it to the point locations, e.g.
Hole_ID, Site_ID or similar. See Axis/Field Assignmentsfor more
information on setting axis and group assignments.
6. The Select Groups dialog is displayed. This dialog will list each individual
entry in the selected Group column and the number of analytical records
associated with each location. Geo Located graphs can be created for a
selection or all of the groups in the list.
Select Geo Located as the Display Type and click OK to create the graphs. A
message dialog will appear prompting you to setup geolocated graphs. Click
Yes.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 497
Create GeoLocated Graphs Wizard
The Geolocated Setup dialog will open. This will setup the necessary
relationships between the Parent or Map Location table, and the Child or
Attribute data tables.
The Map location is the table which contains the geographic point location
information for each sample. This table must be a mappable table and have a
primary key column such as Sample_ID, Site_ID or similar which directly matches
an identical column in the Attribute table.
Select the location table from the Map Table pull-down list and choose the X and
Y location column from the Map X and Map Y Location pull-down list.

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The analytical data table is referred to as the Attribute Table. Select this table
from the Attribute Table pull-down list.
The primary key columns in both the Map Location and Attribute tables must
match exactly for the geolocated graphs to display correctly. Select the primary
key from the Map Key pull-down list, and choose the matching primary key
column from the Attribute Key pull-down list. See Multi-Table Relationships for
more information.
Click OK to close the Geolocated Setup dialog.
Note
To view the current table relationships select Relations from the View tab of the
ribbon. A separate Table Relations window will be added to the GraphMap
interface.
Click OK to close the Group selection dialog. A message dialog may appear with
an option to colour each individual Geolocated graph using a different colour.
Select Yes or No on this dialog as desired.
View GeoLocated Graphs
The individual graphs are displayed on a larger graph which is based on the X and
Y coordinates of the point location table. The Axis names reflect the analytical
fields chosen for display at the Obj_X and Obj_Y location of the points.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 499
Use the Zoom and Pan tools on the Quick Access Toolbar to zoom in on a
particular graph for viewing or to move about the window. Alternatively use the
middle mouse wheel to zoom in or out. When the zoom level becomes high
relative to the individual Geo Located graphs, a set of axis labels will
automatically become visible. These axes are displayed for reference only and
cannot be disabled.

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To view individual graphs in more detail, place the cursor over a graph so that it
is highlighted and then right-mouse click and select Zoom from the menu to zoom
to the extents of the selected graph. To view the selected graph in a separate
graph window, select the Show in Separate Display menu option.
To view the GeoLocated graphs with additional information it is possible to use
either of the Set Background Image or View in MapInfo options from the rightmouse-click
pop-up menu in the graph window (see Axis, Scale, Background, and
Other Display Options). These options enable a map window to be added to the
graph window as a background image or the graphs to be added to a map window
in MapInfo respectively.
Global Options
When working with GeoLocated graphs a number of options can be set in the
GraphMap Global Options dialog. This dialog is accessed via the Global
button on the Settings tab of the ribbon bar. Alternatively the Global Options can
be accessed via the File>Options button. The default Size of the GeoLocated
graphs (in Pixels), the relative Graph Positioning and the Offset in map units
can all be set from this dialog.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 501
Displaying Statistics
The Selection Statistics window automatically generates and displays a range
of data statistics (e.g. Min, Max, Mean, Standard Deviation, Kurtosis, Variance,
etc) for each field in the current selection. It is displayed via the Statistics button
on the View tab.
The Selection Statistics window can be undocked from its default position on
the main window so that it floats above the main GraphMap window by clicking
on and dragging its title bar. The window can be resized in the normal way or
docked to any sides of the main application using the on-screen docking control.
The AutoHide icon at the top-right of the Selection Statistics window allows it to
be toggled between an always open window and an auto hiding window which is
accessible via the Selection Stats tab in the margin of the application.
A field can be sorted in ascending or descending order by clicking on the column
name. A customised field display is available by right clicking in the column name
area (similar to the MapInfo Pick Fields option): this will open a field selection list,
with displayed fields highlighted. Select and deselect fields as required.

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Field display customization within the Selection Statistics window
Changing the Style of Graph Objects
The Modify tab contains controls for modifying the Colour, Size and/or Symbol
type of graph points/objects. Modifications can either be homogenous (e.g. a
uniform symbol for the entire dataset) or heterogeneous (e.g. a colour scheme
applied to a assay field using user-defined data ranges). To change the display
symbology, the target data must be selected (use either the selection tools on the
top customisable Quick Access toolbar or on the Data ribbon bar). The display
options will only be applied to the selection. To select the entire dataset, use the
Select All button on the Data tab ribbon bar.
Note
The Modify tab will only affect raw data objects, such as scatter and line graphs.
It will not affect graphs of grouped data, or statistical bins.
• Colour
• Size
• Symbol
• Visibility
• Load and Save Styles from Legend
• Displaying Legends

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 503
• Apply RGB Colours from Table
Colour
To apply a single colour to a selection, click on the Set Colour palette and select
the required colour. Custom colours can be created via the More Colours option
at the base of the Colour palette dialog.
To colour a selection using unique attributes within a field (e.g. Company or
sample type), press the Group button and choose the appropriate field from the
pop-up list to apply colour by.
The Colour tab of the Displaying Legends (bottom left of GraphMap dialog) will
be populated with each group’s description and its corresponding colour. These
colours can be changed by double-clicking in the appropriate colour box and
selecting a new colour from the colour palette.
To create a continuous linear colour range based on a numeric field (e.g. a
numeric assay field), press the Linear button and choose the appropriate field
from the pop-up list. The data will be divided into 10 continuous ranges using a
linear scale and coloured individually.
The Advanced button allows colour to be applied using a variety of custom or
statistically-determined data mapping techniques (e.g. standard deviation, log,
and percentile etc) or creation of a user designed scheme. This option is detailed
further under Advanced Colour Options..
Advanced Colour Options
Both the Colour and Size control panels on the Modify ribbon bar contain
Advanced buttons which open an Advanced Display Options dialog. These
options provide a means to apply a number of custom or statistically-determined
symbology schemes (e.g. standard deviation, log, and percentile etc) or creation
of a user designed scheme. The Size and Colour dialogs have only minor
differences so only the Colour option will be used as the example in this section.

504 Engage User Guide
The Advanced Colouring Options dialog, displaying a Log-derived data range
The Colour Column pull-down list allows selection of the field on which to base
the Colour range. The Colour Method pull-down list contains an extensive
number of colour mapping methods (and a custom option) to apply to the chosen
data field:
Add
Remove
Remove All
Custom – allows the creation of a custom series of data ranges. Using the
controls at the base of the dialog, new rows can be added by clicking the Add
button, or deleted by selecting the row(s) and clicking the Remove button. All
rows can be removed in one pass by clicking the Remove All button. The
description, data range and colour can be edited directly in each rows grid cells
by double clicking in the appropriate cells. The Count and % columns are
computed automatically from the range values in the >= and < cells.
Note
Entering a ranges >= and < values prior to using the Add button ensures that the
new row automatically populates it’s >= value from the previous row’s < value.
• Linear - creates colour using a linear colour scheme, with each colour
encompassing a data range of approximately equal magnitude i.e. the
difference between the lower and upper values in each range is similar. By
default this creates 10 data ranges.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 505
• Rank - creates a colour scheme based on the Rank (relative position) of
each data value with the dataset. By default the Rank method creates 32
colour ranges.
• Group – assigns a unique colour to each unique group within the selected
field. This replicates the functionality of the Group button in the Colour
panel. It is not recommended for continuous numeric fields (e.g. assay
fields) unless a unique colour is required for each numeric value.
• Log – applies colour using a logarithmic scale, where each colour
encompasses a data range of approximately equal magnitude i.e. the
difference between the lower and upper values in each range is the same.
By default this creates 10 data ranges.
• Exponential - applies colour using an exponential scale, where each
colour encompasses a data range of approximately equal magnitude i.e.
the difference between the lower and upper values in each range is the
same. By default this creates 10 data ranges.
• Mean – creates two data ranges, separated by the mean data value (the
second data range is >= the mean value).
• Standard Deviation (3 steps) – creates 3 data ranges distributed about
the mean:
Minimum -> (Mean – 1 Standard Deviation)
(Mean – 1 Standard Deviation) -> (Mean + 1 Standard Deviation)
(Mean + 1 Standard Deviation) -> Maximum
• Percentile 4, 5 or 10 Ranges - creates a colour scheme based on the
specified number of percentile breaks i.e. Percentile 5 Ranges will result
in five 20% steps.
Add Row
Remove Row
• Percentile Adjustable Ranges – allows modification of the number of
percentile ranges by using the Add or Remove Row buttons at the base
of the dialog. The lower and upper values of each range will be
automatically recalculated after each change. It is not recommended to
manually alter these values.
• Upper Tail (6 steps) - creates six percentile ranges designed to
emphasise data in the upper portion of a distribution. The ranges are set
at 0->60%, 60->80%, 80->90%, 90->95%, 95->98%, 98->100%. This
method can be especially useful for geochemical data.

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• Upper Tail (8 steps) - creates eight percentile ranges designed to
emphasise data in the upper portion of a distribution. The ranges are set
at 0->30%, 30-60%, 60->80%, 80->90%, 90->95%, 95->98%, 98-99%,
99->100%
The colour scheme displayed by each method can be modified by selecting a
Look-Up Table (LUT) from the list at the bottom right of the dialog. Individual data
range colours can also be modified by double-clicking on the colour cell for that
range, and choosing a new colour from the displayed colour palette.
Size
To apply a single symbol size to an entire selection, select the required size from
the Set Size pull-down list.
To apply a different size for each unique attribute within a field (e.g. Company or
sample type), press the Group button and select the field from the pop-up list.
The Size tab of the Displaying Legends (bottom left of GraphMap dialog) will be
populated with each group’s description and its corresponding size. These sizes
can be changed by double-clicking in the appropriate size column and selecting
a new size from the list displayed.
To create a continuous size range based on a linear scale (e.g. assay field),
press the Linear button and select an appropriate numeric field from the pop-up
list.
The Advanced button allows symbol size to be applied using a variety of custom
or statistically-determined data mapping techniques (e.g. standard deviation,
log, and percentile etc) or creation of a user designed scheme. This option is
detailed further under Advanced Sizing Options.
Advanced Sizing Options
The Advanced Sizing Options dialog replaces the Colour LUT list with Size
Minimum, Maximum and Step controls. These can be used to control the
symbol Size scheme across a series of data ranges. Alternatively, the symbol
size for an individual data range can be altered by editing the corresponding size
cell.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 507
The Advanced Sizing Options dialog, displaying a 5 Range Percentile-derived data spread
Symbol
To apply a unique symbol type to an entire selection, select the required symbol
from the pull-down Set Symbol list. Note: in order to view the newly assigned
symbol in the graph it may also be necessary to increase the symbol size.
To apply a different symbol for each unique attribute within a field (e.g. Company
or sample type), press the Group button and select the appropriate field from the
pop-up list.
The Symbol tab of the Displaying Legends (bottom left of GraphMap dialog) will
be populated with each group’s description and its corresponding symbol. These
symbols can be changed by double-clicking in the appropriate symbol box and
selecting a new symbol from the list displayed.
The current display settings can be removed using the Clear button within the
Modify tab. This allows removal of either individual display attributes or all
attributes. The Clear button can also be accessed in the Displaying Legends.

Visibility
To apply visibility filtering based on a field, firstly select a field from the Field dropdown
list. This will automatically sort the unique values in the selected field.
Then use the + and - buttons control to scroll through various groups in the field.
The current visibility group value will be displayed below the slider bar.
l
By default, only the values that match the current value set on the scroll bar will
be displayed. Alternatively, all values below or above the current value can be
displayed by selecting the left or right arrows.
Advanced Visibility Options
The Advanced Visibility Options dialog replaces the raw field values displayed on
the Visibility slider bar, with processed values depending on the Group Method
selected. For example, selecting a numerical Column to Group on will provide the
option to use Percentile method grouping. These percentile groups will then be
displayed on the Visibility slider bar.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 509
Load and Save Styles from Legend
The Load Legend option allows you to browse for and load a previously saved
GraphMap legend file (.gml). Loading and applying a legend file will override any
existing styling that is applied to the current graphs.
The Save Legend menu saves the current legend scheme to a file so that it can
be subsequently reused. The legend files are saved in a .gml format.
These options are duplicated within the Advanced Colour Options and Advanced
Sizing Options dialogs.

510 Engage User Guide
Displaying Legends
The Legend window displays the current point symbol, size and colour options.
Individual style attributes can be edited by opening the appropriate tab, selecting
the appropriate cell and choosing from pull-down palettes/lists for the colour and
symbol fields, or using the sizing arrows.
If editing within the Custom tab of the Legend Window and the required
attribute field is not displayed, use the Display Description, Colour, Size or
Symbol buttons.
To assign a random colour to legend items click on the Random Colour
Generator button.
To remove a style option from all data points, press the Remove Styling button
and choose from the available options:
The Remove Styling options within the Legend window
The Legend window can be moved by dragging its title bar, or by double-clicking
on the title bar. To return the Legend window to its default location, select the
Reset Layout button under the Settings tab. The AutoHide icon at the top-right
of the window allows the data view to be toggled between a window view and tab
in the left margin.
Apply RGB Colours from Table
The Load Colour from Column option provides a means to colour data points
using an RGB colour value. An RGB colour value is an integer value which
represents a specific combination of Red, Green and Blue colours. RGB colour
values can be extracted from existing MapInfo data (see Colour Map Objects by
RGB Values) or computed manually from individual RGB colours values using the
following formula:
RGB = ( R x 65536 ) + ( G x 256 ) + B
To apply colour by column, open the Modify tab; choose Load Colour from
Column from the Column Operations menu and select the field containing the
colour values you wish to colour by.

