Selecting map files for map visualizations

If you select a map visualization template, you need a map file that defines the geographic information for drawing the map. If there is a default map file, this will be used for the map visualization. To choose a different map file, click Select a Map File on the Detailed tab to display the Select Maps dialog box.

The Select Maps dialog box allows you to choose a primary map file and a reference map file. The map files define the geographic information for drawing the map. Your application is installed with a set of standard map files. If you have other ESRI shapefiles that you want to use, you first need to convert the shapefiles to SMZ files. See the topic Converting and Distributing Map Shapefiles for more information. After converting the map, click Manage... on the Template Chooser dialog box to import the map into the Manage system so that it is available in the Select Maps dialog box.

Following are some points to consider when specifying map files:

• All map templates require at least one map file.
• The map file typically links a map key attribute to the data key.
• If the template does not require a map key that links to a data key, it requires a reference map file and fields that specify coordinates (such as longitude and latitude) for drawing elements on the reference map.
• Overlay map templates require two maps: a primary map file and a reference map file. The reference map is drawn first so that it is behind the primary map file.

For information about map terminology such as attributes and features, see Key Concepts for Maps.

Map File. You can select any map file that is in the Manage system. These include pre-installed map files and map files that you imported. For more information about managing map files, see Managing Templates, Stylesheets, and Map Files.

Map Key. Specify the attribute that you want to use as the key that links the map file to the data key.

Save this map file and settings as the default. Select this checkbox if you want to use the selected map file as the default. If you have specified a default map file, you don't need to specify a map file every time you create a map visualization.

Data Key. This control lists the same value as appears on the Template Chooser Detailed tab. It is provided here for convenience if you need to change the key because of the specific map file that you choose.

Display all map features in the visualization. When this option is checked, all features in the map are rendered in the visualization, even if there is no matching data key value. If you want to see only the features for which you have data, clear this option. Features identified by the map keys shown in the Unmatched Map Keys list will not be rendered in the visualization.

Compare Map and Data Values. The map key and data key link to each other to create the map visualization. The map key and the data key should draw from the same domain (for example, countries and regions). Click Compare to test whether the data key and map key values match. The displayed icon informs you of the state of the comparison. These icons are described below. If a comparison has been performed and there are data key values with no matching map key values, the data key values appear in the Unmatched Data Keys list. In the Unmatched Map Keys list, you can also see which map key values have no matching data key values. If Display all map features in the visualization is not checked, features identified by these map key values will not be rendered.