[mapserver-users] Re: Feature wish: Internal mapfile variables

[Bob Basques]

All, 

I've always wanted a way to control the Mapfile generation in some form for dynamic assembly.  But, is this the right approach? 

In a GeoMoose installation where each data source, or group of data sources can have their own mapfile a capability like this opens up more doors than it closes.  A CGI call could be used to cartographicly  dress a layer in a default mode with no parameters presented, and do something entirely different with other parameters passed in. 

I've pondered for a long time how MapServer might enable jumping into a carto editor of some type for changing a MAPFILE setting inline in some fashion. 

I don't think this gets the whole job done, but it's where my interest lies in being able to build out something as a useful tool, while not mucking about with Mapserver proper to do it. 

bobb 



>>> reholl <reh2 at prodigy.net> wrote:


I really like the idea of pulling mapfile resources from RDBMS and URL. For the URL, I don't think the communications part poses much of a challenge, as the cURL stuff used in the OWS client can be repackaged. I did that once to make a mapserv CONNECTIONTYPE as a SOAP client. I can certainly picture a somewhat generalized mechanism: "fill ANY mapfile value from some outside resource that delivers a construct of the proper form/type." These resources might be chained or arranged in branches. (Does this begin to stray into WPS territory..?) Anything of this complexity poses a risk to performance and readability. There's definitely something to be said for the everything-is-right-here aspect of the mapfile. Does mapserv configuration becomes less 'file' and more 'system.' and with what new maintenance headaches? Or another way to view it: mapfile syntax becomes a de facto programming language, and we already have mapscript in numerous flavors. What's the tipping point for "let's move this complexity into core mapserver"? Given all these caveats, I'd love to explore this further... Robert Hollingsworth 


blammo wrote: 

All, Would adding in INCLUDEs from a URL be pushing it too much, as in: INCLUDE "http://Myserver.com/cgi-bin/myscript.pl" Could pass in parameters like so . . . INCLUDE "http://Myserver.com/cgi-bin/myscript.pl?A=first thing&b=second thing&c=third thing . . ." bobb >>> "Smith, Michael ERDC-CRREL-NH" <[hidden email] ( /user/SendEmail.jtp?type=node&node=6856380&i=0 )> wrote: There is an RFC to have includes come from non-file connections (databases). It would be another option http://mapserver.org/development/rfc/ms-rfc-74.html Mike -- Michael Smith Remote Sensing/GIS Center US Army Corps of Engineers On 10/3/11 2:51 PM, "Stephen Woodbridge" <[hidden email] ( /user/SendEmail.jtp?type=node&node=6856380&i=1 )> wrote: >One idea regarding this that you might want to consider is the ability >to put all the named parameters in an include file, then be able to >include that file via a CGI parameter. So it might look like this: > > 
 

View this message in context: Re: Feature wish: Internal mapfile variables ( http://osgeo-org.1803224.n2.nabble.com/Feature-wish-Internal-mapfile-variables-tp6853853p6856380.html )
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