15 Using the GraphMap Tool 511
GraphMap Settings
• Mouse Buttons Settings
• Global Settings
• Reset Layout
• Graph Window Settings
Mouse Buttons Settings
The functionality of the various mouse buttons (Left, Middle and Right) can be
customised using the appropriate buttons under the Settings menu.
Global Settings
The Global button on the Settings tab opens the GraphMap Global Settings
dialog. This has both General and Axis-specific controls, as well as controls
applicable to All Graphs and specific graph types. Making changes within this
dialog will affect all open and new graphs.
The Global Options dialog

512 Engage User Guide
General Options
Under General options a number of settings are available:
• Use Hardware Acceleration will enable utilitization of a graphics card
(GPU) which supports DirectX 9.0c hardware accleration.
• Use Pure Device is only applicable if hardware acceleration is enabled.
This will force only GPU hardware accelerated to be used. Tick this for
maximum performance with a suitable graphics card.
• Directories defines the location for general Selection Overlays to be
stored.
• Interface Theme will change the GraphMap window colour
• Automatically create cache file will enable faster performance in
graphmap, but slower initial loading.
• Incremental Updates of Graphs will enable redrawing of sub-segments
of large datasets.
Reset Layout
The Reset Layout button on the Setting tab resets all windows (Data, Legend,
etc) and the Quick Access Toolbar to their default layout configurations.
Graph Window Settings
The following options are available from the Settings menu:
• In Separate Windows – this option will display multiple graphs in a
separate windows.
• In Tabbed Window – this option will display all graphs in a single window
with tabs to switch between the individual graphs

16 Working with Images 513
16 Working with Images
The EngageImages menu provides the following functionality:
• Registering and Rectifying Raster Images
Load raster images and perform image transformations (rubber sheeting)
to correctly register an image to a selected coordinate system.
• Reprojecting an Image
Reproject raster images into a new coordinate system.
• Displaying Image Properties
View image file size, projection, X and Y coordinate extents, number of
rows and columns, total pixels, image type and metadata.
• Enhancing an Image
Adjust image contrast and brightness and modify colour and gamma Red,
Green, Blue channels.
• Applying Image Filters
Apply smoothing and edge detection filters to image.
• Clipping an Image
Clip a raster image to a region.
• Rotating an Image
Rotate image by specified angle
• Converting an Image to Another Format
Save an existing image in a new image file format
• Modifying Image Transparency
Apply transparency to the image.
The EngageImages utility supports BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF and TIFF raster image
formats only.
Processing Images
• Images and RAM Size
• Multi-image Processing

514 Engage User Guide
Images and RAM Size
The EngageImages utility requires at least four times the uncompressed (i.e.
bitmap) image file size in free RAM in order to process an image (Rectify,
Reproject, etc). For example if an image is 200Mb in size (uncompressed), at
least 800MB of free RAM is required to process the image.
RAM is consumed by both running applications and Windows operating systems.
As a rough guide, Windows XP consumes about 200MB of RAM, whilst WIndows
Vista or Windows 7 utilises about 1GB (or 500MB on 1GB RAM systems).
Therefore the Images module should be able to process a 250MB
(uncompressed .BMP) image on a 2GB Windows Vista or Windows 7 machine
(assuming no other applications are running).
Recommended workarounds for images with border-line file sizes:
1. Close all other running applications (including Engage3D)
2. Ensure that no other large files are open in MapInfo (including images,
grids and tabular data). Try closing MapInfo down, reopening and then
opening just the image to be processed.
Note
The Images module decompresses all images prior to processing. Many file
types such as PNG, TIFF and JPG utilize extensive compression algorithms;
their uncompressed file size is likely to be significantly larger than the
compressed size. You can check the uncompressed size of an image under
Image Properties
Note
Many compressed image formats have an assortment of compression settings. If
the Images module doesn’t recognize the image format (such as ECW or TIFs),
try using an image processing package to convert or remove the compression
settings.
Multi-image Processing
All image tools (except for Rectify Image) can process multiple images. Use the
Select option at the top of the various dialogs to highlight the target raster images.

16 Working with Images 515
Registering and Rectifying Raster Images
EngageImages>Rectify Image
The Rectify Image tool is a powerful utility that enables the registration of raster
images in geographic real-world coordinates. Unlike image registration using
MapInfo, the Engage Rectify Image tool can register and modify images that
have been stretched, skewed or rotated. This process, known as “rubbersheeting”
enables portions of an image to stretched or warped to fit the entered
control points. The greater the number of Control Points used, the more accurate
this rectification process will be.
A number of Transformation methods are available, including Projective,
Affine, Conformal and Higher order polynomial (see Transformation
Methods). The interpolation method can also be defined (see Rectify Image
Options).
For information on selecting and rectifying an image, see:
• Image Selection
• Using the Rectify Image Tool
Rectify Image dialog

516 Engage User Guide
Image Selection
To open the Rectify Image utility select the Engage>EngageImages Menu
option and choose Rectify Image from the new EngageImages menu that is
added to the MapInfo menu bar. In the following Rectify Image dialog, two
options are available:
1. Select an image from the Current Image list of open raster images. For
an image to be in this list it must already have an associated TAB file.
2. Use the Load an Image File button to browse for the raster image to be
rectified
Note
When an image is selected using the Load an Image File button Engage will
search for an existing TAB file related to the selected image. If a TAB file is found
(i.e. the image has been opened and/or registered using MapInfo), the Rectify
Image dialog will be automatically populated with this registration information.
Similarly, if an open image file is selected, Engage will automatically populate
the rectification dialog with the existing registration information.
If the Load an Image File button is used to open an image without an existing
TAB file, a Loading Control Points dialog will appear.
Click the Yes button to automatically create a control point at each corner of the
image. This option is only useful if the real earth coordinates of these corner
positions is known. To create custom control points click the No button.
The Rectify Image dialog is displayed with either no control points listed or
control points listed in non-earth coordinates.
Using the Rectify Image Tool
The Image Control Point list details the Image X and Y coordinates and Map X
and Y coordinates for each control point and the resulting RMS and Residual
values. Additional Control Point tools are included such as control point creation
and deletion buttons, positioning options and control point file tools.

16 Working with Images 517
The steps involved in rectifying an image are summarised in the diagram below
and described in more detail in the following task instruction and related sections.
To rectify a new image or modify an existing image:
1. From the EngageImages menu, click Rectify Image.
2. On the Rectify Image dialog, click the Load an Image File button and
select a new image file or select an image from the Current Image list of
open raster images.
3. Click No (from the Loading Control Points dialog box).
4. At the bottom of the Rectify Image dialog box, click the Projection button
and select the control points to be input. For more information, see
Choosing the Image Projection.
5. To add a control point, click the New Point button. Select the control point
row in the Rectify Image spreadsheet. An arrow is displayed indicating it is
selected.

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In the map window containing the image, zoom to the first image control
point location. On the Rectify Image dialog click the Image button. Move
the cursor back over the map window (the cursor changes to crosshairs)
and select the control point location. The X and Y pixel coordinates are
displayed in the Image_X and Image_Y cells in the control point
spreadsheet .
For more information, see Adding or Editing Image Control Points
6. For the new control point, the corresponding real world coordinates can be
either added manually, or captured from a existing spatial dataset (such as
stream or road vector datasets). Do one of the following:
• Manual coordinate entry: Click in the Map_X cell for the new control
point, and type the appropriate X coordinate (e.g. easting or
longitude). Repeat this process for the Map_Y cell. For latitude/
longitude coordinates, select the DMS tick box at the bottom of the
dialog to enter coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds instead of
decimal degrees.
• Spatial capture: Ensure an appropriate spatial map window is open
in the same projection as set in the Rectify Image dialog. Select the
control point row in the spreadsheet, and click the Map button. In
the spatial map window (the cursor changes to crosshairs), select
the real world location of the control point. The control point
coordinates are displayed in the Map_X and Map_Y cells.
For more information, see Adding or Editing Map Control Points.
7. Repeat for each control point. Ensure that you click the New Point button
each time, otherwise the current control point will be redefined.
8. When all the points have been created, click away from the spreadsheet
so that the RMS, ResidualX, and ResidualY are calculated. High values
may indicate incorrect control point assignment or values or an
incompatible projection. An RMS value is 10 or less is recommended. For
more information, see Accuracy.
9. To delete a control point, select it in the spreadsheet and click the Delete
Point button.
10. To review control points in the Image or Map windows, select the control
point in the spreadsheet and click View GCP. For more information, see
Viewing Control Points.

16 Working with Images 519
11. Click Rectify. You are asked to save the control points (see Saving
Control Points) and the rectified image. By default the output rectified
table will contain the original image file name with a "_rectified" suffix. It is
recommended that you keep the default suffix and save the rectified
image table to the same folder as the original image file.
A status bar is displayed as the image is rectified. When completed, the
rectified image is displayed in a new map window.
Choosing the Image Projection
Use the Projection button to specify the rectified image projection. The
projection is displayed at the top of the Ground Control Points list. The image
projection can also be specified when using the Map button to capture Map X
and Y values using an existing data table in an open map window.
Note
Ground control points can be captured in either geographical (lat/long), projected
(e.g. UTM) or non-earth coordinates. If a lat/long projection is selected the
default lat/long format expected is decimal degrees.
To enter lat/long ground control points in DMS (Degrees, Minutes, Seconds)
firstly select a lat/long projection by clicking on the Projection button and then
check the DMS box which is displayed next to this button.
Adding or Editing Image Control Points
To add a new blank row to the control point list, press the New Point button.
There are two options for specifying the Image X and Y coordinates:
• Manually enter Image coordinate values
Click in the Image_X or Image_Y cell and enter the image pixel
coordinate. Note that the image pixel X coordinates increase to the right,
whilst the Y coordinates increase downwards from the origin (0, 0) in the
top left of the image.

520 Engage User Guide
• Select control point from Image
Click on the control point row to be edited. An icon will appear to the left of
the row to indicate the selected row. Click on the Image button and move
the cursor to the map window containing the image to rectify. The cursor is
now displayed as a cross-hair (+). Click on the control point location in the
image map window. The location of the X and Y pixel coordinates in the
image are automatically updated in the control point Image_X and
Image_Y cells.
To remove control points use the Delete Point button.
The last change applied to a control point row can be reversed using the Undo
Change button
Adding or Editing Map Control Points
To specify the Map (real-world) X and Y coordinates for a control point two
options are available:
• Manually enter Map coordinate values
Click in the Map_X or Map_Y cell and enter the map coordinate. The map
coordinate is the real-world projection coordinates for the corresponding
image pixel XY location.
• Select control point from Map
Use an existing table in an open map window to locate control points. This
map table may be a TAB file containing a simple polygon whose vertices
correlate to the corners of the image or other vector data such as roads or
features which can be used to locate the image control points.
Click on the control point row to be edited. An icon will appear to the left of
the row to indicate the selected row. Click on the Map button and move
the cursor to the map window containing the image to rectify. The cursor is
now displayed as a cross-hair (+). Click on the control point location in the
map window. The location of the X and Y coordinates in the map window
are automatically updated in the control point Map_X and Map_Y cells.
If this is the first coordinate information to be captured from the map window for
an unregistered image and no projection has been specified in the Rectify Image
dialog, the following message is displayed with a request to use the current
window projection. Select Yes to use the current map window projection for the
rectified image.

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If the image is already registered, and the current map window is in a different
projection to the image registration, the following warning message will be
displayed.
Saving Control Points
Image and Map control points can be saved to a separate TAB file using the
Save Control Points button. By default, the output file name is the image name
with a “_gcp suffix”. Saving control points is recommended especially when a
large number of control points are used to rectify an image. To use a saved
control point table use the Load Control Points button.
Viewing Control Points
To view the location of either loaded or newly created ground control points in
the Image or Map windows, use the View GCP button. To view, select the
particular ground control points you wish to observe and press the View GCP
button.
Synchronising Control Points Locations
If you have performed any modifications on the existing ground control points
such as updating Image or Map X and Y coordinates and you wish to update the
modifications on either the unregistered Image or existing Map layer, click the
Sync GCP->Map button.

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If you have moved any of the control point locations in either the unregistered
Image or existing Map layer, and you wish to update the ground control point
coordinates in the Rectify Image dialog, simply press the Sync Map->GCP
button.
Rectifying the Image
Press the Rectify button to start the rectification process. Note that at least three
control points with both image and map coordinates are required for this
process. The more control points specified the more accurate the rectification
process will be.
A Save As dialog will prompt for an output file name and location. By default the
output rectified table will contain the original image file name with a “_rectified”
suffix. The rectified image table is automatically saved to the same directory as
the original image. When the Save button is pressed, a status bar is displayed at
the bottom of the Rectify Image dialog showing the rectification progress status.
When the rectified processing is completed, the rectified image is displayed in a
new map window.
Rectify Image Options
Click on the Options button to open the Rectify Options dialog. Use the
Interpolation pull-down list to select an interpolation method from the following
options:
• Nearest Neighbour - simple interpolation whereby pixels are copied into
the spaces created when original pixels are spread to make a larger
image and the value for the new pixel taken from the closest pixel in the
original image.
• Bilinear - the value of a sub pixel in the new image is assigned the
weighted value of the four surrounding pixels in the original image.
• Bicubic – uses the weighted value of 16 surrounding pixels in the original
image to interpolate the value a sub pixel in the new image. This method
requires more processing but is more accurate than bilinear interpolation.
Bicubic interpolation also produces a smoother image.
To allow automatic sequential movement between rows when using the Image or
Map buttons to capture point coordinates, check the Automatically move to
next record box.

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Accuracy
The RMS and Residuals for each set of points, indicate how significant of a
correction needs to be applied. The Standard Deviations for X and Y, displayed
in the bottom right hand corner of the dialog, indicate the dispersion between the
group of Map X and Map Y coordinates. If the Standard Deviation are too small
in either axis, for example when the X or Y coordinates are in a straight line, the
dispersion may be insufficient for a successful transformation and rectification to
be applied.
Transformation Methods
Rectify Image Transformation methods menu
By default Engage has an internal Auto-select best method when determining
the optimum projection transformation method during image rectification. Use the
Transformation pull-down list to select a specific transformation from the
following options:
• Conformal
Conformal transformation is a special case of Affine projections.
Conformal transformations preserve shapes and angles and may include
a rotation, a scaling and a translation. Straight lines and parallel lines
remain straight and parallel in the transformed image. A minimum of three
control points are required for a conformal transformation.
• Affine
Affine transformations enable the x and y dimensions to be scaled or
sheared independently and may also include a translation. Straight lines
and parallel lines remain straight and parallel in the transformed image but
rectangles become parallelograms. A minimum of three control points are
required for an affine transformation.
• Projective
Projective transformations map lines to lines. Straight lines remain straight
but parallelism may not be preserved. A minimum of four control points
are required for a projective transformation.

524 Engage User Guide
• Polynomial Transformations
Polynomial transformations are higher-order non-linear transformations
which can handle more complex local distortions. Polynomial
transformations are smooth and are also known as ‘rubber-sheet’
transformations as they enable parts of an image to be stretched or
warped to fit the control points. A minimum of six control points for 2 nd
order polynomial and ten control points for 3 rd order polynomial
transformations is required.
In all cases the transform is attempting to map the location of the source control
points to their equivalent position in the chosen target projection.
Note that the “Auto select best method” option will choose the best
transformation method based on the number of control points provided. The
current auto-selected transformation is displayed at the bottom of the Rectify
Image dialog.
Reprojecting an Image
EngageImages>Reproject Image
The Reproject Image utility enables an image which is currently registered in one
coordinate system to be reprojected and viewed in a new coordinate system. For
example, images registered in Australian AGD84 coordinates can be reprojected
into GDA94 coordinates. Images can be reprojected between projected (e.g.
UTM), geographic (e.g. Lat/Long) and custom coordinate systems. This operation
relocates the various pixel locations in the image through an interpolation method
to match the requested output coordinate system.
In the .TAB file associated with a registered image the coordinates for the image
extents are stored as both real-world coordinates and image pixel coordinates
along with the coordinate system details. When an image is reprojected to
another coordinate system, a new image and .TAB file is created containing the
real-world coordinates in the new projection and the new coordinate system
details. The following example details how to reproject a scanned geological
image from UTM projection AMG Zone 54 (AGD84) into MGA Zone 54 (GDA94)
projection.
1. Open the Image Reproject dialog and select the images to reproject from
the Select Table list. The Current Projection is automatically displayed.

16 Working with Images 525
2. Click on the Browse button and select the New Projection using the
Category and Category Members options.
Note
The projection list available in the Engage Image Reproject utility is stored in a
separate file to the MapInfow.prj file. If you wish to reproject images into a
custom coordinate system which has been added to the MapInfow.prj file then
copy the custom projection line into the Encom.prj file located in the
.\Program Files\Encom\Common\Projections folder.
Output Options
3. Select a name for the reprojected image file.

