BaseOps User's Guide, Chapter 8: Changing the Map Background

BaseOps gives you considerable control over the background of a case's maps. It can be as simple as a solid color, or as complicated as a set of map layers displaying themes such as roads and rivers.

Background Color

When BaseOps draws a map, it first fills the entire map with the background color. To set the background color, follow these steps.

Go to the Background Color page of the Case Options dialog box.
Background color: Select the background color. See Color Control for information on selecting colors.

Background Layers

BaseOps can display a case's maps with one or more background layers. The layers can be stored in a number of common Geographic Information System (GIS) formats. These formats are discussed in detail in Background Map Formats.

Managing Background Layers

Use the Background Layers page of the Case Options dialog box to manage background layers.

Check the Show background layers box to display background layers. If this box is not checked, no layers will be shown.

The background layers list displays all background layers. This list is presented using a spreadsheet control. See Spreadsheet Control for more information.

Adding a Background Layer

To add a background layer, follow these steps.

If desired, select an existing layer by clicking on it. The new layer will be added just before the selected layer. Ignore this step if the list is empty.
Press the Add Layer button, located below the background layers list. The Select Layer Type dialog box is displayed.
Choose the type of layer you would like to add, then press OK. As a shortcut, simply double-click on the desired layer type.

The background map layer types are described in Background Map Formats.
A new layer, of the appropriate type, is added to the list.
Press the new layer's Options button. The layer's options dialog box appears. Set the layer options as desired.

Removing a Background Layer

To remove a background layer, follow these steps.

Select the layer to remove by clicking on it in the background layers list.
Press the Remove Layer button, located below the background layers list.

Ordering Background Layers

Background layers are drawn in order, starting with the last layer in the background layers list. This means that the topmost layer in the list is drawn last, and therefore appears on top of other layers. Generally, you will want to order the list so that the most important layers are at the top.

Note:

Background layers are drawn in three stages. All area features are drawn first, followed by all line features, and finally all point features. This means that a filled area feature will not obscure a point feature, regardless of the ordering of the layers. This matches most people's intuitive idea of how layers should work.

To change the ordering of layers in the list, follow these steps.

Select a layer by clicking on it in the background layers list.
Press the Move Up In List or Move Down In List button to move the selected layer. These buttons are located just below the background layers list.

If you press and hold one of these button, it will automatically repeat. This is useful for moving a layer several rows up or down.

Hiding or Displaying a Background Layer

Use the Show column of the background layers list to selectively hide or display individual layers. A layer will be displayed only if its Show box is checked.

Changing a Background Layer's Options

Use the Options column of the background layers list to change the options used to display a layer. Pressing a layer's Options button will display that layer's options dialog box.