"includes" in mapfiles?

[Pagurek,Debbie [NCR]]

As far as I know, I don't think there is a way to "include" a mapfile in another as you have suggested.
 
However, there are possibilities.
First - do you have to have 12 or so different mapfiles? Can't you put them all into one file and use the GROUP feature to group 5 or so layers together?
 
Second - if you DO want to have separate mapfiles, perhaps you could "serve" your ancillary data layers as WMS, and then in each of the other mapfiles, you could just act as a WMS client to that wms. So you'd only be putting one layer into each of the mapfiles, instead of a number of ancillary data layers.
 
Just my thoughts for a Friday afternoon.
 
D. Pagurek
 
-----Original Message-----
From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of McGraw, Joanne
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 8:51 AM
To: MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] "includes" in mapfiles?



	Is there any syntax for including the contents of another file in a mapfile?

	 

	I have about 60+ layers that need to go online and most of them fall into fairly clear groups of five layers each. Based on their selection in a drop-down list, users will indicate the group of maps they are interested in looking at and the application will load that map file. There are, however, about 10 ancillary layers of data that should be available no matter what map is loaded (roads, hydro, cities, etc.). Rather than repetitively defining this information in every map file, is there any way I can define the ancillary layers in one file, and then simply load that file's contents from within the other map files?

	 

	I'm not sure what to call these except "includes." I haven't had any luck in the archive with that expression, but I cannot believe no one has wanted to do this before.

	 

	Cheers,

	jtm

	Joanne T. McGraw
	Spatial Data Visualization Specialist / Spécialiste en visualisation des données spatiales
	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada / Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada
	Telephone/Téléphone: (613) 759-6103
	Facsimile/Télécopieur: (613) 759-1937
	960 Carling Ave, #1136
	Ottawa, Ontario
	K1A 0C6

	mcgrawj at agr.gc.ca

	 

	 

	 

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