[QGIS-trac] Re: [Quantum GIS] #3010: ftools (merge shapefiles tool): patch to add option to select attribute table structure

[Quantum GIS]

#3010: ftools (merge shapefiles tool): patch to add option to select attribute
table structure
-------------------------------------------+--------------------------------
   Reporter:  rph                          |              Owner:  cfarmer      
       Type:  patch                        |             Status:  assigned     
   Priority:  minor: annoyance             |          Milestone:  Version 1.6.0
  Component:  Python plugins and bindings  |            Version:  Trunk        
   Keywords:  ftools, merge                |   Platform_version:               
   Platform:  All                          |           Must_fix:  Yes          
Status_info:  0                            |  
-------------------------------------------+--------------------------------

Comment(by rph):

 Replying to [comment:4 alexbruy]:
 > May be it is better to gather all attributes from input shapes into
 output shape, as in MMQGIS?

 Hi! I don't know how MMQGIS works, but what would be the behaviour
 exactly? If there is  field X in shapefile A and field X in shapefile B,
 what would be the output? All values go to the new field X in output file
 or will there be two fields: A_X and B_X? I've seen both behaviours before
 and although the first one might work, the second one tends to be bad and
 to fail in large groups of layers with the same field names.

 The option to choose the shapefile that will be the model for the new
 attribute table had a "trick" behind it: if I wanted to add or remove
 fields it's easy to create a new empty shapefile with the desired fields
 and, therefore, choosing it will cause unwanted fields to be dropped and
 wanted fields to be created, eliminating the need to further edition on
 the output shapefile.

 As I see it, the best option - maybe not for now - would be to show the
 user a list of all the fields and to let the user choose which ones should
 appear in the output.

 I'm still struggling with QT and python trying to create the *.ui file
 that Carson asked for...

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.osgeo.org/qgis/ticket/3010#comment:7>
Quantum GIS <http://qgis.org>
Quantum GIS is an Open Source GIS viewer/editor supporting OGR, PostGIS, and GRASS formats