[mapserver-users] Shapefiles

[Richard Ford]

G'Day All,

Ok, I have been experimenting with Mapserver and I have a moderate grasp on
the various files and configuration system.  Not good enough to make a
polished site - but good enough to test appropriateness of technology.  :)

Now I have a whole heap of shapefiles make in ESRI ArcView.

How do I load them!  :)

I have made my own .map files and templates - heavily based on the MS_DEMO
download.

I have the shapefiles ready and shapepath set.

Do I need to have the exact type set like raster, line, polygon, etc...  As
I have tried various shapefiles and colour options and all I get is a blank
square were I was expecting some sort of image?

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

#
# Start of map file
#
NAME LANCE
STATUS ON
SIZE 1200 1200
#SHADESET symbols/shade.sym
#MARKERSET symbols/marker.sym
#LINESET symbols/line.sym
EXTENT 388107.634400379 5203120.88405952 500896.339019834 5310243.30613897
#UNITS METERS
SHAPEPATH "/usr/local/apache/htdcos/lance/risk_data"
#IMAGECOLOR 255 255 255

#
# Start of web interface definition
#
WEB
  HEADER demo_header.html
  TEMPLATE demo.html
  FOOTER demo_footer.html
  MINSCALE 1000
  MAXSCALE 1550000
  IMAGEPATH "/usr/local/apache/htdocs/tmp/"
  IMAGEURL "/tmp/"
  # LOG "demo.log"
END

QUERYMAP
  SIZE 200 200
  STATUS ON
  STYLE HILITE
  COLOR 255 0 0
END

#
# Start of reference map
#
#REFERENCE
#  IMAGE graphics/reference.tif
#  EXTENT 393234.393701263 5205405.16440722 495769.579718949
5307959.02579127
#  SIZE 120 120
#  STATUS ON
#  COLOR -1 -1 -1
#  OUTLINECOLOR 255 0 0
#END

#
# Start of legend

LEGEND
  KEYSIZE 18 12
  LABEL
    TYPE BITMAP
    SIZE MEDIUM
    COLOR 0 0 89
  END
  STATUS ON
END

#
# Start of scalebar
#
SCALEBAR
  IMAGECOLOR 255 255 255
  LABEL
    COLOR 255 255 255
    SIZE tiny
  END
  STYLE 1
  SIZE 50 2
  COLOR 255 255 255
  UNITS MILES
  INTERVALS 1
  TRANSPARENT TRUE
  STATUS TRUE
END

#
# Start of layer definitions
#

##################################
LAYER
  NAME "test"
  TYPE RASTER
  STATUS DEFAULT
  DATA disslv1

  CLASS
 COLOR 250 140 250
  END

END
####################################

END # Map File

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

disslv1 is a shapefile (well the 3 files, .shp, .shx, .dbf) and nothing
loads?

I even changed the data to a known shapefile in the ms_demo directory and
copied the same layer definition and I still got a blank box (But always
with a working navigation system).

Demo_init.html is set to load 'test' as a default layer....  clicking on the
"re-display/query button still shows an empty square?

I will not be meeting the creator of the shapefiles until Friday and I guess
I will need more info about what is inside them to be able to define a layer
to display them?  I guess what I really wanted to do was to have a working
system - though that just shows a basic map with 1 layer so he can see it.
Proof of technology - to prove that mapserver is what we want to use and not
ArcIMS - urghhh!.

Many Thanks as I find my feet..... GIS expert - I am not.  :)


Richard Ford.
richard at cubok.com   www.cubok.com

The views expressed here are solely my own and do not necessarily represent
those of my employer.