526 Engage User Guide
By default, a new reprojected image file and .TAB file are created using
the original image name and a “_reproject” extension. To change the
output file name click on the new name and modify. Alternatively, click on
the Save button and select a new name and/or location for the reprojected
image files.
4. Select an Interpolation Method from the following:
• Bilinear - the value of a grid cell in the new image is assigned the
weighted value of the four surrounding image cells in the original
image.
• Bicubic (recommended) – uses the weighted value of 16
surrounding image cell values in the original image to interpolate
the value a grid cell in the new image. This method requires more
processing but is more accurate than bilinear interpolation. Bicubic
interpolation also produces a smoother image.
• Nearest Neighbour - simple interpolation whereby the new image
cell value is taken from the closest image cell in the original image.
5. Select a colour from the Null Colour palette. This colour will be used for
all the null image cells around the reprojected image.
6. Click OK to create the reprojected image files.
Note
Check the Use NTv2 grid-shift method if available box when reprojecting
images between NAD27 and NAD83 Canadian coordinate systems or AGD66
and AGD84 Australian systems. For more information, see Engage NTv2
Transformation.
Image Tool
Aside from the Rectify Images and Reproject Images utilities all the other
Image menu options open the Image Tools dialog. Raster images must have an
associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo in order to be available for selection
in this dialog. All open raster images are listed in the Select Image pull-down list.
Each images utility is located in a separate tab and the selected image is
displayed in the preview window on the right of the dialog. The image is displayed
by default in the preview window using the image height/width aspect ratio. To fill
the entire preview window with the image uncheck the Match Aspect box.

16 Working with Images 527
As changes are made the preview window image is automatically updated. To
turn off the automatic update, uncheck the Auto Update box. If any changes are
made in manual mode, click the Update Preview button to update the changes
to the preview window image. Changes can be made in one or more tabs and
then saved. Prompts to enter a saved image name and location are displayed
when the OK button is clicked.
Note
All Image tools (except Rectify Image) can process multiple image files. Use the
Select option at the top of each dialog to highlight the target raster images.
Displaying Image Properties
EngageImages>Image Properties
The Properties tab displays information about the selected raster image such as:
• Size
The number of rows (X) and columns (Y) in the image are recorded along
with the Total number of pixels in the image. The Compressed Size of
the image on disk and the approximate Uncompressed Size of the image
in memory. The image Type (PNG, JPG, etc) is also displayed.
• Registration
The name of the raster image coordinate system and the parameters as
listed in the MapInfo projection file are displayed along with the minimum
and maximum image X and Y coordinate extents.
• Metadata
Some images may contain metadata or information about the image which
is hard-coded into the image file. If a raster image contains this type of
metadata it will be displayed in the Metadata in Image window. Note that
this feature does not read metadata which has been entered into the .TAB
file of the image.

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Enhancing an Image
EngageImages>Enhance Image
Enhance Image tab
Use the Enhance tab to modify the appearance of a raster image.
• Contrast/Brightness
Adjust the lightness of an image by changing the Contrast and
Brightness levels. The original image contrast and brightness level is set
to 0. Positive values will lighten and increase the contrast whereas
negative values will darken an image and decrease the contrast.
• Grey Scale
Convert a coloured image to black, white and 254 shades of grey.
• Invert Colours
Each RGB pixel value is subtracted from 255 and replaced with the
corresponding colour to create a negative image.
• Colour
Add or subtract a value to each RGB colour.

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• Gamma
Adjust the overall brightness of an image using the individual red, green
and blue channels. Positive gamma values will lighten each channel of the
image and negative gamma values will darken each channel of the image.
Applying Image Filters
EngageImages>Filter Image
Apply one or more filters to a raster image to remove extreme values or enhance
linear features. When a filter is selected it is added to the Apply Order window.
To change the order in which a filter is applied use the Up and Down arrow
buttons. To remove a filter from the list, use the Remove Filter button. For
selected filters a weighting or threshold value can be applied.
Filter Image tab

530 Engage User Guide
Sharpness Filters
• Smooth
Apply a mean smoothing filter over an image to reduce noise or high pixel
values. Each pixel is replaced by the RGB mean values of the central and
surrounding pixels using a 3x3 kernel. To increase smoothing, add a
selected Smooth Weight value to the central pixel value.
• Sharpen
Enhance the difference between pixel colours by applying a 3x3 kernel
with a high central value and zero and negative surrounding values. The
degree of sharpening can be increased by adding a Sharpen Weight to
the central kernel pixel.
• Gaussian Blur
Remove significant changes in colour in an image by graduating the
colours of the intermediate pixels. A higher weighting is applied to the
central pixel with less weighting given to surrounding pixels in the 3x3
kernel the further they are from the edge. To increase smoothing, add a
selected Smooth Weight value to the central pixel value.
Edge Detect Filters
Enhance contrast in an image by applying one of the following edge detection
filters:
• Quick
• Vertical
• Horizontal
• Sobel
• Prewitt
• Kirsh
The Quick filter applies a vertical and horizontal edge detection over an image
and then merges the two resulting images together to create the final filtered
image.

16 Working with Images 531
The Vertical and Horizontal filters are 3x7 and 7x3 kernels designed to enhance
vertical and horizontally trending edges.
The Sobel, Prewitt and Kirsh filters are all horizontal filters which apply a
negative weight along one edge of the 3x3 kernel and a positive weight on the
other edge with the middle pixels with no or negative weighting (Kirsh). Using the
difference between the central pixel value and its surrounding pixels in the kernel
a Threshold Value can be applied whereby a pixel with a value less than the
threshold will be assigned the threshold value. This enables greater contrast
between edges by displaying below threshold pixels in the same colour.
Other Filters
• Mean Removal
This is another sharpen filter with a 3x3 kernel which filters in a diagonal
direction as well as the horizontal and vertical direction. The degree of
sharpening can be increased by adding a Mean Removal Weight to the
central kernel pixel.
Clipping an Image
EngageImages>Clip Image
Clip a raster image to a region such as a project area or tenement boundary. The
clip object may designated by one or more polygon or rectangles in an existing
table or the cosmetic layer. The clip object may also be a multi-polygon (one
polygon which is comprised of two or more non-contiguous polygons). Two image
clipping options are available:
• Clip outside polygon
• Clip inside polygon

532 Engage User Guide
Clip Image tab
Select the clipping polygon(s) table or map window selection from the Clip
against Table pull-down list. Alternatively, choose the Custom rectangle drawn
on preview option to define a clipping region over the image in the preview
window with the cursor.
When an irregular shaped polygon is used as the clipping object the image is
clipped to the minimum bounding rectangle of this region. This will result in a
rectangular clipped grid with portions of the image masked along the polygon
boundary. The colour of the mask can be selected from the Clip Colour palette.
Use the Table>Raster>Adjust Image Styles menu option to make the selected
mask colour transparent.
To determine whether a grid cell is to be included or excluded from a clipped
image a Tolerance can be set. This value represents the portion of a grid cell in
metres that needs to be inside or outside of the clipping region in order for it to be
included in the clipped image.

16 Working with Images 533
Rotating an Image
EngageImages>Rotate Image
To rotate an image, select one of the preset rotation options or Custom Rotation
to manually select the desired rotation angle using the Rotation slider bar.
Alternatively, select Custom Rotation and manually enter a rotation angle
between 0 and 360.
Rotate Image tab
Converting an Image to Another Format
EngageImages>Convert Image
Convert an existing raster image to another image format. By default a modified
image is saved in the same format as the original raster image. A raster image
can be converted to a PNG, JPG, JPEG, BMP, or TIF format.

534 Engage User Guide
Convert Image tab
Choose the desired raster format from the Convert image to pull-down list. If a
JPEG format is selected use the Quality slider to determine the degree of
compression in the output image. The lower the quality the more compressed the
output image will be resulting in a loss of image detail.
If you wish to open the converted raster image in a third party software program
that cannot read .TAB files then check the Create World File when Saving box.
A world file is a six-line text header file that contains information relating to the
image pixel size in X and Y direction, rotation of row or columns and the X and Y
coordinates of the centre of the image top left pixel. Depending on the raster type
selected for the registered raster image, a world file may have one of the following
file extensions: .PGW, .JGW, .BPW or .TFW. Third party software programs can
read and use this information along with an entered projection to view the raster
image in the correct geographical location.
To create a world file for the image which is currently loaded in the Image Tools
dialog, click on the Create World File For Current Image button. The world file
is automatically created and saved to the same directory as the current image.

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Modifying Image Transparency
EngageImages>Modify Image
The Modify tab enables a transparency level to be set for an entire image or the
selection of a single colour in the image to be set to transparent. Single colour
transparency is generally used for images that are surrounded with coloured null
areas that obscure underlying data layers when the image is added to a map
window.
This tool does not alter the original image file. Transparency is only applied when
displayed in MapInfo Professional via its TAB file.
Modify Image tab
To set image transparency:
1. Open the image in MapInfo.
2. Select EngageImages>Modify Image.
3. Choose the image from the Select Image pull-down list if it is not already
displayed.
4. Drag the slider to the desired transparency level between 0% (no
transparency or opaque) to 100% (transparent or invisible).

536 Engage User Guide
5. Click OK to save the image.
To set a transparent colour:
1. Open the image in MapInfo.
2. Select EngageImages>Modify Image.
3. Choose the image from the Select Image pull-down list if it is not already
displayed.
4. Click on the arrow next to Transparent Colour and select from the colour
palette. Click More Colours to enter specific RGB or HSL values to create
a custom colour to make transparent.
5. Click OK to save the image.
Note
Image transparency can also be modified using Table>Raster>Adjust Image
Styles. It can also be adjusted under the Layer control or the Enhanced Layer
control.

17 Replaced Utilities 537
17 Replaced Utilities
In this section:
• Enhanced Layer Control
Enhanced Layer Control
Engage provides you with a flexible and powerful way of working with Map
windows and layers. The Enhanced Layer Control (ELC) allows you to manage
multiple map windows from a single control. It is a persistent control that remains
visible as long as you want it to and provides easy access to all the standard
MapInfo layer control functions.
Layers can be organised in natural groupings that can be independent of their
display order, and aliases can be used to provide a more natural and consistent
naming of data. Multiple layers can be selected and operated on simultaneously.
The ELC also provides complete control over the standard layer attributes such
as editability, visibility and label display.
• Opening and Closing the ELC Window
• ELC Window Controls
• Configuring the ELC
• Using the ELC
• Layer Aliases
• Layer Groups
• 3D Window Controls
Opening and Closing the ELC Window
When you first load Engage, the ELC is displayed in a floating window that you
can position and resize as required.
If the ELC is not displayed, click the ELC button on the Engage toolbar. To close
the ELC, click the close button on the title bar. You can also show the ELC from
the Engage menu.

538 Engage User Guide
To roll-up, unroll, minimize and restore the ELC window:
• To roll-up or unroll, double-click the ELC title bar
• Click the minimise and restore up buttons on the title bar to minimize the
ELC window to any position on the screen and then restore it back to the
original position.
To automatically start ELC when Engage starts:
1. On the Engage menu, point to Configuration, and then click Settings.
2. Under Automatic start, in the Auto-start modules section, select On
(auto).
You can also change the auto-start property by clicking the Options
button on the ELC and selecting Open automatically on startup.
ELC Window Controls
The ELC displays information as a two-level hierarchy. The top level describes
the map windows and the second level describes the layers contained within
them. If you have open Browsers, Layout Windows etc. they are also displayed
and can be controlled by the ELC.
The ELC is operated by clicking the controls in the ELC window and from a
number of shortcut menus:

17 Replaced Utilities 539
Controls
Control Name Usage
Visibility
Editable
Selectable
Auto-Label
Zoom to Extents
Apply Changes
Refresh
View Groups
Zoom Previous
Options
Select or clear the check box to show
and hide maps and individual layers.
Click to toggle layer editability.
Click to toggle layer selectability.
Click to toggle layer labelling on and
off.
Click to zoom to the extents of the
layer or all layers.
Apply the changes to the map window.
See Configuring the ELC.
Refresh the ELC window.
Click to toggle between standard and
grouped views. See Layer Groups.
Restore previous views. Every time
you click this button the map window
is redrawn to the previous limits. If the
window size was changed in a
previous view, the view is centred and
displayed at the previous scale.
Display ELC Options. See Configuring
the ELC.
Note
Cosmetic layers are always visible—you cannot hide them from the ELC.
Note
The Engage>Map Window>Make Selected Layer Editable is a useful shortcut
to making the layer on which objects are currently selected editable. This is
especially useful where there are many layers in a map. This option is only
available when running MapInfo Professional versions earlier than 9.5.

540 Engage User Guide
Shortcut Menus
Do this
Right-click anywhere inside the ELC
window away from maps, layers and
other controls.
Right-click a map.
Right-click a layer.
To display
ELC Shortcut Menu
ELC Map Shortcut Menu
ELC Layer Shortcut Menu
For more information, see Using the ELC.
Configuring the ELC
You can change the way the ELC interacts with your Map windows. The options
available include:
• Apply changes instantaneously or only after you have made a number of
changes to the ELC.
• Display layer information for all open Map windows or just the active Map
window.
• Display layer aliases or the .TAB file names.
• Display layers by user-defined groups or in the standard layer view.
• Expand all open Map windows, or only the active Map window.
• Auto-start ELC.
• Manage Engage3D windows with the ELC (if installed)
• Set field names fro aliases and groups.
To configure the ELC:
1. Open the ELC and click Options.
2. Select or clear the options as required. For information about the options
available, see Layer Control Options Dialog Box.

17 Replaced Utilities 541
Using the ELC
You can perform a wide variety of tasks from the ELC. If the Apply Changes
button is not available, the ELC will apply your selections instantaneously (see
Configuring the ELC). Otherwise, selections made in the ELC will only be applied
when you click Apply Changes.
Many commonly used tasks can be applied directly from the window controls. For
a description of these controls, see ELC Window Controls.
When you right-click on a map or a layer or another part of the ELC window,
different shortcut menus are displayed. From these menus, you can perform a
wide variety of tasks. For more information, see Shortcut Menus.
You can change the display order of layers and move layers to another Map
window by selecting the layer in the Map tree and dragging it to another position
in the tree. To select multiple layers, hold the CTRL key and click each layer, or
hold the SHIFT key and select the first and last layer in a group.
Shortcut Menus
From the ELC Shortcut Menu (right-click inside the ELC away from the maps,
layers and controls), you can:
• Open any table or open a table from your favourites list.
• Add, order and remove favourite tables.
• Change ELC options.
From the ELC Map Shortcut Menu (right-click a map), you can:
• Open a table.
• Add and remove layers.
• Change Map window properties and size. This option is especially useful
when a window is drawn off the visible screen.
• Change ELC options.
From the ELC Layer Shortcut Menu (right-click a layer), you can:
• Select and unselect objects in a layer.
• Add and remove layers.

542 Engage User Guide
• Open and close tables.
• Open Mapper and Browser windows.
• Modify the display properties of themes, objects, and labels.
• Control layer and object hotlinks.
• Display the projection parameters.
• Switch between layer aliases and table names.
• Remove alias names and group names.
• Add the layer to the favourites list.
• Change ELC options.
The options displayed in the shortcut menu will depend on the type of layer, or
layers, selected.
Layer Aliases
It is often convenient to refer to a layer with a name that differs from the name of
its associated .TAB file. For example, you might have three .TAB files called:
Rb43_streams.tab
ls_092304_zone61.tab
analabs_batch_5627r5.tab
Zone25c_topo.tab
Which would appear in the ELC as:

17 Replaced Utilities 543
Actual TAB file names displayed in the layers
You can define more meaningful aliases for these tables, such as monitoring
sites, background values, laboratory results, and topographic contours, which
would appear as:
The ELC with aliases used instead of the .TAB file names to better describe the layer
content.
To create an alias for a layer:
1. In the ELC, click Options and ensure Use layer name aliases is
selected.
2. Double-click the layer name in the ELC and then type or edit the alias.
3. Press ENTER.
The alias is saved as metadata in the .TAB file.

