[Mapserver-users] Large Map Files

Tue Feb 11 14:13:15 EST 2003

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EXCELLENT IDEA!

Adam Ryan

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Ramsey [mailto:pramsey at refractions.net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 11:03 AM
To: Jan Hartmann
Cc: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu
Subject: Re: [Mapserver-users] Large Map Files

I have been thinking that an extremely powerful extension to the .map 
file would be an "INCLUDE" directive, which reads a map file fragment 
into another map file.  A quick-and-dirty map service could then be 
assembled with:

MAP
   INCLUDE standard-headers.map
   INCLUDE standard-basemap-layers.map
   LAYER
     NAME myspeciallayer
     DATA blah
     TYPE polygon
   END
END

The FME does this in its mapping files, for example. The first stage of 
processing is to replace all INCLUDE lines with their referenced 
content. It recursively does this up to a max number of loops.

For people maintaining alot of different map services, it could be a 
real boon. (Your parcel postgis database is now on a new server? Change 
the *one* parcel layer definition, and all the maps which reference it 
are now up-to-date.)

P.

Jan Hartmann wrote:
> Just my personal view, but isn't this problem of too many classes (or 
> layers) perhaps caused by using a MapFile in two different ways: as a 
> generator of a single layered map, and as a repository of all available 
> map layers? I can hardly imagine a single map with more than fifty 
> classes or one hundred layers. What people seem to do is putting every 
> GIS file they have in a single MapFile and turning layers on and off as 
> needed. As every layer needs its own classes, the maximum number of 50 
> is very soon reached, even if only a small part of these will be ever 
> used in any actual map.

-- 
       __
      /
      | Paul Ramsey
      | Refractions Research
      | Email: pramsey at refractions.net
      | Phone: (250) 885-0632
      \_

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<P><FONT SIZE=2>EXCELLENT IDEA!</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=2>Adam Ryan</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Paul Ramsey [<A HREF="mailto:pramsey at refractions.net">mailto:pramsey at refractions.net</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 11:03 AM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: Jan Hartmann</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Cc: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: Re: [Mapserver-users] Large Map Files</FONT>
</P>
<BR>

<P><FONT SIZE=2>I have been thinking that an extremely powerful extension to the .map </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>file would be an &quot;INCLUDE&quot; directive, which reads a map file fragment </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>into another map file.&nbsp; A quick-and-dirty map service could then be </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>assembled with:</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=2>MAP</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp; INCLUDE standard-headers.map</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp; INCLUDE standard-basemap-layers.map</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp; LAYER</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; NAME myspeciallayer</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; DATA blah</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; TYPE polygon</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp; END</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>END</FONT>
</P>

The FME does this in its mapping files, for example. The first stage of 
 processing is to replace all INCLUDE lines with their referenced 
 content. It recursively does this up to a max number of loops.

For people maintaining alot of different map services, it could be a 
 real boon. (Your parcel postgis database is now on a new server? Change 
 the *one* parcel layer definition, and all the maps which reference it 
 are now up-to-date.)

<P><FONT SIZE=2>P.</FONT>
</P>

Jan Hartmann wrote:
 &gt; Just my personal view, but isn't this problem of too many classes (or 
 &gt; layers) perhaps caused by using a MapFile in two different ways: as a 
 &gt; generator of a single layered map, and as a repository of all available 
 &gt; map layers? I can hardly imagine a single map with more than fifty 
 &gt; classes or one hundred layers. What people seem to do is putting every 
 &gt; GIS file they have in a single MapFile and turning layers on and off as 
 &gt; needed. As every layer needs its own classes, the maximum number of 50 
 &gt; is very soon reached, even if only a small part of these will be ever 
 &gt; used in any actual map.

<P><FONT SIZE=2>-- </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; __</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; /</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; | Paul Ramsey</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; | Refractions Research</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; | Email: pramsey at refractions.net</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; | Phone: (250) 885-0632</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \_</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=2>_______________________________________________</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Mapserver-users mailing list</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2><A HREF="http://lists.gis.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users" TARGET="_blank">http://lists.gis.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users</A></FONT>
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