[mapserver-users] Mapfile & Brain Damage

[Stephen Woodbridge]

In general you want to structure your polygons in the mapfile so the
largest filled ones are put down first and then the smaller ones on top.
That means the largest ones are listed at the top of your file and the
smallest toward the bottom.

Also, your do NOT want them all filled! For example if the blocks which
are the small Census polygons are layered on top of the map and they are
filled then they will overlay EVERYTHING else you have put down and you
will only see the blocks. So you have to come up with a reason why you
want them filled.

So for example you might, put the state down as filled to get a
background color, and you might fill Places, water, KGL, and Landmarks
to they stand out then you probably don't want to fill anything else.

-Steve W.

"Kieran J. Ames" wrote:
> 
> List,
> Sorry if I'm asking the obvious, but I decided to stop spinning my
> wheels and start asking for help.
> 
> In a nutshell, I can't get all layers to render when I select them.
> Depending on where I place them in the mapfile (or if I place them in
> the mapfile at all), there seems to be an impact on the remaining
> layers.
> 
> I'm trying to set up data layers for Census 2000 data. I downloaded the
> Census Regions, Divisions, ZCTAs, Tracts, Block groups and Blocks. (For
> the record, many of these polygon layers are like parent/child polygons.
> For instance, a polygon of Census tracts would be the border for several
> block groups. If I were to zoom into a block group, its border would be
> the same for many (child) blocks. Therefore, if they were placed on top
> of each other, (and depending on the order in which they are defines),
> one might obscure the detail of the other.
> 
> No problem there. I'd expect that. But, I can't seem to put all these
> layers in one mapfile and select any individual ONE and be sure it will
> work.
> 
> The mapfile follows. I've moved layers around and around with no
> consistent results. Right now, they are in the following order:
> LAYER # Census_Tracts_Northeast_USA
> LAYER # Census_Block_Groups_Northeast_USA
> LAYER # Connecticut Blocks
> LAYER # Massachusetts Blocks
> LAYER # New Hampshire Blocks
> LAYER # New Jersey Blocks
> LAYER # Rhode Island Blocks
> LAYER # New York Blocks (Downstate Area Only)
> LAYER # Major_Highways
> LAYER # Census_ZCTAs_Northeast_USA
> LAYER # Cities
> LAYER # Census_Divisions
> LAYER # Census_Regions
> 
> Any guidance appreciated.
> Kieran
>