544 Engage User Guide
To show aliases or revert to table names:
• To show alias names in the ELC map tree, in the ELC, click Options, and
then select Use layer name aliases. Clear this check box to display table
names.
To remove an alias:
• In the ELC, right-click the layer, and click Reset Alias Name in the
shortcut menu.
Note
Layer aliases will only work in the ELC and some Engage dialogs. All MapInfo
dialogs will show the name of the original table (.TAB file) even when an alias
name has been set. ELC aliases are separate from the MapInfo Open Table As
alias.
Layer Groups
With the ELC you can organise your layers into user-defined groups, independent
of the drawing order of the layers.
Note
ELC Layer groups are not compatible with MapInfo Professional's Layer Control
groups, which are only stored in a workspace file. ELC groups are stored
permanently within individual TAB file metadata.
For example, a Map window might contain the following layers:
Streets
Main Roads
Parks
Localities
Rail
Railway Stations
Utilities
Drainage
Boundary
Ocean Infill
Postcodes
Region
Elevation
Satellite Imagery (Low Resolution)
Satellite Imagery (High Resolution)
State Land Area
Some of these layers contain points and labels, others contain polylines, and
some contain filled polygons. And there are images also, which are used as
backdrops.

17 Replaced Utilities 545
The order of these layers in the standard MapInfo layer control (and in the ELC in
its default mode) corresponds to the order in which the layers are displayed by
MapInfo. Images such as satellite images and State Land Area are displayed at
the base of the map window so they do not obscure the other vector layers. Above
the raster layers are polygonal layers, for example, Postcodes and Parks.
Overlying the polygonal layers are tables comprising linework such as railways,
roads, and elevation contours. And above those are point layers such as
Localities, Utilities and Elevation Points.
Instead of ordering the layers by their drawing order, it would be more instructive
to group them according to what they contain, for example:
Topography
Infrastructure
Leases Etc.
Elevation readings
Elevation contours
Towns
Railways
Roads
Drainage
Mining Leases
Exploration Areas
National Parks
The ELC allows you create groups and then order the layers in the Map tree into
these groups.
To enable layer groups:
1. In the ELC, click Options.
2. Select the Allow layer logical grouping check box.
To create a group:
1. In the ELC, click the View Groups button.
2. Right-click any layer and, from the shortcut menu, select Add Group.
3. Type the group name and replace the default name.
4. Select and drag the layers you want into the new group.
To rename a group:
• In group view mode, double-click the group name and edit or type a new
name.

546 Engage User Guide
To switch between group and standard view modes:
• Click the View Groups button.
To remove a group:
• Right-click a layer in the group and, from the shortcut menu, click Reset
Group.
To show and hide all layers in a group:
• Select or clear the group visibility check box.
The grouped view is a powerful feature when you have a large number of layers
and you only want to display a few of them. Instead of showing and hiding
individual layers, you can organise all of them in a single group and then, when
you want to change from one set of layers to the next, hide the current group and
show another.
The ELC showing Groups with associated layers

17 Replaced Utilities 547
Limitations of the Grouped View
When you associate a group name with a layer, the name is stored as a metadata
key in the corresponding .TAB file. This restricts the way in which you use Groups
as follows:
1. A layer can only belong to one group.
2. If a layer has been included in a group, then all layers (in all map windows)
that are attached to the same .TAB file, exist within the same group.
3. You cannot control the order that groups are displayed in a grouped view.
They are displayed in alphabetical order.
3D Window Controls
Datasets in the Engage3D window can be viewed in the ELC the same way as a
2D map window. To see the 3D window as a separate entry in the ELC check the
Include 3D Window box in the Layer Control Options Dialog Box.
When the Engage3D window is open, it is displayed as the first window in the ELC
and shows the various objects, images and surfaces that are added and
displayed in the three dimensional window. Only one Engage3D window can be
open at any time.
Note
The ELC can only be used to control the Engage3D window (3D window) when
the MapInfo and Engage3D windows do not overlap. This will generally only be
possible if the user is running dual screens, with each application open in a
separate screen.
Various data operations can be made from the main branch and sub-branches of
the ELC in exactly the same way as using the Workspace Tree that is displayed
within the Engage3D window. Close the Workspace Tree in the Engage3D
window to create more room to display your 3D data.
To add a table to the 3D window from the ELC:
1. Open the table in MapInfo Professional.
2. If the required data type is not available from the Engage3D branch of the
ELC, select the Engage3D branch in the ELC, right-click to display the
ELC Engage3D Shortcut Menu., point to Add Layer, and then select the
required data type.

548 Engage User Guide
3. Under the Engage3D branch, right-click the corresponding data type
branch to display the ELC 3D Layer Shortcut Menu, point to Add Layer,
and then select the required data type.
4. Select the table. The table must already be open in MapInfo Professional.
Menus, Tools, and Dialog Boxes
Shortcut menus available from the ELC:
• ELC Shortcut Menu
• ELC Map Shortcut Menu
• ELC Layer Shortcut Menu
• ELC Engage3D Shortcut Menu
• ELC 3D Layer Shortcut Menu
Dialog boxes available from the ELC:
• Layer Control Options Dialog Box
• Favourites Dialog Box
• Window Properties Dialog Box
ELC Shortcut Menu
Use the ELC shortcut menu to open tables, manage your favourite tables, and
display the ELC Options dialog box:
Open Table
Open MapInfo table (equivalent to File>Open).
Favourites list
If defined, click a table to open. Note that the ELC Favourites list is separate to
the Engage Favourites Tables list.
Edit Favourites
Add, order and remove tables from the ELC Favourites list (see Favourites Dialog
Box)

17 Replaced Utilities 549
Options
Open ELC Options (see Layer Control Options Dialog Box).
See also
...Using the ELC
ELC Map Shortcut Menu
Change the contents and properties of the selected Map window.
Add Layer
Add an open table to the selected Map window.
Window Properties
Change the title, position, size, and state of the selected Map window. See
Window Properties Dialog Box.
Open Table
Open a MapInfo table. Equivalent to File>Open.
Close Layer
Close a Browser window.
Map Linking
Preserve scale or extent of layers between linked map windows.
Match Window Sizes
Make all linked map windows the same size.
Options
Change the ELC display settings. See Layer Control Options Dialog Box.
See also
...Using the ELC

550 Engage User Guide
ELC Layer Shortcut Menu
The options available on the ELC Layer shortcut menu may vary depending on
the type of layer selected. Options may include:
Select All
Select all objects in a layer.
Unselect All
Unselect all items in a layer.
Add Layer
Add an open table to the current map window.
Remove Layer
Remove the selected layers from the current map window
Create Grid
Open the Gridding tool.
Open Table
Open a MapInfo table. Equivalent to File>Open.
Close Table
Close a MapInfo table. Equivalent to File>Close Table.
New Mapper
Open Mapper window for selected table.
New Browser
Open Browser window for selected table.
Display
Change line, pattern or symbol style for all map objects in a layer.

17 Replaced Utilities 551
Add Group
Create a layer group. See Layer Groups.
Modify Theme
Modify a thematic layer. Unlike MapInfo, the ELC displays thematic layers
underneath the parent layer.
Modify Hotlinks
Control layer and object Hotlinks. For more information, refer to your MapInfo
documentation.
Modify Labels
Modify label appearance and style.
Show Table Projection
Display native projection parameters of the table.
Show file path
Show the full file path of the selected .TAB file. This option also allows the .TAB
file location to be opened in File Explorer, or the .TAB file to be opened in
Notepad.
Reset Alias Name
Remove alias name metadata from layer .TAB file and display original layer
name. See Layer Aliases.
Reset Group
Remove group metadata from layer .TAB file. See User Guide: Layer Groups.
Add to Favourites
Adds a table to the ELC Favourites list. Use the ELC Shortcut Menu to display
and edit the ELC Favourites list..
Options
Change the ELC display settings. See Layer Control Options Dialog Box.

552 Engage User Guide
ELC Engage3D Shortcut Menu
To display, right-click the Engage3D branch.
Window Properties
Display the properties dialog of the window displaying the 3D view in Engage3D.
Refer to the Engage3D User Guide for further information..
Add Layer
Add an open table to the current 3D map window. Select from the available data
types (the table must be open in MapInfo Professional). When the new data type
is selected a new branch in the Enhanced Layer Control is created below the
Engage3D window entry. From the new Layer branch, data can be added and 3D
layer properties controlled.
ELC 3D Layer Shortcut Menu
To display, right-click a layer under the Engage3D branch.
Properties
Display the properties of the selected data layer. Refer to the Engage3D User
Guide for further information..
Add Layer
Add an open table to the current 3D map window.
Remove
Remove the selected layer from the current 3D map window.
Layer Control Options Dialog Box
Choose the options that control the ELC display and how the ELC interacts with
Map windows.
General
Apply changes immediately
Select to immediately apply changes to the map display when you change the
visibility of a layer, move a layer, or change its display characteristics. If cleared,
click Apply Changes to update the display.

17 Replaced Utilities 553
Show all windows in workspace
Select to display all open map windows in the ELC. If cleared, only the active
window is displayed.
Use layer name aliases
Select to display layer aliases (if defined). If cleared, the .TAB file names are
displayed.
Allow layer logical grouping
Select to display layers by group. Clear to display the standard layer view.
Open branches for all windows
Select to display all layers and themes (or groups and layers in grouped view) of
all open map windows. If cleared, only the active map window is expanded.
Open automatically on startup
Select to open the ELC when Engage starts. If cleared, the ELC can be opened
from either the Engage menu or toolbar.
Include 3D Window
(Engage3D only) Select to display Engage3D branches in the ELC. In general,
only use when running dual screens.
Metadata Keys
In general, it is recommended that the default settings are used.
Aliases
Metadata key used to store layer aliases. Default key is Alias.
Groups
Metadata key used to store layer group names. Default key is Group.
See also
...Configuring the ELC

554 Engage User Guide
Favourites Dialog Box
Displays the ELC Favourites list.
Add
Click to select a table from the Open dialog box.
Remove
Select one or more tables in the list and then click to remove from the list.
Up and Down
Select one or more tables in the list and then click the arrow buttons to reorder.
See also
... Using the ELC
Window Properties Dialog Box
Change the title, position, size, and state of the selected Map window.
Title
The selected Map window title.
Position
• X: The horizontal offset in centimetres of the selected Map window from
the top-left corner of the main window.
• Y: The vertical offset in centimetres of the selected Map window from the
top-left corner of the main window.
Size
• Width: The width in centimetres of the selected Map window.
• Height: The height in centimetres of the selected Map window.
State
• Normal: The selected Map window is floating.
• Minimized: The selected Map window is minimized.

17 Replaced Utilities 555
• Maximized: The selected Map window is a maximized.

Acknowledgements 557
Acknowledgements
Included below are acknowledgments for the third-parties whose software has
been used in permissible forms with the Engage product:
ECW/JP2
Portions of this computer program are copyright ©2007 Erdas, Inc. All rights
reserved. Creating compressed files using ECW technology is protected by one
or more of U.S. Patent No. 6,201,897, No. 6,442,298 and No. 6,633,688.

Appendices 559
Appendices
A
B
C
D
E
Customising Title Blocks
Symbol Fonts
Projections and Transformations
Customising Batch Printing
Supported Data File Formats

Appendix A Customising Title Blocks 561
A
Customising Title Blocks
Engage is shipped with a standard title block that can be populated with
information automatically or a user can manually enter details such as map title,
author, drawing number, etc. The title block can then be selected for use with
Engage>Map Layout>Create Scaled Output or opened independently from
Engage>Map Layout>Create TitleBlock.
Within a company or organisation there is often a requirement to produce a
customized title block that is set out in a particular way and includes specific
information and details. Title blocks can also incorporate company logos or other
imagery to enhance final map presentation.
The Engage customizable title block is a normal MapInfo map table stored in a
centimetre non-earth projection. It is designed to be inserted into a layout window
at close to true scale. The Engage Scaled Output displays the title block at full
size (1:1) when the map frame width is greater than 50cm and at half size (1:2)
for a map frame width of less than 50 cm.
A custom title block may be created by making a copy of the default Engage
TITLEBLK file, located in the Engage program folder (.\\Program
Files\Encom\Engage) using File>Save Copy As and edit the existing linework
and detail placeholders.
• Company Logo
• Title Block Parameters
• Placeholders
• Scale Bar
Company Logo
To insert a company logo into a title block, create a raster image of the logo by
scanning or copying the logo into an imaging software program. Note the shape
of the logo and determine how you wish the logo to appear in the title block (i.e.
top left hand corner, extending entire width of title block, etc.) The image may be
in any raster format recognized by MapInfo such as .BMP, .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, etc.
Alternatively you can use a custom symbol for the logo, inserted directly into the
title block table.

562 Engage User Guide
Make sure that the image is sized to the same scale it will be displayed in the title
block. In the default title block, the log cannot be more than 10 cm wide or 1.6 cm
high. For example, if your company logo is square and you wish to display it in the
top left hand corner of a 10 cm wide title block, then the image should be re-sized
to the area it will occupy, e.g. 1.6 cm x 1.6 cm. Also make note of the number of
pixels for the image width and height.
The reason for the 1:1 scaling is that the image is to be registered in relation to
the title block linework in the same way that other images are registered in
MapInfo. The only difference in this instance is that the image will be registered
using a Non-Earth (centimetres) projection. Like other registered images in
MapInfo, if the image is not registered correctly or the image is stretched or
shortened in any way the overlying title block linework will be distorted and the
image will not display correctly.
To register a logo image:
1. Open a map window containing the custom title block linework and
placeholder information.
2. On the EngageImages menu, click Rectify Image.
3. Click the Open button and select the image. When prompted to load the
control points, click Yes.
4. Click the Projection button and change the projection to Non-Earth
(centimetres).
5. Select the first control point row (ID=1). Note that the Image_X and
Image_Y coordinates are 0, 0.
6. Press S on the keyboard to change to snap mode. Snap mode will change
the cursor to a circle and display a large cross-hair whenever it is placed
over a node. Snap mode enables map objects to be joined together
seamlessly or for exact coordinates for a point or node to be recorded.
7. Click the Map button. In snap mode, click the corresponding point in the
title block linework mapper for the first control point location. If there is no
intersecting linework or node to snap to at the corresponding control point
location in the map window, then click the corresponding point in the map
window.

Appendix A Customising Title Blocks 563
8. In the Rectify Image dialog box, the relevant Map_X and Map_Y
coordinates are updated. Edit the coordinates if necessary to make sure
both the map and image coordinates are correct. The Image_X and
Image_Y coordinates are the number of pixels which make up the image
in the X and Y direction. Make sure that the pixel numbers entered here
correspond to the minimum and maximum image pixel extents to prevent
image distortion.
Note
Map X and Map Y coordinates increase up and to the right from the bottom lefthand
corner of the map window. Image X and Image Y coordinates increase
down and to the right from the top left-hand corner of the Image Registration
dialog.
9. Repeat the above steps to assign the Map_X and Map_Y coordinates for
each of the remaining three control points at the image corners.
10. When all four control points have had their Map_X and Map_Y
coordinates assigned and the RMS (Root Mean Square) error calculation
is between 0 and 1, under Control Points, click the Save button and save
the control points.
11. Click the Rectify button. A new image and associated TAB file will be
generated.

