[mapserver-users] Shapefiles

[Richard Ford]

> > #MARKERSET symbols/marker.sym
> > #LINESET symbols/line.sym
>
> You should set the SYMBOL parameter as shown in the docs.

Quickly - what do they do?

I thought leave otu what I do not know to minimise problems.  I was
following the tutorial linked to from the mapserver documentaton page.

> (concatenate the three .sym files in one and set that file as
> the SYMBOL parameter)
>
> > EXTENT 388107.634400379 5203120.88405952 500896.339019834
5310243.30613897
>
> Is this extent correct?, you can use the perl script showextent.pl on
> the shape file to see if it is.
>
> (ie, perl showextent.pl shapefile on the directory where the shapefile is)

I will try this!

> > #UNITS METERS
>
> Why not set the units?

Again - keep it simple just to 'see' it load a shapefile.

> > SHAPEPATH "/usr/local/apache/htdcos/lance/risk_data"
>
> Are this directory and its contents readable by the web server?

yup and all permissions/owenrships are correct for r,w and x.

> > LAYER
> >   NAME "test"
> >   TYPE RASTER
>
> is the shapefile of raster type?!?!?

I assumed it was a raster.  It did not load with polygon - but with raster
the computer churned a bit - but still no display.  I will be able to get
ArcView installed on friday and then see what it is as you say below.

> >   STATUS DEFAULT
> >   DATA disslv1
>
> disslv1.* should be in the shapepath directory

Yup.  All 3 associated files.

> > 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).
>
> When I first started with Mapserver I got the same problem, it turned
> out to be the extent badly set.

I will try that perl script.  I thought if it is wrong, worst case I would
have a truncated image - or a very small image surrounded by white?  Or is
my understanding of the EXTENT parameter incorrect?

> > 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
>
> You can open the shapfile with ArcView, press the info button (the 'i'
rounded
> by a circle) and click on a symbol of the view and you'll see what is the
type
> of the shapefile (polygon, polyline (it should be set as a polygon layer
in the
> mapfile) or line)

As said I will do this.  There are so many GIS packages out there, open
source and not.  And it has been a steep learnign curve GIS wise.  And we
are keen to get our projetc moving.  As such - it always pleases people to
see progress.  And at thsi early stage - great progress and a verification
of our possible choice in MapServer - would be a display of "some kind!" a
shapefile by it.  :)

Thanks for the input.

Cheers,
Richard.