[mapserver-dev] Re: mapserver export plugin

[Jeff McKenna]

Hi Richard!

It was great meeting you too in Sydney!  Well I may just take your offer 
of a place to stay in the Amsterdam area someday :)  Thanks!

That's good news that you are working today on the mapserver plugin at 
the hackfest...very cool!  I'm CC-ing the MapServer-dev list, so others 
can follow this.

Here are a list of issues with the MapServer Export plugin (I am using 
version 1.3.0-Mimas) :

High Priority enhancements
==========================

- "Export LAYER information only" checkbox seems to export all 
objects...I was assuming only the layers would be exported

- if "Export LAYER information only" is checked, the exported mapfile 
has blank SIZE and NAME parameters in the MAP object, which causes an 
error in MapServer

- LABELs are not exported for any layer types

- POLYGON STYLE object includes a SYMBOL, which is not needed

- for LINE STYLE
    - the plugin exports the color into OUTLINECOLOR, but it should be 
exported into COLOR instead
    - SYMBOL and SIZE should be removed, and the WIDTH parameter should 
be used instead
    - WIDTH/SIZE is not correctly exported

- IMAGECOLOR seems to be set to '192 192 192' by default -> where does 
that value come from?  The default should be white '255 255 255'

- I think an option should be added to the plugin interface to "do not 
export projection information", so that no projection objects are 
exported if this is checked (often the data displayed is in the same 
projection, which means no projection objects are needed anyway)

- If a layer is off in the QGIS legend, the MapServer Export plugin 
exports the layer with STATUS DEFAULT -> that layer should be exported 
as STATUS OFF

Low Priority enhancements
=========================

- plugin interface should allow input of WEB's IMAGEPATH, IMAGEURL, and 
possibly METADATA parameters

- layer status is set to DEFAULT (should be set to ON, otherwise the 
layer will always be displayed in OWS requests)

************

I can continue with more I'm sure :) Let me know if you need further 
testing/comments.

-jeff




Richard Duivenvoorde wrote:
> Hi Jeff,
> 
> didn't see you the morning we left Sydney. But it was nice meeting you! 
> Hop by whenever your near the netherlands (or you can stay in my house 
> if you need a bed in the amsterdam-neighbourhood).
> 
> Anyway, I'm in Vienna (qgis hackfest) now and will work on the mapserver 
> plugin here I think. One thing to do is just make changes to the current 
> (textbased-mapfile)mapserver plugin. The second thing would be make a 
> xml-version output possible....
> 
> We already fixed some annoyances and little bugs, but maybe you can sent 
> me a list of wishes, annoyances or whatever on the plugin you have? 
> Maybe I can do something on that also...
> 
> Another question: can you maybe do some testing on the plugin when it's 
> ready to put in svn maybe (this weekend ?)?
> 
> Regards Richard Duivenvoorde
> 


-- 
Jeff McKenna
FOSS4G Consulting and Training Services
http://www.gatewaygeomatics.com/