<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945359">Which version of QGIS are you using? This is in the dev version which I'm using (on Linux), but not in QGIS 2.8 (just looked at that on another laptop - Geometry tools is there - but not the centroid one). I don't know if it is in 2.12 or not.<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945409"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945411">You can also install the "realcentroids" plugin. This seems to create a replica of the polygon table, but creates a point feature to replace the polygon, which should also do what you want.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945454"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945488">I just tried it & it worked in a simple test case. Perhaps your easiest option.<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945413"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_946814">There is also a processing -> qgis geoalgorithms -> polygon centroid function, but this can return a point which does not lie within the polygon if the polygon is concave.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949162"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949291">A bit more cumbersome - but you can also:</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949405"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949407"> edit the polygon layer, <br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949479">open the attribute table<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_946859">start the field calculator</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949410" dir="ltr">create a new (real no with decimals) column as the X value ie: X($geometry)<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949412" dir="ltr">create a new column as the Y value ie: Y($geometry)</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949414" dir="ltr">save as CSV file<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949469" dir="ltr">open the CSV file & define it as a point layer using the new X & Y columns for coords<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949471"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949473">You now have a point layer of centroids (but note that centroids can lie outside a concave polygon):-)<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_949618"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945415">Cheers<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_942019"><span></span></div>Brent<br> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_942020" class="qtdSeparateBR"><br><br></div><div style="display: block;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945420" class="yahoo_quoted">  <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945419" style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945418" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945417" dir="ltr"> <font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945438" face="Arial" size="2"> <hr id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945486" size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> rsweeny <rsweeny@mun.ca><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Brent Wood <pcreso@yahoo.com>; "qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org" <qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org> <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, February 9, 2016 7:54 AM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [Qgis-user] adding points within polygons<br> </font> </div> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945440" class="y_msg_container"><br><div id="yiv4551325614"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945442">
    Brent<br clear="none">
    So kind of you to respond. I am afraid "geometry tools" is not an
    option on my Vector pull down menu or toolbar. Do I need a plug-in?<br clear="none">
    I quite agree with you about the centrality of a proper relational
    database underpinning the gis. It is getting from one to the other
    that is giving me the headaches.<br clear="none">
    Robert<br clear="none">
    <br clear="none">
    <div class="yiv4551325614yqt2608862684" id="yiv4551325614yqt24647"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945444" class="yiv4551325614moz-cite-prefix">On 08/02/2016 7:01 PM, Brent Wood
      wrote:<br clear="none">
    </div>
    <blockquote id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945448" type="cite">
      <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945447" style="color:#000;background-color:#fff;font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">
        <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905178">Hi Robert,</div>
        <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_945452" dir="ltr"><br clear="none">
        </div>
        <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905231">You can
          create a layer of points for each polygon using:Vector -
          Geometry Tools - Polygon Centroids</div>
        <div id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905229"><br clear="none">
        </div>
        <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905198">if you
          have a common field in this and the census data, you can then
          join the two:</div>
        <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905360">Layer -
          Properties - Join</div>
        <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905362"><br clear="none">
        </div>
        <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905364">But I
          recommend the use of an underlying database tool to manage
          your data, such as Postgis or Spatiallite, and join the data
          there to be used in QGIS. A collection of files does not
          provide the power of a database for managing data, even when
          accessed by QGIS. <br clear="none">
        </div>
        <div class="yiv4551325614qtdSeparateBR" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905177">
          <div id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905378"><br clear="none">
          </div>
          <div id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905379">Well managed data
            is the foundation your analysis, model or GIS sits on...<br clear="none">
          </div>
          <div><br clear="none">
          </div>
          <div>Cheers<br clear="none">
          </div>
          <div><br clear="none">
          </div>
          Brent Wood<br clear="none">
        </div>
        <div class="yiv4551325614yahoo_quoted" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905454" style="display:block;">
          <div id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905453" style="font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">
            <div id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905452" style="font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">
              <div dir="ltr" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905451"> <font face="Arial" size="2">
                  </font><hr size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b>
                  rsweeny <a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" class="yiv4551325614moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" ymailto="mailto:rsweeny@mun.ca" target="_blank" href="mailto:rsweeny@mun.ca"><rsweeny@mun.ca></a><br clear="none">
                  <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">To:</span></b>
                  <a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" class="yiv4551325614moz-txt-link-abbreviated" ymailto="mailto:qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org">qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org</a> <br clear="none">
                  <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sent:</span></b>
                  Tuesday, February 9, 2016 2:10 AM<br clear="none">
                  <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">Subject:</span></b>
                  [Qgis-user] adding points within polygons<br clear="none">
                 </div>
              <div class="yiv4551325614y_msg_container" id="yiv4551325614yui_3_16_0_1_1454438917798_905456"><br clear="none">
                Hi<br clear="none">
                People's answers to Grant's question were so clear I'm
                hoping that <br clear="none">
                something similar might exist to facilitate my task. I
                have 32k of <br clear="none">
                polygons representing every lot in the city of Montreal
                in 1903. I also <br clear="none">
                have the 1901 census returns coded by household (95k of
                them) to those <br clear="none">
                lots. Is there a simple way to have Qgis place points
                within each lot <br clear="none">
                polygon for the corresponding households?<br clear="none">
                Thanks in advance.<br clear="none">
                Robert<br clear="none">
                <br clear="none">
                -- <br clear="none">
                Robert C.H. Sweeny<br clear="none">
                Professor of History<br clear="none">
                Memorial University of Newfoundland<br clear="none">
                St John's NL, A1C 5S7<br clear="none">
                Canada<br clear="none">
                709-864-8440, 709-864-2164 (fax)<br clear="none">
                <br clear="none">
                _______________________________________________<br clear="none">
                Qgis-user mailing list<br clear="none">
                <a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:Qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org" target="_blank" href="mailto:Qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org">Qgis-user@lists.osgeo.org</a><br clear="none">
                List info: <a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user">http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user</a><br clear="none">
                Unsubscribe: <a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank" href="http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user">http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-user</a><br clear="none">
                <br clear="none">
              </div>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </blockquote></div>
    <br clear="none">
    <pre class="yiv4551325614moz-signature">-- 
Robert C.H. Sweeny
Professor of History
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St John's NL, A1C 5S7
Canada
709-864-8440, 709-864-2164 (fax)</pre>
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