[mapserver-users] I know this is a dumb question but...

[Lowther, David W]

Thomas,

If you don't have some GIS program like Arcview where you can just pull up
the shapefile and get coordinates from the mouse then you could do the
following:

In your map file set your extent WAY big so you know your shape will be
visible.
Throw a [mapext] in your web template.
Zoom / Pan and watch the mapext until you get where you want to be.
Paste that extent in your mapfile.

Also, make sure you are using decimal degrees and not dd mm ss.

Hope that helps,

Dave Lowther

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas P. Colson [mailto:tpcolson at nexussoft.com]
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 9:27 AM
To: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu
Subject: [mapserver-users] I know this is a dumb question but...


How to set viewable extent? 
I did this two ways:

Took the demo map file and re-hacked it to include my own data
Made a new mapfile from scratch. 

Everything loads up fine in browser window: Legend, Scale, etc...

Except in my map window, no Map! I'm convinced I'm not setting something
right in extent/scale. I've tried many combinations of numbers, however,
something is telling me that the map is being displayed in this hypothetical
location several hundred feet to the left of my monitor. 

So what is the "rule of thumb" when setting extent/scale?

(What I'm trying to display is a polyygon, about 40 KM long and 20 wide,
with a center point of

78 40'49.99" W 
35 46'13.14" N