Creating new shapefiles

Occasionally you might want to capture data into a new shapefile rather than into an existing shapefile. There are two methods for creating new shapefiles:

• You can use the New Shapefile tool to define the attribute fields and create a new shapefile. You can also create a QuickForm for your new shapefile.The new shapefile and QuickForm, if available, are automatically added to the current ArcPad map and checked for editing in the Layers page of the Table of Contents.
• You can use QuickProject to create "ready to use" point, polyline, and polygon shapefiles.

Tip:

Specifying the type of shapefile : When using the New shapefile tool, you need to select the type of shapefile you want to create from a list of available types. Point,Polyline, and Polygon types are 2D shapefiles that only store x,y coordinates. PointZ, PolylineZ, and PolygonZ types are 3D shapefiles that store x,y, and z coordinates, as well as m-measure-values. PointM, PolylineM, and PolygonM types are 2D shapefiles that store x,y coordinates and m values

Steps:

1. Tap the drop down arrow below the Open Map button to display the drop down list.
2. Tap New.
   The New submenu is displayed
3. Tap Shapefile.
   The New Shapefile dialog box is displayed
4. Choose the type of shapefile that you want to create from the Type drop down list.

5. Tap the + button to open the Field dialog box and define the fields for your new shapefile's dBASE table.
6. Type the name of the first field that you want to create in the new dBASE table.

   

7. Choose the field type: Text, Numeric, Date, or True/False.
8. Type the length of the new field and optionally the precision for Numeric fields.

9. Tap OK to create the new field.
10. Repeat steps 4 through 9 if you want to define additional fields.
    The new fields and their definitions are listed in the New Shapefile dialog box.

11. Tap OK when you have defined all of the required fields for the shapefile’s dBASE table.
12. Type the name of the new shapefile.
13. Choose the folder and location where you want to save the new shapefile.

14. Tap Save to complete the task and create the new shapefile.

    The shapefile will be created and you will be asked if you would like to create a QuickForm for this shapefile.

    The added shapefile will also be checked for editing, and the Edit toolbar and the Command bar will be displayed.

15. Tap Yes and proceed to the next section to learn how to create a QuickForm for your new shapefile. If you tap No you can always come back and create a QuickForm later.

    Tip:

    Importing field definitions from an existing dBASE table: To import the field definitions for your new shapefile from an existing dBASE (DBF) table, which may or may not be associated with a shapefile, tap the Import button to open the Import Fields From dialog box, and select the source dBASE table.

    Tip:

    Specifying the codepage for the attribute data: A codepage maps character codes to individual characters. To specify the code page for any new shapefiles you must first choose the code page on the locale tab of ArcPad Options. For more information, refer to the topic Locale