564 Engage User Guide
Add this registered image to the title block map window and see how the title block
and image display together. If the title block linework is distorted, then there is a
problem with the image registration. In this case, open the Rectify Image tool, load
the saved control points, and then check the map and image registration
coordinates. Make the necessary changes and rectify the image again.
The final step is to add a new record to the custom title block browser window
specifying the logo name, so that when the title block is selected, Engage will
open the title block and display the correct logo.
Tip
Logo tables should be stored in the same directory as the customised Titleblock
TAB file. If the Logo TAB file is called LOGO.TAB is will be automatically added
to the the corresponding Custom Titleblock, and does not require a Placeholder
to be created—that is, you can store the Custom Titlblblock and Log files on a
shared network folder.
To add a logo placeholder:
1. Open the custom title block browser and click the field header cell. The
cursor will change to a hand.
2. Right-click and choose New Row from the shortcut menu. Alternatively,
make the browser window the front window and choose Browse>New
Row from the main menu bar.
3. Type the new placeholder Logo [logo_tablename].

Appendix A Customising Title Blocks 565
Title Block with logo inserted and browser reference
Title Block Parameters

566 Engage User Guide
The TITLEBLK.TAB from the Engage Program Files folder is the standard
Engage title block. The above dialog shows the TITLEBLK table opened in a map
window and a browser window view. Note that the TITLEBLK table is comprised
of linework and text.
There must be a closed polyline forming the boundary of the title block, so that
Engage knows how big the title block is. You can easily create a closed
rectangular polyline by creating a rectangle, then using Objects>Convert to
Polylines.
The linework in the TITLEBLK table corresponds to the blank browser records
and the Text labels may have an identical entry in the text field column or the
column may contain different text altogether. The text in the browser is called a
detail placeholder. A detail placeholder is used to denote where in the title block
specific text or items are to be displayed when the title block is created.
When Engage is creating a title block the detail placeholders are read and the
required information is inserted. Some of this information is inserted automatically
while other detail placeholders require the user to manually enter data into the
corresponding blank field in the Enter Titleblock and Scalebar Options dialog.
Save custom title blocks (and scale bar) to the desired folder.
Custom title blocks can be added to the list of available title blocks in Engage
through the Scaled Output Configure dialog. To add the title block to the list,
open the Scaled Output dialog and, under Maintain Titleblock, click Configure.
Then click Add button and browse to the ..\Program Files\Encom\Engage
folder and select the new title block. Use the Remove button to delete custom title
blocks from the list.
Placeholders
The title block shipped with Engage contains six detail placeholder fields - Author,
Date, Office, Drawing, Scale and Projection. The date field is automatically
recognized by Engage and the current date inserted, so it cannot be changed in
the dialog box. If detail fields Scale and Projection are present, these are also
recognized by Engage and the current scale and map projection inserted so that
it cannot be changed in the dialog box.
Scaled Output can use up to 12 detail placeholders including specifically named
fields as follows:
• Company Name
The company name as specified in the Engage configuration dialog is
inserted into the title block in place of the Company Name placeholder.
Set the position and font of the Company placeholder.

Appendix A Customising Title Blocks 567
• Title Line 1
Set the position and font of the Title Line placeholder. The five lines of
title text entered in the title block dialog in Scaled Output is concatenated,
centre justified and inserted in the location of the placeholder.
If the text appears off centre in the created title block, make the layer
editable and manually centre the text within the title block bounds. Use the
Window>Redraw Window command to refresh the map window if
necessary.
• Date
Formatted (as set up in control panel options)
• Scale
Formatted e.g. 1:50,000
• CoordSys Name
e.g. AMG Zone 54 (AGD 66)
• CoordSys Clause
e.g. 8,12,7,141,0,0.9996,500000,10000000
• Projection
e.g. Transverse Mercator (Gauss-Kruger)
• Datum
e.g. Australian Geodetic 1966 (AGD 66)
• Ellipsoid
e.g. Australian National
• Origin Longitude
• Origin Latitude
• Standard Parallel 1
• Standard Parallel 2
• False Easting
• False Northing
• Logo [logo_tablename]
e.g. Logo [encom_logo.tab]

568 Engage User Guide
• User-Defined Placeholders
The browser text for each of the detail placeholders is what appears in the
Scaled Output Titleblock dialog (for example, Author:, Office:, Drawing:).
The text that you enter in the dialog for each detail is then appended to the
text object in the Map Window for each user-defined detail.
Scale Bar
• ScaleHolder
The title block shipped with Engage includes a placeholder for a scale bar
called ScaleHolder. Engage constructs a scale bar inside this placeholder
if it is present. The ScaleHolder detail is a region and must be large
enough to display the created scale bar.
If the title block contains the ScaleHolder record and a detail field called
“Scale”, Engage does not place text for “Scale 1:nnnnnn” in the
ScaleHolder placeholder. The text will be placed in the Scale placeholder.
If the ScaleHolder placeholder is not present in the title block, then
Engage looks for a table called ScaleBar (in the Engage Program Files
folder), which does contain the placeholder and constructs the scale bar in
this table.
The first record in the ScaleBar table is a record called ScaleHolder. If
the ScaleBar table contains a second record called “NoText”, then Engage
does not place text for “Scale 1:nnnnnn” next to the scale bar.

Appendix B Symbol Fonts 569
B
Symbol Fonts
• Hydrographic Symbol Font
• Environmental Symbol Font
Hydrographic Symbol Font
Engage includes a Hydrographical True Type Font (ET Water) that contains nonrotatable
hydrographic symbols. These symbols are accessible from the MapInfo
symbol style picker.
The available hydrographic symbols are listed along with their equivalent ASCII
code.
Name Symbol ASCII
Waterhole or soak 1 49
Swamp, marsh 2 50
Mangroves 3 51
Stream arrow 4 52
Spring/thermal area 5 53
Salt spring, salinity not measured 6 54
Salt spring, salinity < 1500ppm 7 55
Salt spring, salinity 1500-10000ppm 8 56
Salt spring, salinity > 10000ppm 9 57
Windpump A 65
Bore with windpump B 66
Bore C 67
Abandoned bore D 68
Artesian bore, flowing E 69
Abandoned artesian bore, flowing F 70

570 Engage User Guide
Name Symbol ASCII
Artesian bore, ceased to flow G 71
Abandoned artesian bore, ceased to flow H 72
Sub-artesian bore I 73
Abandoned sub-artesian bore J 74
Well K 75
Abandoned well L 76
Well, salinity < 1500ppm M 77
Abandoned well, salinity < 1500ppm N 78
Well, salinity 1500-10000ppm O 79
Abandoned well, salinity 1500-10000ppm P 80
Well, Salinity > 10000ppm Q 81
Abandoned well, salinity > 10000ppm R 82
Water tank S 83
Dam on stream T 84
Salty bore, salinity not measured U 85
Abandoned salty bore, salinity not measured V 86
Bore, salinity < 1500ppm W 87
Abandoned bore, salinity < 1500ppm X 88
Bore, salinity 1500-10000ppm Y 89
Abandoned bore, salinity 1500-10000ppm Z 90
Bore, salinity > 10000ppm a 97
Abandoned bore, salinity > 10000ppm b 98
Salinity bore, 0-500mg/l c 99
Salinity bore, 500-1500mg/l d 100

Appendix B Symbol Fonts 571
Name Symbol ASCII
Salinity bore, 1500-3000mg/l e 101
Salinity bore, > 3000mg/l f 102
Capped artesian bore g 103
Artesian bore, salinity < 1500ppm, ceased to flow h 104
Abandoned sub-artesian bore, salinity < 1500ppm i 105
Well with windpump j 106
Palaeocurrent k 107
Minor group of springs l 108
Major group of springs m 109
Flow arrow n 110
Groundwater/surface water divide o 111
Group of springs p 112
Recharge site q 113
Desalination plant r 114
Liquid waste site s 115
Rising water table t 116
Palaeodrainage direction u 117
Palaeodrainage trend v 118
Sink hole w 119

572 Engage User Guide
Environmental Symbol Font
Engage includes an Environmental True Type Font (ET Other) that contains nonrotatable
environmental symbols. These symbols are accessible from the
MapInfo symbol style picker.
The available environmental symbols are listed along with their equivalent ASCII
code.
Name Symbol ASCII
Major eruptive centre with recorded eruption A 65
Major eruptive centre with no recorded eruption B 66
Minor eruptive centre with recorded eruption C 67
Minor eruptive centre with no recorded eruption D 68
Survey station E 69
F 70
G 71
H 72
I 73
J 74
Astrobleme or impact structure or cryptoexplosive K 75
Trigonometrical station L 76
Astronomical station M 77
Major volcanic centre N 78
Volcanic plug residual O 79
Volcanic centre P 80
Basalt capped residual hill Q 81
Residual hill R 82
Slope S 83

Appendix B Symbol Fonts 573
Name Symbol ASCII
Pediment T 84
Landslip U 85
Harmful/irritant V 86
Toxic W 87
Radioactive X 88
Flammable Y 89
Corrosive Z 90
Oxidising/supports fire a 97
Explosive b 98
Significant aquatic habitat c 99
Significant fauna habitat d 100
Significant flora habitat e 101
Registration point f 102

Appendix C Projections and Transformations 575
C
Projections and Transformations
• Engage NTv2 Transformation
• MapInfo NTv2 Multiple Vector Reproject
Engage NTv2 Transformation
The Engage Reproject Coordinate, Reproject Image and Reproject Grid
utilities support NTv2 transformation between selected coordinate systems in
Canada and Australia. To automatically use the NTv2 transformation parameters
when transforming between the following datums, check the Use NTv2 grid-shift
method if available box in each of the Reproject utility dialogs.
The NTv2 transformation method can be used to convert data from the Canadian
NAD 1927 datum to the NAD 1983 datum. This transformation is more accurate
than conventional conversions and involves referencing a series of grids over
Canada which contain the spatial distortion parameters between these two
datums for the underlying area. Where there is a large number of correctional
data available over more densely surveyed areas, smaller sub-grids are used to
increase spatial accuracy even further. NTv2 transformation accuracy is generally
in the order of 0.1-1.0m with less than 0.01m accuracy at the sub-grid level. The
Canadian NAD27 transformation parameters are stored in the
NAD27_Canada.GSB file in the .\\Program Files\
Encom\Common\GridShift folder.
The NTv2 transformation method can also be used to more accurately convert
data from the Australian AGD66/AGD84 datum to the GDA94 datum. The NTv2
correction grids for AGD84 to GDA94 are available for Western Australia, South
Australia and Queensland. The NTv2 correction grids for AGD66 to GDA94 are
available for entire Australian Continent. The level of accuracy is to within
approximately 0.1 m – 0.5 m. The NTv2 distortion grids used for the Australian
AGD66 and AGD84 transformation process can be downloaded from the ICSM
web site www.icsm.gov.au/icsm/gda/gdatm/.
For the Australia NTv2 transformation files to be recognised by Engage, they will
need to be renamed to AGD66_Australia.GSB and AGD84_Australia.GSB
respectively and saved to the .\Program Files\ Encom\Common\GridShift
folder.

576 Engage User Guide
MapInfo NTv2 Multiple Vector Reproject
Packaged with MapInfo version 9.0.2 and higher versions, is the NTv2
transformation method of reprojection for vector datasets. The National
Transformation v.2 (NTv2) datum shift method has been developed to precisely
transform data from selected coordinated systems in Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and Germany.
Engage is packaged with numerous utilities which support this transformation
method; for more information, see Reprojecting Coordinates, Reprojecting an
Image, and the surface Reproject tool. However, multiple or batch NTv2
transforms are not possible.
With MapInfo version 9.0.2 or higher installed, multiple file transformation is
possible using the Reproject Multiple Tables tool (see Reprojecting Multiple
Tables).
MapInfo 9.0.2 performs the NTv2 transformation using the File>Save Copy As
option, the NTv2 transformation method is automatically performed on the
dataset if the appropriate datums have been used in the source tables. The grid
shift file for each country is located in the MapInfo program folder, including:
Canada
NTV2_0.GSB – NAD 1927 to NAD 1983
MAY76V20.GSB - NAD 1927 (Definition 1976) to NAD 1983 for Ontario
Australia
A66_National.gsb - AGD 1966 to GDA94
National_84.gsb - AGD 1984 to GDA94
New Zealand
nzgd2kgrid0005.gsb - NZGD49 to NZGD2000
Germany
BETA2007.gsb - DHDN to ETRS89

Appendix C Projections and Transformations 577
When a country has multiple grid shift files present in the MapInfo program folder,
for example Australia, if the AGD 1966 to GDA94 transformation was required,
the National_84.gsb file would need to be temporarily renamed or removed from
the program folder. Following the transformation the National_84.gsb file need to
be renamed or copied back into the MapInfo program folder.
A list of all compatible datums which can be used with NTv2 can be found in the
file NTv2.xml, located in the MapInfo program folder.
To illustrate compatible datum transformations an Australian example is seen
below.
1. The following Australian datums are compatible with the MapInfo NTv2
transformation.
• "Longitude / Latitude (Australia-National-AGD84 7 param)"
• "Longitude / Latitude (Australia (A.C.T. AGD66 7-param)"
• "Longitude / Latitude (Australia (Tasmania AGD66 7-param)"
• "Longitude / Latitude (Australia (Victoria/NSW AGD66 7-param)"
2. Traditionally Australian vector data is located in one of the following
systems:
• Australian Map Grid (AGD 66)
• Australian Map Grid (AGD 84)
• Map Grid of Australia 1994 (MGA94)
These are Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projections and not
directly compatible to be transformed by MapInfo NTv2 method.
3. To transform the vector data, navigate to Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Reproject Multiple Tables tool and reproject all vector layers
from the respective UTM system e.g. Australian Map Grid (AGD 66) Zone
54, into one of the supported datum e.g. Longitude / Latitude (Australia
(Victoria/NSW AGD66 7-param).
Note with any transformation process inherent errors are present.

578 Engage User Guide
4. Navigate to the MapInfo program folder and temporarily rename the
National_84.gsb transformation file to utilise the A66_National.gsb file.
Navigate to Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>Reproject
Multiple Tables and select all the vector layers to transform and use the
projection Map Grid of Australia 1994 (MGA94) Zone 54.
All the selected layers will be transformed from Australian Map Grid (AGD
66) Zone 54 into Map Grid of Australia 1994 (MGA94) Zone 54.
To review a comprehensive summary of the Reproject Multiple Tables tool
and functionality refer to Reprojecting Multiple Tables.

Appendix D Customising Batch Printing 579
D
Customising Batch Printing
The MAPSHOP.INI file contains parameters controlling the position, look, size and
scale of the many EngageBatchPrinting components, such as scale bars, layout
window, grid referencing system, grid spacing, page margins etc. Many of these
parameters are automatically set from within the various specific
EngageBatchPrinting dialogs, but a number can be set using the
EngageBatchPrinting Configuration Tool.
The MAPSHOP.INI file is located by default in the ./Engage/Mapshop folder, as
set under Engage>Configuration>BatchPrinting Files
MAPSHOP.INI Parameters
Parameter
{CMSSettings]
AlignRefToGrid
CMSEditing
CMSLabels
CMSLMSCmds
CoordAUS
CoordISG
CoordBRIT
CoordUS
PrintScales
Description
Defines the Custom Mapping System settings for
MapShop.
=TRUE. Align the Reference Number (if used) to the grid
spacing.
=FALSE. Use regular grid spacing.
=TRUE or not specified. Generate New Template,
Configure Map Templates, Generate Line Labels,
Generate Area Labels, and the MapShop Layer
commands. will not appear on the menu.
Specifies the coordinate systems to use for the different
map series types when using the Generate Map Series
command.
This item defines the list of scales which will be used on
the Print Standard Map dialog. This allows the command
to be customised to suit the organizations output
requirements. If this line is not specified, a default set of
scales are used. You can also specify a list of scales in
the Templates tables for each specific map template.

