Foundation and Mapserver MAP file manag e tool

[Sean Gillies]

J.F.,

I don't think a MapServer workbench (since "Studio" is taken) would  
necessarily need to be any more OO than MapServer itself. All you  
need to start is to allow people to visualize and save style, class,  
and layer mapfile fragments, and then mix fragments together into a  
single mapfile for export. IIRC, there is even some very preliminary  
support in MapServer for instantiating objects from mapfile fragments.

cheers,
Sean

On Dec 14, 2005, at 9:13 AM, Doyon, Jean-Francois wrote:

> I agree for the need for such a tool ... We've been dying for one  
> here.  I
> also don't think it should be web based, but something that
> geographers/cartographers could easily use, so a desktop  
> application, a la
> "Workbench"/ArcMap/etc ...
>
> I actually started writing one using Python/wxPython!  But quickly  
> ran into
> issues with some of the design of MapServer, and problems  
> integrating it
> into a desktop app (vs. the web).  If anyone is curious, I could  
> share my
> experiences in this department.
>
> I've since discovered and learned to love Eclipse though, so there's
> definite potential there!  That'd imply a well supported Java  
> MapScript
> though ... Is it mature? (And even then, as I suggested, some  
> changes to
> mapserver would be necessary, bringing a C program into a purre OO  
> world
> presents interesting challenges ...).
>
> Such a project could eventually find itself in the foundation, but  
> yes, it's
> inception should be community driven.
>
> J.F.

---
Sean Gillies
sgillies at frii dot com
http://zcologia.com/news