You’ve created a set of styles and now you need a legend.
Map Maker automates some tasks, but not the creation of the Legend. Each legend is created with presentation in mind, which means that you don’t have to show all the styles you’ve created.
The prccedure is the same as if you imported a style set (the Ancient woodlands example.)
Go to the Project Manager and select Project Legend
If it is not empty, then delete each item in turn.
Now add 5 polygon items, one at a time
They all look the same, but if you click on them you can set each one
Do that for each legend item, ensuring they are in the right order
Change the title in the Title tab and click Preview.
Make any further changes to the Caption etc. and lastly (in Preview)
Earlier we created a map from an existing style. Style files are created automatically for specific projects, but you only have a default style set when you start off and this can be rather limiting. Remember also that although it is possible to recycle styles, you can mess up an earlier project should you inadvertently overwrite the project’s style set. This is a hazard if you create styles on the go.
We are going to modify and augment the existing project style set and save it.
Go the Project Manager (SPACE BAR), Select Project Style Set
Click the Style Management sub tab
Scroll and select the last style in the list (this is really important!)
Now Create new styles and enter 3
Hit OK and this should have added 3 new labels to the bottom of our set
Move your new styles up and down the list but don’t click like crazy or you’ll get a nasty error, which requires you restart Map Maker.
If all is well you can now click on the the Style edit tab and start to colour in your new styles (bearing in mind that each style carries through to a line, symbol etc):
We’ll keep it simple and add name labels and a nice colour for Broadleaf woodland, Rough pasture and Horticulture.
Next you should edit the existing style label names “woodland” to read “Coniferous woodland” and “agriculture” to “Ley grassland” and capitalise built-up land.
Now we are going to assign our new styles to each parcel of land. Copy the Land use layer you saved earlier back to the Live Layer.
Select each parcel in turn using the EDIT option and and select the new styles! When you are done save the Live layer.
Now when you modify styles they will be automatically updated on your project.
You can deploy your styles in different projects, but no need to load the old project and save as, because you can save the project .stl styles and import or append them to any project.
If all is well, we are ready to create our project legend
In the next exercise, we are going to plot land use data in the fields adjacent Crystal Rig Windfarm.
Let’s imagine an extension to the windfarm is planned and we are going to plot the land use in the fields around Friardykes and south of the Electricity substation.
Edit > Live Layer Options > Set Snapping Options > When drawing snap to > Passive Vector Layers
Edit > Live Layer Options > Set Snapping Options > Live Layer > Find vertices when moving
Now roughly define the area of interest using the polygon tool, set the style to the default, starting close to the turbine road network we just drew.
You’ll see that as you move the cursor the line will automatically snap to the boundary. Continue until you have completed the polygon.
Make any detailed edits to the boundary now, using CTRL+E
Now select the Cutter tool. This is by far the quickest and most effective way of dealing with complex polygons and creating perfectly matching boundaries.
To cut a polygon and create a new boundary, start your cut just outside the polygon you wish to divide and then follow as accurately as you can the line you wish to create, finishing your “cut” outside the polygon. Right click to complete the cut.
Repeat this process as many times as you need and create all the boundaries within your area of interest.
Zoom in if you want to increase your accuracy, but bear in mind you can always edit later
If all is well, each polygon should be identifiable by a unique blue circle. Now might be a good time to save your Live layer edits.
Two last tricks.
You can also join a polygon to the outside of a polygon.
Note though that the start and the end must be inside the same polygon for it to work!
Not also that if you cut non-adjacent polygons, you may not get the expected result.
You’ve created a polygon but actually want to merge it with the adjacent one?
Easy select the Join tool and click inside the adjacent polygons you wish to merge.
We are ready now to add information and create some styles on the go.
NB (If you join non-adjacent polygons the style and attributes cannot be controlled independently)
When you draw a line unless you have the snap options set small gaps can appear at junctions / joins.
To rectify this you can either edit the line as described in the previous chapter or you can perform an Action. NB Using actions before a major edit can save a bit of time on a badly or quickly drawn map. Do it afterwards and it can make a mess of earlier edits – you have been warned.
First we are going to create a new road and finish it short of a junction. Just below and to the left of the Crystal Rig Farm label on the OS map, you should have an unmarked road.
Navigate to the unmarked road, so it is in the centre of your view
Now draw a line using the line tool from the turbine to the junction
Finish the line slightly short of the junction; use CTRL+E top right hand stretch it back a bit if snapping is working correctly
Choose the select tool and select the new line and hold down SHIFT to also select the existing road
Both lines are highlighted red and will appear in Edit > Show Selection Manager (a very powerful tool)
Click the Actions tab and expand the Tidying option (click the +)
Select Tidy line junctions (spaghetti processing) and check that the options
Try a snap distance of 10 and gap of 10, and increase it gradually by 10, if nothing happens
If all goes well a correctly formed junction should be visible. You can now tidy up using CTRL+E.
Nota Bene
During this session, we have not saved any of the lines we’ve drawn.
Save the Live Layer by using the right click Context menu and Save Live layer as
You’ll now see the data has been transferred from the Live layer to a static layer (if not try saving the project)
If you save during an edit session remember that the options for adding new information
append or Add to live layer (from the Edit menu)
create a new version with a filename like: Roads003.dra