580 Engage User Guide
Parameter
SelectBrush
SelectPen
SetXXXXX
Description
This item defines the brush (fill) style used to highlight
selected region/area objects when the Show Selected
Feature options is enabled on the Print setup dialogs. The
format of the brush command is the same as that used for
MapBasic applications. If the user does not have
MapBasic, setting up a layers style override and saving it
as a workspace is good way to determine the required
style. If this line is not specified, then the default style
BRUSH(8,16711681,-1) (red hatch) will automatically be
used.
This item defines the pen (line) style used to highlight
selected line type objects when the Show Selected
Feature options is enabled on the Print setup dialogs. The
format of the pen command is the same as that used for
MapBasic applications. If the user does not have
MapBasic, setting up a layers style override and saving it
as a workspace is good way to determine the required
style. If this line is not specified, then the default style
PEN(3,2,16711681) (thick red) will automatically be used.
These settings are used to set the various styles for map
series maps and when printing map catalogues. If any of
the settings are omitted then the default value will be
used. A brief description for each is shown below:
SetShowTick = TRUE
Shows grid ticks on the map.
SetShowNL = TRUE
Shows a neatline around the border of the map.
SetShowNumb = TRUE
Shows grid numbers on the map at the grid tick positions.
SetShowJE = FALSE
Show a join edge on the map (the intersection of
surrounding map sheets).
SetShowCM = FALSE
Shows the corner marks of the map sheet on the map.
SetShowCMV = FALSE
Shows the coordinates of the corner mark values.

Appendix D Customising Batch Printing 581
Parameter
Description
SetShowCross = FALSE
Shows grid crosses at a specified gap width (set using the
SetCrossGap INI setting).
SetShowFull = FALSE
Shows the full coordinate values instead of a shortened
two digit version.
SetShowLine = TRUE
Shows grid lines on the map.
SetShowRef = TRUE
Shows reference numbers on the map. These can be
later used when creating indexes over map sheets.
SetFontCMV
= FONT("Century Gothic",2,10,16776960)
Sets the font to be used for the corner mark coordinate
values (refer SetShowCMV).
SetFontNumb = FONT("Times",0,10,0)
Sets the font for the grid numbers (refer SetShowNumb)
SetFontRef = FONT("Times",0,18,0)
Sets the font for the reference numbers on the map (refer
SetShowRef).
SetPenCross = PEN(1,2,16711680)
Sets the pen style for the grid crosses (refer
SetShowCross).
SetPenLine = PEN(1,3,255)
Sets the pen style for the grid lines (refer SetShowLine)
SetPenNL = PEN(2,2,0)
Sets the pen style for the map's neatline (refer
SetShowNL)
SetPenTick = PEN(1,2,0)
Sets the pen style for the grid ticks (refer SetShowTicks).
SetPenJE = PEN(1,2,0)
Sets the pen style for the join edge of the map (refer
SetShowJE).

582 Engage User Guide
Parameter
Description
SetPenCM = PEN(1,2,0)
Sets the pen style for the corner marks of the map sheet
(refer SetShowCM).
SetTickLgth
SetCrossLgth
SetCMLength
SetCrossGap
SetTickGap
SetLineGap
SetLatUnit
Sets the size of the grid ticks in mm on the map layout
(refer SetShowTicks).
Sets the size of the grid crosses in mm on the map layout
(refer SetShowCross).
Sets the size of the map sheet corner marks in mm on the
map layout (refer SetShowCM).
Sets the gap interval in ground metres to place grid
crosses at (refer SetShowCross).
Sets the gap interval in ground metres for grid ticks to be
placed at (refer SetShowTicks).
Sets the gap interval in ground metres for grid lines to be
placed at (refer SetShowLine).
Sets the default units to be used when setting the three
gap intervals to be used, when printing maps form map
series that are in Lat/Long coordinate systems.
= 1: Use degrees as the gap interval unit of measure.
= 2: Use minutes as the gap interval unit of measure.
= 3: Use seconds as the gap interval unit of measure.
SetTickGapLat
SetCrossGapLat
SetLineGapLat
SetCMVOffset
SetJEOffset
Sets the gap interval for grid ticks using the units specified
by the SetLatUnit setting (refer SetShowTicks).
Sets the gap interval for grid crosses using the units
specified by the SetLatUnit setting (refer SetShowCross).
Sets the gap interval for grid lines using the units specified
by the SetLatUnit setting (refer SetShowLine).
Sets the offset from the corner mark in paper mm for the
position of the corner mark values (refer SetShowCMV).
Sets the offset for the position of the join edge in paper
mm.

Appendix D Customising Batch Printing 583
Parameter
SetRefOffset
SetNLOffset
Description
Sets the offset from the map edge in paper mm for the
position of the reference numbers.
Sets the offset for the map Neatline in paper mm.
ScaleBarWithin = TRUE
Have all scalebar text objects within the extents of the
scale bar edges. Set by EngageBatchPrinting
Configuration Tool.
ScaleBarType
ScaleBarUnit
Sets the scale bar type (1 - 3). (Set by
EngageBatchPrinting Configuration Tool.
Sets the scale bar units (1 - 3). Set by
EngageBatchPrinting Configuration Tool.
= Auto: This is the default behaviour. If map projection is
cartesian, scale bar units will be in meters or kilometres;
all else use feet or mile (dependent on the map scale).
= Imperial: Use feet or mile depends on the map scale.
= Metric: Use meter or kilometre, depends on the map
scale).
SetIrregBuff
Sets the buffer in paper cm to have around the border of
an irregular shaped map series sheet.
SetIrregFill = BRUSH(16,16776960,-1)
Sets the fill style for the buffer area around irregular
shaped map series sheets.
SetStdPen = PEN(1,3,255)
Set the pen style to be used for the border on standard
map plots.
SetMaskFill = BRUSH(02,16777215,16777215)
Sets the fill style for the TempMapMask temporary layer
created with Map Series Maps.
SetMaskPen
SetMaskPen2
=PEN(1,2,255)
These settings work the same as the SetMaskFill. The
first number is the width of the line. The second number is
the patten of the line and the last number is the colour.
The value of the colour is derived from the RGB()
command in MapBasic.

584 Engage User Guide
Parameter
SetMaskPos
Description
Sets the position for the TempMapMask temporary layer
created with Map Series Maps in the order of layers with
layer 1 being the top most layer in layer control.
SetMask2Fill = BRUSH(02,16777215,16777215)
Sets the fill style for the TempMapMask2 temporary layer
created with Map Series Maps.
SetMask2Pos
Sets the position for the TempMapMask2 temporary layer
created with Map Series Maps in the order of layers with
layer 1 being the top most layer in layer control.
SetRefInwards = TRUE
Turn on reference numbers in so that they face the centre
of the map in map series plots (refer SetShowRef).
SetGridTo
SetGridFrom
SetIndexRangeX
SetIndexRangeY
SetIndMargin
SetIndFeaWide
SetIndLocWide
SetIndNumWide
SetIndNamWide
SetIndRefWide
These two settings are used for trimming back AMG type
coordinates.
The number of divisions to be used for reference numbers
in the X direction. Set by EngageBatchPrinting
Configuration Tool.
The number of divisions to be used for reference numbers
in the Y direction. Set by EngageBatchPrinting
Configuration Tool.
Set the left, right, top and bottom margin (all the same) for
printed map indexes.
Sets the column width for the feature field in map indexes.
Sets the column width for the locality field in map indexes.
Sets the column width for the map number field in map
indexes.
Sets the column width for the map name field in map
indexes.
Sets the column width for the reference number field in
map indexes.

Appendix D Customising Batch Printing 585
Parameter
SetIAMBFont
SetIAMBFill
SetKeyFont
SetKeyLine
SetKeyFill
OrderByName
Description
= FONT("Times",1,10,0,-1) and
= BRUSH(2,11780496,-1)
These two settings specify the font and brush styles to be
used for Index to Adjoining Maps boxes when printing
map series maps.
= FONT("Times",0,8,0,-1)
= PEN(2,2,0)
= BRUSH(52,0,-1)
These three settings specify the font, line and brush styles
to be used for the map sheet polygons boxes when
printing key maps.
Specifies whether to order the printing of map series
maps by their map name when batch printing. A setting of
FALSE will result in the maps being printed in order of their
map number.
RefNumXY Controls whether X axis or Y axis cord is presented first. .
Set by the EngageBatchPrinting Settings dialog dropdown
list (XY and YX options). Use with RefNumMode.
RefNumMode
Specifies how to carry out reference numbering. Set by
the EngageBatchPrinting Settings dialog. There are 8
different ways to carry out reference numbering in
MapShop. They are shown diagrammatically below:
A A
A A
1
1
1 2 3 4
1
1
1 1
1 1
A
A
5 6 7 8
A
A

586 Engage User Guide
Parameter
RotateMaps
AutoRotate
RotOrient
Description
This item defines whether or not to rotate maps to be
aligned in a vertical position for plotting map series maps.
If this setting is set to FALSE and a map series map is at a
rotated angle (e.g. a four sided map sheet which does not
sit vertically) then the map will be rotated so that it does fit
vertically for the purposes of plotting. This means that for
rotated maps, north will not necessarily be straight up the
page. If the setting is FALSE then maps will not be rotated
to fit vertically before plotting.
This setting specifies whether to automatically rotate
maps when the RotateMaps setting is TRUE. If this
setting is set to FALSE then before the map is rotated the
user will be presented with a dialog showing the
suggested rotation angle. The user will then be able to
accept that rotation angle or change it.
This setting specifies what orientation maps should be
rotated to when RotateMaps is TRUE.
=P: Rotate the map to a portrait orientation with the map
being taller than it is wide.
=L: Rotate the map to a landscape orientation with the
map being wider than it is high.
ShowNthPnt
NthPntStyle
NthPntRatioX
NthPntRatioY
This setting specifies whether to automatically generate a
north point onto the map that is being plotted.
This setting specifies the symbol style to use for the north
point that will be placed on the map if ShowNthPnt is
TRUE. The symbol clause MUST be of the TrueType font
symbol syntax (6 attributes).
The above two settings set where the north point should
be placed on the map. The X and Y ratios are a
percentage of the total distance along the X and Y axis of
the paper starting from the bottom left hand corner of the
frame that the map is being inserted into.

Appendix D Customising Batch Printing 587
Parameter
ZoomLayering
ShowDottedLine
RptFldXXXXXX
RptFldDataMaxChar
RptFldNameMaxChar
RptFldDataSizeCm
RptFldNameSizeCm
RptLineGapSizeCm
RptFieldFont
Description
Specifies how to handle the zoom layering settings of the
mapper when printing a map. The three possible settings
are:
= Maintain: Leave the current zoom layering settings
as they are.
= View: Whatever layers are visible at the current zoom
as a result of their zoom layering, show only these layers
on the final output.
= Off: Turn all zoom layering off before plotting the map.
Whether to remove the zoom layering from all of the
currently open layer before plotting map series maps,
after the map is printing the zoom layering settings will be
restored
This setting allows you to turn on or off the generation of
the purple dashed region on the cosmetic layer when
creating map series. That is, when you generate a map
series a purple dotted line appears to show the region you
selected to insert a grid. ShowDottedLine = TRUE will
show the line.
This group of settings allows the System Administrator to
set up how the Print Feature Report command data
section is laid out.
Sets the maximum number of characters to appear in the
Name column.
Sets the maximum number of characters to appear in the
Name column.
Sets the width in centimetres for the Data columns.
Sets the width in centimetres for the Name columns.
Sets the width between pairs of columns.
Sets the font.

588 Engage User Guide
Parameter
FitToPaperRatioX
FitToPaperRatioY
Description
These two items (X and Y) set a percentage of paper size
to work within. Depending on the paper size selected in
the Print commands, the output from the commands is
generated to a Layout window ready for printing.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of some output devices
(e.g. plotters), the full area of the paper can not be used
and there are wide margins (some times up to several cm)
around the edge of the paper that remain blank.
These settings also allow the System Administrator to set
a percentage of area to use in both the X and Y directions.
For example, on an A3 HP Laser printer you can not print
to within 1 cm of the edge of the paper. In landscape
mode the A3 paper is 21 cm wide so leaving 1 cm clear
on both sides leaves only 19 cm left to draw in. This is
90.47% of the paper area in the X direction. Thus setting
the FitToPaperRatioX=.92 should ensure no detail is
clipped from the map in the printing process (in the X
direction).
[EPSSettings]
FitToPaperRatioX
FitToPaperRatioY
Defines settings for the Enhanced Printing Systems
module commands.
These two items (X and Y) set a percentage of paper size
to work within. Depending on the paper size selected in
the Print XXXX command(s), the output from the
commands is generated to a Layout window ready for
printing. Unfortunately, due to the nature of some output
devices (e.g. plotters), the full area of the paper can not
be used and there are wide margins (some times up to
several cm) around the edge of the paper that remain
blank.
These settings also allow the System Administrator to set
a percentage of area to use in both the X and Y directions.
For example, on an A3 HP Laser printer you can not print
to within 1 cm of the edge of the paper. In landscape
mode the A3 paper is 21 cm wide so leaving 1 cm clear
on both sides leaves only 19 cm left to draw in. This is
90.47% of the paper area in the X direction. Thus setting
the FitToPaperRatioX should ensure no detail is clipped
from the map in the printing process (in the X direction).

Appendix E Supported Data File Formats 589
E
Supported Data File Formats
• Supported File Formats by Data Type
• Supported File Formats by File Name Extension
Supported File Formats by Data Type
Engage/MapInfo Professional supported data types.
• Tabular and Vector Data
• Raster Images
• Gridded Surfaces
Tabular and Vector Data
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Access database .MDB File>Open DBMS Connection a
Access database .MDB File>Open b
Access 2007 .ACCDB File>Open c
AutoCAD .DWG File>Universal Translator
AutoCAD .DXF File>Universal Translator
AutoCAD .DXF Table>Import e
Bentely MicroStation Design .DGN File>Universal Translator
Bentely MicroStation Design .FC1 File>Universal Translator
Bentely MicroStation Design .POS File>Universal Translator
Comma Separated ASCII .CSV File>Open
Comma Separated ASCII .CSV Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
dBase .DBF File>Open

590 Engage User Guide
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Delimited ASCII .TXT File>Open
ERMapper .ASC Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
ESRI ArcInfo Export .E00 File>Universal Translator
ESRI ArcSDE File>Open Universal Data b g
ESRI GeoDatabase .MDB File>Open Universal Data b g
ESRI shapefiles .SHP File>Open b
Excel .XLS File>Open b
Excel 2007 .XLSX File>Open c
Geographic Markup Language .GML File>Open or Table>Import
Geographic Markup Language .XML File>Open or Table>Import
LIDAR LAS (ASPRS) .LAS Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>LIDAR
LAS (ASPRS) Import
Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet .WK* File>Open
MapInfo DOS .MBI Table>Import
MapInfo DOS .MMI Table>Import
MapInfo DOS Image .IMG Table>Import
MapInfo Interchange .MIF Table>Import
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Spatial File>Universal Translator h
OS MasterMap .GML Table>Import
Oracle spatial database
PostGIS spatial database
Spatial Data Transfer Standard
SQL Server
File>Open DBMS Connection
File>Open DBMS Connection
*CATD.DDF File>Universal Translator
File>Open DBMS Connection
Text .TXT File>Open

