[Qgis-user] Help with Layers

[Richard Duivenvoorde]

Felix Salazar wrote:
> Good morning list
> 
>      Recently I'm working with Qunatum Gis 1.0, it's a very good and 
> useful application, (excuse me my english, es very basic, but i try). 
> Can you explain me how to edit MapInfo layers (.tab)??, if is possible. 
> I don't know, I tried but not successful. I'm working on the project of 
> migration to Open Source technology, I really need it. I'm using Linux 
> Canaima (metadistribution Venezolana). I can see the MapInfo Layers, but 
> i can't edit it.
> 
>      I hope you can help me. Thanks!
> 
> Félix Salazar
> Caracas - Venezuela

He Felix,

here
http://www.mail-archive.com/qgis-user@lists.qgis.org/msg00535.html
it says that MapInfo editiing of existing files is not supported by OGR, 
the lib that is used by QGIS to load mapinfo files.

As fas as I know, this hasn't changed since(dev's please correct me if 
I'm wrong).
So the same conclusions holds: export to a editable form, edit it (and 
if needed save it back to mapinfo).

As filebase alternatives, shape-files are easy because you can just save 
a layer as shape via the menus: Layer/Save as Shapefile. But using the 
ogr2ogr plugin you can also make it to more open formats like Postgis or 
SpatiaLite layers.
You can also use the commandline tool ogr2ogr 
(http://www.gdal.org/ogr2ogr.html or 
http://www.bostongis.com/?content_name=ogr_cheatsheet)  for converting 
fileformats

Good luck

Regards,

Richard Duivenvoorde