Foundation and Mapserver MAP file manag e tool

[Bob Basques]

Flavio Hendry wrote:

>Bob and all
>
>The initial question was about having some WYSIWYG tool for editing 
>MapFiles. There are some out there, I mentioned most of them on 
>http://umn.mapserver.ch - the ultimate mapfile resource :-)
>  
>
My big suggestion is doing the WYSIWYG thing as an online interface, or 
at least something close.   No need to bother the data owners with the 
details.

>Despite that, there is totally another issue, which is not covered by 
>any tools: most maps are simply, let's be nasty and name it in caps: 
>UGLY (the mapserver gallery is my witness). No tool will help there.
>
>And on the tool discussion. We use MapInfo MapXtreme, ESRI ArcIMS and 
>UMN MapServer, and there are tools all over:
>- for MapXtreme, MapInfo can be used, pretty straight forward and fine, 
>especially if you have it anyay for your desktop stuff
>- for ArcIMS finally you can use ArcGIS, pretty straight forward and 
>fine, especially if you have it anyay for your desktop stuff
>- for ArcIMS there is/was AXL, far uglier then XML ... (see my previous 
>XML remark ...)
>  
>
There shouldn't be a need to buy any one of those things in order to 
tweak the Output of Mapserver.  The point is there is no MapServer 
(dedicated) tool for doing the look and feel tweaking business.

>- for MapServer there are almost all of them, an ArcGIS tool (pretty 
>odd IHMO), a MapInfo tool (from us, pretty outdated), MapEDIT and one 
>of the best of it, UltraEdit (Bob, excuse, I am a Windows guy, vi 
>sounds like nightmares ...)
>  
>
Ha, got you there, I've been using UltraEdit on Windows (as well as 
VIM), for a few years.  Wish it had VI Controls though.  :c)  I think 
this is being worked on. . .

bobb

>Anyway, having a long term experience with all of them, MapFiles are 
>the fastest and most flaxible one can have ... I said it: just love 
>them. Don't dare touching them, or I will be :-(((((((!
>
>Mit freundlichem Gruss / Best Regards
>Flavio Hendry
>
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