[mapserver-users] symbols indexed by an attribute

[Pushkar Pradhan]

Hi everyone,
My team wants me to create markers, lines and shades depend. upon
particular attribs. from the shapefile.
Eg. they created an attr. Shade_sym which is a no., that no. should be
used to fetch symbol from the map file e.g. if Shade_sym = 29, the 29th
symbol from the map file must be used.
I do the foll. to accomplish the task:
   CLASSITEM 'Shade_sym'
   CLASS
     NAME "sym = 29"
     EXPRESSION ([Shade_sym] EQ 29)
     SYMBOL 29
     SIZE 2
     COLOR 114 24 124
   END
Okay I think this is the optimal way, unless any body has other ideas.
But they also want me to read COLOR AND/OR SIZE for the symbol from a
file, e.g. the foll. is such a file, the first no. being the symbol no.:
# value red green blue

1 255 250 250
2 248 248 255
3 245 245 245
4 220 220 220
5 255 250 240
Thus I should be able to use the attr. Shade_sym's value 29 to index into
this file and assign the RGB values to COLOR?
Is there a way to do this? I've tried to be very brief.
Thanks,
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PUSHKAR S. PRADHAN
Research Assistant
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY,
STARKVILLE, MS 39759.

Engineering Research Center
Box 9627
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9627
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