Appendix E Supported Data File Formats 591
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Text .TXT Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
Vector Product Format (VPF) .*FT File>Universal Translator
a For the creation of live or refreshable database links
b Read-only
c Read-only in MapInfo Professional 10.0
d Automatically stores attribute elevation data
e Works with most DXF formats, but least flexible
f Import templates, projection assigment, native file creation
g Requires ArcGIS/ArcInfo to be installed
h In MapInfo Professional 10.0
Raster Images
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Adobe Photoshop Version 3.0 .PSD File>Open (Raster Image)
Bitmap .BMP File>Open (Raster Image)
Bitmap .BMP EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Windows Enhanced Metafile (+ and .EMF
+dual)
File>Open (Raster Image)
ERMapper Algorithm files .ALG Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
ERMapper Enhanced Compression .ECW
Wavelet
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
j
ERDAS Image Web Server .ECWP Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
j
GeoTIFF .TIFF File>Open (Raster Image) k
Graphics Interchange Format .GIF File>Open (Raster Image)
Graphics Interchange Format .GIF EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Joint Photographic Experts Group .JPG
File>Open (Raster Image)
Joint Photographic Experts Group .JPG EngageImages>Rectify Image i

592 Engage User Guide
Format Extension Import Tool Note
JPEG 2000 .JP2 .J2K Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
j
MrSID .SID File>Open (Raster Image)
National Imagery Transmission
Format
.NTF
File>Open (Raster Image)
PC Paintbrush Exchange .PCX File>Open (Raster Image)
Portable Networks Graphics .PNG File>Open (Raster Image)
Portable Networks Graphics .PNG EngageImages>Rectify Image i
SPOT satellite .BIL File>Open (Raster Image)
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF .TFW File>Open (Raster Image) l
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Targa .TGA File>Open (Raster Image) m
Vertical Mapper .GRC File>Open (Raster Image)
Vertical Mapper .GRD File>Open (Raster Image) n
Windows Media Format .WMF File>Open (Raster Image)
i Accurate 'rubber-sheet' rectification i.e. image is stretched, skemed and warped to accommodate control points
j Automatic image registration
k Imports embedded coordiante registration information
l Support for automatic coordinate registration via .TFW world file
m Truevision File Format Specification 2.0
n GRD files can be treated as either a grid or raster image. If the associated .TAB file contains a RasterStyle 6 entry, the
file will be treated as a grid
Gridded Surfaces
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Band Interleaved by Line .BIL/.HDR File>Open (Grid Image)
DTED .DIR .DT* File>Open (Grid Image) o
ER Mapper .ERS File>Open (Grid Image)

Appendix E Supported Data File Formats 593
Format Extension Import Tool Note
ESRI/ARC Binary Grid files .ADF File>Open (Grid Image)
ESRI/ARC ASCII Grid .ASC File>Open (Grid Image)
GeoTIFF RGB with embedded grid .TIF
data
File>Open (Grid Image)
GeoTIFF files with embedded
elevation data
.TIF
File>Open (Grid Image)
GTOPO30 .DEM File>Open (Grid Image) o
MapInfo grid files .MIG File>Open (Grid Image)
Surfer ASCII Grid files .GRD File>Open (Grid Image)
Surfer Binary Grid files .GRD File>Open (Grid Image)
USGS DEM Grid files .DEM File>Open (Grid Image)
USGS DEM SDTS TAR .TAR File>Open (Grid Image)
USGS Grid Files .USG File>Open (Grid Image)
Vertical Mapper .GRD File>Open (Grid Image)
Vertical Mapper .GRC File>Open (Grid Image)
o
p
Files are imported as read-only; they cannot be used to create grid files with MapInfo Professional's Create Grid Thematic
interpolation process
Input point datasets are triangulated to create a gridded surface

594 Engage User Guide
Supported File Formats by File Name Extension
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Spatial File>Universal Translator h
Oracle spatial database
PostGIS spatial database
SQL Server
File>Open DBMS Connection
File>Open DBMS Connection
File>Open DBMS Connection
Vector Product Format (VPF) .*FT File>Universal Translator
Access 2007 .ACCDB File>Open c
ESRI/ARC Binary Grid files .ADF File>Open (Grid Image)
ERMapper Algorithm files .ALG Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
ERMapper .ASC Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
ESRI/ARC ASCII Grid .ASC File>Open (Grid Image)
SPOT satellite .BIL File>Open (Raster Image)
Band Interleaved by Line .BIL/.HDR File>Open (Grid Image)
Bitmap .BMP File>Open (Raster Image)
Bitmap .BMP EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Comma Separated ASCII .CSV Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
Comma Separated ASCII .CSV File>Open
dBase .DBF File>Open
GTOPO30 .DEM File>Open (Grid Image) o
USGS DEM Grid files .DEM File>Open (Grid Image)
Bentely MicroStation Design .DGN File>Universal Translator
DTED .DT* .DIR File>Open (Grid Image) o

Appendix E Supported Data File Formats 595
Format Extension Import Tool Note
AutoCAD .DWG File>Universal Translator
AutoCAD .DXF Table>Import e
AutoCAD .DXF File>Universal Translator
ESRI ArcInfo Export .E00 File>Universal Translator
ERMapper Enhanced Compression .ECW
Wavelet
Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
j
ERDAS Image Web Server .ECWP Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
j
Windows Enhanced Metafile (+ and .EMF
+dual)
File>Open (Raster Image)
ER Mapper .ERS File>Open (Grid Image)
Bentely MicroStation Design .FC1 File>Universal Translator
Graphics Interchange Format .GIF File>Open (Raster Image)
Graphics Interchange Format .GIF EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Geographic Markup Language .GML File>Open or Table>Import
OS MasterMap .GML Table>Import
Vertical Mapper .GRC File>Open (Grid Image)
Vertical Mapper .GRC File>Open (Raster Image)
Surfer ASCII Grid files .GRD File>Open (Grid Image)
Surfer Binary Grid files .GRD File>Open (Grid Image)
Vertical Mapper .GRD File>Open (Grid Image)
Vertical Mapper .GRD File>Open (Raster Image) n
MapInfo DOS Image .IMG Table>Import
JPEG 2000 .JP2 .J2K Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>ALG/
ECW/JPEG2000 Import
j
Joint Photographic Experts Group .JPG
File>Open (Raster Image)

596 Engage User Guide
Format Extension Import Tool Note
Joint Photographic Experts Group .JPG EngageImages>Rectify Image i
LIDAR LAS (ASPRS) .LAS Engage>Table and Workspace Utilities>LIDAR
LAS (ASPRS) Import
Log ASCII Standard .LAS Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
Located Data .LDT Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
f
MapInfo DOS .MBI Table>Import
Access database .MDB File>Open b
Access database .MDB File>Open DBMS Connection a
ESRI GeoDatabase .MDB File>Open Universal Data b g
MapInfo Interchange .MIF Table>Import
MapInfo grid files .MIG File>Open (Grid Image)
MapInfo DOS .MMI Table>Import
National Imagery Transmission
Format
.NTF
File>Open (Raster Image)
PC Paintbrush Exchange .PCX File>Open (Raster Image)
Portable Networks Graphics .PNG File>Open (Raster Image)
Portable Networks Graphics .PNG EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Bentely MicroStation Design .POS File>Universal Translator
Adobe Photoshop Version 3.0 .PSD File>Open (Raster Image)
ESRI shapefiles .SHP File>Open b
USGS DEM SDTS TAR .TAR File>Open (Grid Image)
Targa .TGA File>Open (Raster Image) m
GeoTIFF files with embedded
elevation data
.TIF
File>Open (Grid Image)

Appendix E Supported Data File Formats 597
Format Extension Import Tool Note
GeoTIFF RGB with embedded grid .TIF
data
File>Open (Grid Image)
GeoTIFF .TIFF File>Open (Raster Image) k
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF EngageImages>Rectify Image i
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF .TFW File>Open (Raster Image) l
Delimited ASCII .TXT File>Open
Text .TXT Engage>Table and Workspace
Utilities>Advanced ASCII Import
f
Text .TXT File>Open
USGS Grid Files .USG File>Open (Grid Image)
Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet .WK* File>Open
Windows Media Format .WMF File>Open (Raster Image)
Excel .XLS File>Open b
Excel 2007 .XLSX File>Open c
Geographic Markup Language .XML File>Open or Table>Import
Spatial Data Transfer Standard
*CATD.DDF File>Universal Translator
a For the creation of live or refreshable database links
b Read-only
c Read-only in MapInfo Professional 10.0
d Automatically stores attribute elevation data
e Works with most DXF formats, but least flexible
f Import templates, projection assigment, native file creation
g Requires ArcGIS/ArcInfo to be installed
h In MapInfo Professional 10.0
i Accurate 'rubber-sheet' rectification i.e. image is stretched, skemed and warped to accommodate control points
j Automatic image registration
k Imports embedded coordiante registration information
l Support for automatic coordinate registration via .TFW world file
m Truevision File Format Specification 2.0
n GRD files can be treated as either a grid or raster image. If the associated .TAB file contains a RasterStyle 6 entry, the
file will be treated as a grid
o Files are imported as read-only; they cannot be used to create grid files with MapInfo Professional's Create Grid Thematic
interpolation process
p Input point datasets are triangulated to create a gridded surface

Index 599
Index
Numerics
3D
DXF files 117
3D displays 445
3D Scatter plot
GraphMap 468
A
Absolute path name 42
Accept 342
acknowledgments 557
Activate licence 11, 13
Activation Code 10
Actual
Map Size 337
add
frame titles 374
scaled frame 357
text labels 375
Add Derived Column
GraphMap 474
Add Group
of ELC 551
Additional Text Label Options 382
Adobe Reader 29
Affine
Custom Projection 223
Transformation 222
aggregates
assigning aggregates from points to enclosing
polygons See Assign Values
Align
Objects 257
allow layer
Gouping of ELC 553
Analytics
point classification 196
Animation 430
Create 432, 441
Movie File 439
Annotation
Line 384
append
multi-table 175
apply
Colour Map 318
ASCII
advanced import 103
supported formats 106
ASCII grid
export 142
import 127
Assign
Values 271
Auto
Data Entry 167
AutoCad 117
AUTOGRID 54, 350
Autogrid
Map 90
Mask 352
Table 353
Autoload 23
Automatic Legend Generation
described 368, 370
prerequisites 365
specifying the order within a legend 370
Automatically start Engage when MapInfo starts
23, 25
AutoSave
restore workspace 19
workspace 19
Autosave interval 19
Auto-Shade 312
Auto-start modules 24
AVI
movie file format 439
B
background image
GraphMap 486
Band Interleaved by Line 132
Bar chart

600 Engage User Guide
GraphMap 468
BIL grid
import 132
boolean field
GraphMap 465, 488
Box Border 368
Box plot
GraphMap 469
browser window
GraphMap 477
Build
Objects from Table 238
build
colour table 316
map for colour table 320
Build Objects 238
C
Change Direction
reversing the direction of polylines and
polygons 267
Change Line Direction 267
Child table
GraphMap 493
Clear assignments
GraphMap 465
clip
image 531
Clip to 268
Polygon 268
Clipping Data Tables 269
clipping objects
at a polygon boundary 269
Clipping Options 269
Close
All 149
colour
build table 316
edit table 317
thematic map 317
colour lookup tables
colouring polygon data See Colour Maps
Colour Map
apply 318
Colour Maps
building colour lookup tables 314, 317
editing colour lookup tables 317
thematic maps using colour lookup tables 318
using standard colour lookup tables 67, 312
colour table 317
ColourMap 312
Column
Multiple Update 171
Column Delimited 240
Column parameter
GraphMap 476
Column Update 171
Command Search
configuration 24
hide and show 36
settings 36
using 35
company name 566
Compatibility mode 24
Compute
Area Change 278
Compute Area Change 278
Computer
licence transfer 13
Configuration
Configuration File 18
setup and installation 6
Configuration menu option 18, 19, 23, 24, 25
Configure 338
Configure button on the Scaled Output dialog 338
Configuring Engage 17
Contacting Encom 29
Container 272
Contents 272
Contents 272
Container 272
Context sensitive help 27
Contour
DXF export 117
convert
image 533, 535
cookie-cutting polygons See Processing Inlying
Polygons
Coordinate
reproject 231
Transform 216
coordinate systems 83
Coordinate Transformation
transforming data between two coordinate

Index 601
systems 55, 216
Coordinates 213
Node Edit Node 247
Nodes 245
storing/updating current object coordinates
213, 242
Update 213
Copying workspace to CD-ROM 43
Copyright 8
correlation coefficient 210
correlation matrix 210
Create
A Scalebar 360
Additional Scaled Outputs 344
Animation 432, 441
Map Legend 365
Scaled Output Map 336
thematic map layer 319
World file 430
create
Colour table 314
custom title block 561
Create Licence File dialog box 10, 12, 13
Create tab
GraphMap 462
Current Mapper Projection 83
Cursor Position
Position 49, 96
Custom
Re-Order Mode 370
Custom coordinate system 92, 354
Custom scheme
GraphMap 504
Customer number 10
Customising batch printing 579
cutting objects
with a selected line See Line Cut
D
Data
Digitizing 164
Entry (Auto) 167
Manual Attribute Entry 167
data
handling 183
data handling 183
Data handling options
GraphMap 473
data handling options
GraphMap 473
data selection
GraphMap 487
Data tab
GraphMap 487
data window
GraphMap 470
DBMS 151
Auto Refresh 151
decimal degrees
grid spacing 351
Default map window Status Bar
overriding 19
Dervied Columns, creating
GraphMap 474
Destination hardware ID 13
DigData 164
Digitizing
Data 164
direction
changing direction of a line See Change
Direction Direction
storing direction of a line See Line Direction
Display order 541
Distance and Bearing 84
Location Display 84, 85
Distance, Bearing 245
Document
Link Setup 330
Link to Map Object 331
Linking 329
Open Linked 333
Documentation
Getting Started 3
User Guide 3
donutting polygons See Processing Inlying
Polygons
Draw
Line 244
Object 242
Polyline/Polygon 245
Pont 243
Draw Arc, Ellipse and Rectangle 246
draw grid labels 352

602 Engage User Guide
Draw Grid option 337, 340
Drillholes>Add section to layout tool 346
DXF 117
export contours as 117
DXF file 117
Dynamic ScaleBar 87
E
ECW
import 121
edge ticks 351
Edit
Node Coordinates 247
edit
colour table 317
edit colour table 318
Edit Node Coordinates 247
Editor
Workspace 41
Engage
automatic start 23
configuring 17
Getting Started guide 3
help 27
introduction 1
map Status Bar 19
menus 33
network 26
start manually 25
starting 23
starting on a network 26
toolbars 34
workspace AutoSave 19
Engage Help 3
Engage User Guide 3
ENGAGE.PRJ 82
ENGAGE.WOR 19
EngageAnalytics
statistics 205
EngageBatchPrinting
configuration file 579
enhance
image 528
Enhanced Layer Control 24
Environmental Symbol Font 572
Equal Angle See Stereogram
Equal Area See Stereogram
ER Mapper 132, 133, 135
ER Mapper grid
import 133
ER Mapper grids 135
ERS
ER Mapper grid header 133
ESRI ASCII grid
import 135
Exit 346
Exponential scheme
GraphMap 505
export
ASCII grid 142
graph as MapInfo table 453
graph as raster image 453
multiple MID/MIF 176
Export grid 143
Extract Nodes 276
F
F1 key 27
Favourite
MapBasics 38
Tables 145
Workspaces 40
Favourite Mapbasics 38
Favourite Projections 80
Favourite Workspaces 40
field
add 177
comparison 177
delete 177
rename 177
reorder 177
type 177
field assignments
GraphMap 463
File>Print 344
filter
GraphMap 465
image 529
Filter field assignment
GraphMap 465
filter, saved selection
GraphMap 488

