Understanding map configuration files

Related Topics
Adding projection information Adding support for dynamic layers and queries Adding an extract extension Adding geocode parameters to the geocode extension Adding an ArcView GIS image catalog or GRID Adding renderers and symbols Adding SPATIALQUERY for feature limits, filters, joining tables Adding multiple variables to a stored query Changing paths to UNC format Using Map and Viewer Configuration Files (ArcXML Programmer's Reference Guide)

About map configuration files

When you save a map in Author, the output is a map configuration file, a core component of your ArcIMS Web site. It is the input to an ArcIMS service and contains the basic information about the content you want to deliver, such as location of the data, layer symbology, geocoding properties, and stored queries. You can create different configuration files for different uses.

Map configuration files are written in ArcXML, which is XML specific to ArcIMS. Because Author does not comprehensively cover all the ArcXML available for use in a map configuration file, you may need to add some additional ArcXML in a text or XML editor. You can customize a map configuration file to include additional symbology, query statements, or map projections.

A map configuration file includes:

A prolog, which is used to define the XML version and encoding. ArcIMS uses UTF-8 for encoding. UTF-16 is not supported.
An ARCXML element, which is used in all ArcXML documents.
A CONFIG element, which is used in all configuration files.
An ENVIRONMENT element, which is used to define the locale.
A MAP element, which is used to define the map.

A PROPERTIES section, which contains characteristics about the map as a whole.
A WORKSPACES section, which lists all workspaces referenced in the file.
One or more LAYER elements, which are used to define each layer.

Before you get started editing map configuration files, you should know that ArcXML is case sensitive. All elements are upper case, while all attributes are lower case. More details are available in ArcXML Conventions.

The following example was generated using Author and includes one feature layer.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>


<ARCXML version="1.1">
  <CONFIG>


    <ENVIRONMENT>
      <LOCALE country="US" language="en" variant="" />
      <UIFONT color="0,0,0" name="Arial" size="12" style="regular" />
      <SCREEN dpi="96" />
    </ENVIRONMENT>


    <MAP>


      <PROPERTIES>
        <ENVELOPE minx="-178.21" miny="18.92" maxx="-66.96" maxy="71.41" name="Initial_Extent" />
        <MAPUNITS units="decimal_degrees" />
        <FILTERCOORDSYS id="4326" />
        <FEATURECOORDSYS id="4326"/>
      </PROPERTIES>


      <WORKSPACES>
        <SHAPEWORKSPACE name="shp_ws-0" directory="<path to USA ESRIDATA>"/>
      </WORKSPACES>


      <LAYER type="featureclass" name="CITIES" visible="true" id="2">
      <DATASET name="CITIES" type="point" workspace="shp_ws-0" />
      <SIMPLERENDERER>
        <SIMPLEMARKERSYMBOL type="square" width="5" />
      </SIMPLERENDERER>
      </LAYER>
    </MAP>
  </CONFIG>
</ARCXML>

To learn more about map configuration files, see Using Map and Viewer Configuration Files. All parts are of a map configuration file are explained in more detail with additional examples.

After you have made edits outside of Author, you must be careful about opening and saving the file again in Author, or you may lose your edits. You should continue to use your text or XML editor to make any additional changes.

Search code: @config_about