[mapserver-users] Shapefiles - different formats?

[Kieran J. Ames]

The .prj file contains datum info. Required for both Geographic and Projected data.
Kieran

Janet Ciavarelli wrote:

> Hi Ed,
>    I see what the difference is now. I went into ArcCatalog and created an empty shapefile, and I looked in explorer. It creates 4 files! Not just the 3 files that it used to use (.shp, .shx, .dbf).
>
> I've attached all the four files. So that explains why ArcView 3.2 can open the file though. Cause it finds the 3 files and just ignores the 4th. But ArcMap 8 wants all 4 files. The 4th file is a .prj file. I will have to find out what's in it and get my script to create that as well. Also, maybe that utility you advised me to grab will create it. I will check when I get time which my be a long time from now.
>
> Thanx for your help. Janet.
>
> >>> "Ed McNierney" <ed at topozone.com> 10/04/01 05:49pm >>>
> Janet -
>
> Can you create an empty point shapefile in 8.1 and send that to me, too?
> I don't have 8.1, but I can take a look at the shapefile to see if
> there's anything different.
>
>         - Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Janet Ciavarelli [mailto:Jciavarelli at city.kamloops.bc.ca]
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 4:11 PM
> To: Ed McNierney
> Subject: RE: [mapserver-users] Shapefiles - different formats?
>
> Yes, same symptom even with records added.
>
> >>> "Ed McNierney" <ed at topozone.com> 10/04/01 01:10pm >>>
> Janet -
>
> Do you get the same symptom when you add records to the shapefile?
>
>         - Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Janet Ciavarelli [mailto:Jciavarelli at city.kamloops.bc.ca]
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 4:03 PM
> To: Ed McNierney
> Subject: RE: [mapserver-users] Shapefiles - different formats?
>
> Hi Ed,
>    Here's a copy of the shapefile. BTW, it is an empty one but it should
> be successfully able to open empty shapefiles as well. We've tried it
> with both empty and un-empty ones and get the same results: it opens
> find in AV 3.2 but errors out in AV 8.1
>
> Janet.
>
> Janet Ciavarelli
> GIS Programmer/Analyst
> City of Kamloops, BC
> (250) 828-3393
> jciavarelli at city.kamloops.bc.ca
>
> >>> "Ed McNierney" <ed at topozone.com> 10/04/01 12:38pm >>>
> Janet -
>
> I certainly expect 8.1 reads 3.2 shapefiles (at least, in general).
> Perhaps it's more likely that you're creating a slightly out-of-spec
> shapefile that's being tolerated by 3.2, but 8.1 is being fussier about.
>
> There's a tool called shpfix in the GDAL distribution that might
> possibly help clean up the file.  If you'd like to email me the
> shapefile I'll take a look at it.
>
>         - Ed
>
> Ed McNierney
> Chief Mapmaker
> TopoZone.com
> ed at topozone.com
> (978) 251-4242
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Janet Ciavarelli [mailto:Jciavarelli at city.kamloops.bc.ca]
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 2:17 PM
> To: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu; teb at mallit.fr.umn.edu
> Subject: [mapserver-users] Shapefiles - different formats?
>
> Sort of off topic, but thought I'd ask anyways in case anyone knows. I
> have written a perl/mapscript to create a shapefile. I can view the
> shapefile in ESRI  ArcView 3.2 fine. But when I try to view it in ESRI
> ArcView 8.1, I get an error. Is anyone out there aware of any
> differences between shapefile formats between different products?
>
> Janet.
>
>
>
> Janet Ciavarelli
> GIS Programmer/Analyst
> City of Kamloops, BC
> (250) 828-3393
> jciavarelli at city.kamloops.bc.ca
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                      Name: shapev8.dbf
>    shapev8.dbf       Type: Database File (application/x-unknown-content-type-DatabaseFile)
>                  Encoding: base64
>               Description: dBase 3 database
>
>    shapev8.prjName: shapev8.prj
>               Type: Plain Text (text/plain)
>
>                   Name: shapev8.shp
>    shapev8.shp    Type: unspecified type (application/octet-stream)
>               Encoding: base64
>
>                   Name: shapev8.shx
>    shapev8.shx    Type: unspecified type (application/octet-stream)
>               Encoding: base64