Index 603
Fit Map Window to Selected Object 94
Fixed extents 95, 98
in map linking 95, 98
Fixed scale 96, 99
in map linking 96, 99
Flow arrows See Vector View
Folder locations
changing 18
Font Size defaults 380
Format 380
Text 380
Frame
Configure 338
Settings 338
Setup 337
Frame Settings 338
Frame Setup 337
frame setup 337
Frame Titling 374
G
geographic locations
of maps 48
geological maps
colouring See Colour Maps
inlying polygons See Processing Inlying
Polygons
geological symbols 569, 572
Getting started 3
Graph Builder
GraphMap 463
graph types
GraphMap 467
GraphMap 447, 490
Advanced Colour Options 503
Advanced Size Options 506
altering symbol display 502
colour by group 503
colour by RGB value 510
Column parameter 476
Create tab 462
Data Handling Options 473
data selection 487
Data tab 487
data window 470
Dervied Columns, creating 474
export 453
filter 465
Global Properties 511
graph window tools 454
Group field 465
Legend Window 510
Load Workspace 453
MapInfo polygons, importing 491
Modify tab 502
Multi-Table Relationships 492
navigation 484
Open dataset 453
overlay 490
Permanent Selection Region, creating 490
Permanent Selection Region, importing 491
precondition data 472
preconditioning data 472
quick access toolbar 454
Regression Line 486
remove selection 489
Reset Layout 512
Residuals Graph 486
Save Data 453
Save Workspace 453
selection in MapInfo 489
Selection Statistics 501
size by group 506
statistics 501
Value parameter 476
window tools 479
Grid
Line Intersection 352
Grid Spacing 351
Grid spacing 92, 354
Grid style 92, 355
grid style 351
Gridding Wizard 550
grids
import grid 126
Group field
GraphMap 465
Group field assignment
GraphMap 465
Group field use
GraphMap 466
Group scheme
GraphMap 505

604 Engage User Guide
Group, saved selection
GraphMap 489
Grouped View button 545, 546
H
handling
data 183
Help 3, 27
sources available 27
Help buttons 27
Hide and show menus 33
Hints 345
Histogram
GraphMap 468
Hydrographic Symbol Font 569
I
image
clip 531
convert 533, 535
enhance 528
filter 529
properties 527
rectify 515
reproject 524
rotate 533
save control points 521
selection 516
tool dialog 526
image tool
rectify 516
Images 513
imperial
scale bars 363
scalebars 360
Import
ASCII File 104
import
advanced ASCII 103
ASCII grid 127
BIL grid 132
ER Mapper grid 133
ESRI ASCII grid 135
multiple MID/MIF 176
Surfer grid 137
USGS DEM grid 139
Vertical Mapper grid 138
Import and Export 101
import grid 126
Importing
layered DXF data 59
lines from coordinates on one row 241
Polylines delimited by row or column 239
XYZ grids 242
importing
tables from multiple directories 148
Increment and Constant Values 166
inlying polygons
processing See Processing Inlying Polygons
Insert Nodes 265
Installation folders 8
Installing Engage 6
J
JPEG2000
import 121
K
Key in shapes 242
keying in
object coordinates 242
object descriptions by distance bearing 242
Knowledge Base 28
L
LABELLER.MBX 383
Labels
creating at an angle 381
labels
Add Text 375
on grids 352
LAS 119
layer
create thematic map 319
Layer Control Options dialog 544
Layout
Add Scaled Frame 357
Layout, use existing as title block template 365
Layout>Align 345
Legend
Box Boarder 368

Index 605
Create Map 365
Order 369, 372
Style 368
Tables and Columns 366
legend
reordering 372
legend border style 372
Legend from objects within map window only
option 369
Legend Order 369, 372
Legend Style 368
Legend style 371
legend text style 372
Legend Window
GraphMap 510
Licence
activation 11, 12, 13
new 10
transferring 13
upgrading 12
Licence information
displaying 15
Licence Manager 10, 15
License serial number 10
Licensing 7, 8
new installation 10
procedures 9
upgrade 12
Licensing menu option 15
LIDAR LAS
import 119
Line 244
Annotation 384
Change direction 267
Concatinate 263
Orientation 274
Line Annotation 384
Line Concat 263
Line Cut 262
cutting objects with a selected line 262
Line Direction
storing as an attribute 274
Line graph
GraphMap 468
Line on One Row 241
Linear scheme
GraphMap 504
Lineations
plotting See Stereogram
Lines graph
GraphMap 468
Link
Document 329
Document Setup 330
Document to Map Object 331
Open Document 333
Link Document 331
Link this map option 96
Linking 329
Document 329
Fixed extents 95, 98
Fixed Scale 96, 99
Map 95
Location Display 84, 85
Log scheme
GraphMap 505
logo tablename 564
M
Make Affine Custom Projection 223
Make Custom TitleBlock 359
Manual
Data Entry 167
Polygonize 311
Manual Attribute Data Entry 167
Manual start 25
Map
Accept Position 342
Actual Size 337
Autogrid 90
Position 341
Position Scaled 340
Scale 337
Map Autogrid 90
map frame
titles 374
Map Frame Position offsets 339
Map graph
GraphMap 467
Map Grid 350, 351
drawing to a map window 350
on printed maps See scaled hardcopy output

606 Engage User Guide
overlaying grids based on different projections
353
saving 353
Map Link option 96
Map Linking 95
Map Making Tools 335
Map making tools
creating legends See Automatic Legend
Generation
Map Making>Add scaled frame to layout tool 345,
346
Map Position 341
Map projection 91, 354
Map Scale 337
Map Window Tools 33, 75
described 47
map with no map grid 337, 340
Map>Previous View menu option 346
MapBasics 38
Favourite 38
MapGrid 353
MapInfo Professional 1
MAPINFOW.PRJ 83
Mapper State 76
mappers linked 48, 95
MAPSHOP.INI 579
MapSize rectangle 341
Margins
Non-Printing 339
mask
around grid 352
Match Window Sizes 98
MBX 38
Mean scheme
GraphMap 505
Menus 33
Methods
transformation 523
metric
scale bars 363
scalebars 360
MI Label Angles 381
MicroStation 117
Modfy tab
GraphMap 502
Modify
MI Label Angles 381
Modify Hotlinks
of ELC 551
Modify Theme
of ELC 551
Move toolbars 34
Movie File 439
Multiple
Column Update 171
multiple line plots See Lines graph
multiple MID/MIF
export 176
import 176
multiple scatter plots See Scatter Matrix
multi-segment pie chart See Pie chart
multi-table
append 175, 177
comparison 177
field editing 177
open 148
pack 174
reproject 177, 234
Structure Manager 177
Multi-Table Relationships
GraphMap 492
N
Network
starting Engage on 26
No List option 343, 362
Nodes 245
Coordinates 245
Distance, Bearing 245
Insert 265
Node Edit Coordinates 247
nodes
editing object nodes 247
keying in object nodes 242
Non-Printing Margins 339
normal probability plot See Probability plot
O
Object
Align 257
Colouring 321
Cut 262

Index 607
Offset 254
Transform 255
Object Editing>Key In Shapes 94
Object Information
GraphMap 489
objects
keying in object nodes 242
Offset Object 254
Offset Objects
creating copies of objects at a specified offset
254, 326
Online Knowledge Base 28
Open 333
Linked Document 333
open
multi-table 148
Open branches for all windows
of ELC 553
Open Layout Template from workspace 362
opening
tables from multiple directories 148
options
output 197
output
options 197
output options
output type 198
point styles legend 199
set point styles 199
output type
output options 198
Overlay
Map Grid 353
overlay
GraphMap 490
Overriding default map Status Bar 19
P
pack
multi-table 174
Packaging workspaces 43
panning
GraphMap 484
parameters
Title block 565
Parent table
GraphMap 493
PDF 3
viewing and printing 29
PDF documentation 28
Percentile scheme
GraphMap 505
permanently
Colour Map objects 320
Pie chart
GraphMap 469
Plane Transformation 220
Plot
Vectors 323
Plot Vectors 323
Point 243
point classification 196
point style legend
output options 199
Poles to Planes
plotting See Stereogram
PolyBuilder 283
Additional Utilities 308
Attribute Polygons 306
Check Linework 293
Correct Linework 296
Create Polygons 303
Digitise Linework 289
Extend and Break Linework 296
Preferences 287
PolyClip
clipping objects at a polygon boundary 269
Polygonize 283, 311
Manual 311
PolyBuilder 283
Polygons
Clip to 268
Clipping Data Tables 269
Clipping Options 269
Donut 267
Split-Multi 270
Polyline
Smoother- 259
Thin 260
Polyline Smoother 259
Polyline/Polygon 245
Polylines
Column Delimited 240
Line on One Row 241

608 Engage User Guide
Row Delimited 239
position of the Scaled Output map 341
Position Scaled 340
Map 340
precondition data
GraphMap 472
Previous View function 539
Print PDF document 29
Printer Setup 338
Printing 344
Scaled Output Layout 344
Probability plot
GraphMap 469
Processing Inlying Polygons
and geological maps 267
cutting polygons from surrounding polygons
267
Proimity
Search 247
Projections
display details 83
favourite 80
Make Affine custom 223
Map Grid 351
Properties
GraphMap 456
properties
image 527
Proximity Search
selecting objects based on distance from other
objects 50, 247
Q
Querying
based on proximity to selected objects See
Proximity Search
Querying tables
searching for particular text See Text Search
and Replace
R
Rank scheme
GraphMap 505
rectify
image 515
image options XE 522
image tool 516
Registered Raster 427
Convert Map 427
Create World File 430
Regression Line
GraphMap 486
Relative path name 42
Replace
Text 152
reproject
coordinates 231
image 524
NTv2 method 575
tables 177, 234
Requirements
hardware 5
MapInfo Professional 6
Residuals Graph
GraphMap 486
Restore
Mapper State 76
Restore Autosave workspace 19
Restore Mapper State option 76
RGB
formula 510
RGB Colourizer 321
RGB values
GraphMap 510
use in colour lookup tables See Colour Tables
roll-up
of the ELC 538
Rose diagram
GraphMap 470
rotate
image 533
rotation
GraphMap 485
rounded grid spacing 351
Row Delimited 239
S
Save
Map Grids 353
Mapper State 76
save
graoh data as MapInfo table 453
graph data as CSV file 453
graph legend as MapInfo table 454

Index 609
image control points 521
Save and Overlay Map Grids 353
Save Mapper State tool 76
Save Plane 222
Save tables to workspace folder 43
scale bar style 363
Scale Factor 221
scalebar
dynamic 87
Title Block 568
scalebar format 360
SCALEBAR.TAB 365
scaled hardcopy output
determining coverage 340
hints 345
scalebar format 360
using an existing workspace as a template 362
Scaled Output 335, 350
Creating Additional 344
Exit 346
Hints 345
Printing 344
TitleBlock 342
Scaled Output button 336
Scaled Output>Accept Map Position 342
Scaled Output>Quit Scaled Output 346
Scaled Output>ReSpecify Parameters 344
Scaled Output>Respecify Parameters 341, 342
Scaled Output>Restore Map Window 342, 345,
346
Scatter matrix
GraphMap 469
Scatter plot
GraphMap 467
Search
Proimity 247
Text 152
Select
Group 155
Select by Graphical Styles 251
Select by Group 155
Select by Style dialog 251
Select Object to Draw 242
selection
image 516
selection region
GraphMap 490
Selection Statistics
GraphMap 501
Send TitleBlock to Back checkbox 362
Set Clip Region 345
Set Default Table 75
Set default table view
setting 49, 75
set point styles
output options 199
Set Selection Overlay
GraphMap 486
Setup
Frame 337
Shade Quickview option 319
Sharing workspaces 43
Show all windows in workspace
of ELC 553
Show and hide toolbars 34
smooth curved grid lines 356
Sort
Tables 158
Sort Table 158
special symbol fonts 386
Specify Order option 367
Split Multi-Polys 270
splitting
multi-section polylines and regions 270
Standard Deviation
GraphMap 505
Standard Views 76
Starting Engage 23, 25
unlicensed 7
Starting Engage on a network 26
statisics 205
statistics
GraphMap 501
Stereogram
GraphMap 470
structural measurements
plotting See Stereogram
Style
Legend 368
Style button
for legends 368
Surfer
grid import 137

610 Engage User Guide
symbol fonts 386
symbology
GraphMap 502
T
Table
Multiple Utilities 174
Set Default 75
Split 160
Transformation 217
table
append 175, 177
build colour 316
comparison 177
edit colour 317
editing 177
open 148
pack 174
reproject 177, 234
structure 177
Table Split 160
Table Utilities
described 65, 67, 312, 513
Table window
GraphMap 468
table window
GraphMap 477
Tables
absolute and relative path names 42
Build Objects 238
Columns 366
Legend 366
remove unused 42
resolve missing 42
save to workspace folder 43
tables
sort 158
Tables and Columns 366
Technical support 29
Ternary diagram
GraphMap 469
Text
Add Labels 375
Additional Label Options 382
Format 380
Replace 152
Search 152
sizing for a given map scale 380
text label string into a column 53, 383
Text Labels 375
Text Search and Replace 152
searching for and/or replacing particular text
152
thematic map layer
create 319
Thin
Polyline 260
Thin Polyline
Node Number 260
Node Position 261
Thin Polyline by Node Number 260
Thin Polyline by Node Position 261
Thin Polylines 260
thinning polylines and regions
by node position 261
Title Block
Make Custom 359
placeholders 566
scalebar 568
Title block 342
add scale bar 364
create 561
parameters 565
position 364
saving 364
scale 364
send to back 364
Title Line placeholder 567
Title Lines 361
TITLEBLK.TAB 342, 362, 364
TitleBlock List 340
Titleblock Position 362
Titles 374
Layout Window frame 374
tool dialog
image 526
Toolbars 34
Cursor Position 74
Engage 70
GraphMap 74
large buttons 34
Map Making 72
moving 34

Index 611
Object Editing 73
show and hide 34
show tool tips 34
Surfaces 73
Tools
Distance and Bearing 84
ToolTips 34
Transfer licence 13
Transform 216, 255
Coordinate 216
Coordinates now 221
Object 255
Transformation
Affine 222
NTv2 575
Plane 220
Save Plane 222
Scale Factor 221
Table 217
transformation
Methods 523
Transformation Table 217
Troubleshooting 15
U
unroll the ELC 538
Update 383
Coordinates 213
Table from Text Labels 383
Text Labels from Table 383
Update Coordinates
storing coordinates from multiple projections
215
update coordinate columns from objects 214
update object position from coordinate
columns 214
update the text in text objects 53, 383
Updates 29
updating text labels 382
Upper Tail scheme
GraphMap 505
Use layer name aliases
of ELC 553
Use layer name aliases option 544
User Guide described 28
USGS DEM grid
import 139
Utilities
Multiple Table 174
V
Value parameter
GraphMap 476
Values
Assign 271
Constant 166
Increment 166
Vector View 323
Vectors
Plot 323
Vertical Mapper 138
toggle grid support 142
Vertical Mapper grid
import 138
View PDF document 29
viewing individual records
GraphMap 489
viewing multiple records
GraphMap 477
Views
Set Default Table 75
Standard 76
W
whiskers (box plot)
GraphMap 469
Windows 7 5
Windows Vista 5
Windows XP 5
Workspace
AutoSave 19
autosaving and restoring 19
Editor 41
make table path names absolute or relative 42
packaging and sharing 43
resolve missing tables 42
resolving missing files 20
restore AutoSave 19
Workspace Editor 41
Workspaces
Favourite 40
Worspace

612 Engage User Guide
X
remove unused tables 42
X axis asssignment
GraphMap 465
X-axis label 356
XY point plot See Scatter plot
Y
Y axis assignment
GraphMap 465
Y-axis label 357
Z
Z axis assignment
GraphMap 465
Zoom to Extents of Selected Object 94
zooming
GraphMap 485