Map Template Editor Toolbar

The Map Template Editor toolbar provides you with easy access to tools for designing a map template. The toolbar becomes active and is displayed within the map template when opened from Map Tools > Map Template, either as a new blank template, a new template created from a library, or when opening a previously created template.

	Save Changes Click this button to save changes made to your map template.
	Discard Changes Click this button to discard changes made to your map template.
	Pan (Default Shortcut: P-Key or Spacebar) Click this button to move around in the currently selected map template. Click the left mouse button and while holding the button down, move the hand cursor to pan around the current map area. You can also access this command by clicking the right mouse button on a map and selecting Pan from the popup menu.
	Zoom to Box (Default Shortcut: B-Key) Click this button to activate the zoom box. Click on the view, then hold down the left mouse button and drag to define the area you want to zoom. Release the mouse button to zoom to the area selected. It is also possible to reduce the number of clicks required by doing the above in one movement by clicking, holding the button, and dragging the rectangle immediately. Once the box is defined, the cursor and box are linked and by moving the cursor, you can move the box to another location, and then click the left mouse button to zoom to the boxed area. You can also access this command by clicking the right mouse button on the view and selecting Zoom to Box from the popup menu.
	Zoom In/Out (Default Shortcut: Z-Key [In] and X-Key [Out]) Drag to the right to zoom in, or to the left to zoom out. You can also access this command by clicking the right mouse button on the view and selecting Zoom In/Out from the popup menu. For details on how the mouse wheel behaves when zooming, see the Application Notes below.
	Zoom to Selection (Default Shortcut: S-Key) Click this button to zoom to the currently selected item’s extents. You can also access this command by clicking the right mouse button on the view and selecting Zoom to Selection from the popup menu.
	Zoom to Full Extents (Default Shortcut: F-Key) Click this button to display the whole map area in the map window. You can also access this command by clicking the right mouse button on the view and selecting Zoom to Full Extents from the popup menu.
	Add Data View Click this button to add a new data view area to the current map template. Your cursor will change to a crosshair ( $image\crosshair.jpg$ ) cursor enabling you to interactively specify the View’s initial placement on the layout. A view’s final output and position is determined by real-world data extents (set during map creation or in the properties for the view) and may also be influenced by using linking properties (e.g. center view in base map) or by using the view as the fitting view with margins in the Base view properties. The latter is analogous to the legacy "map" style map in Oasis montaj.
	Add Base Group Click this button to display the Create New Base Group dialog. Select the type of base group to be added from the list provided and click the OK button. Your cursor will change to a cross-hair ( $image\crosshair.jpg$ ) enabling you to interactively specify the group’s initial placement on the layout. Immediately after defining the initial placement, the properties for the new base group will be displayed in the Map Template Properties dialog. You can modify the group’s properties now, or display this dialog at any time by double-clicking on the group. It is usually a good idea to pick a name for the base group at this stage (e.g. ViewTitles_Title1 or Margins_TextBlock2) because a template can quickly grow to contain many base groups and it makes management simpler. Base views will render themselves based on the settings in their properties. Some base groups (e.g. Scale Bar) have a preview mode that will show what they will look like even if not enough information exists to render them properly (e.g. Scale Bar attached to Data view with no extents defined). A base group’s final output and position can also be influenced by using linking properties (e.g. align top of Title 1 with bottom of Data view + 10 mm).
	Add Data Group Click this button to display the Create New Data Group dialog. Select the type of data group to be added to the current data view and click the OK button. The Map Template Properties dialog is displayed, enabling you to edit the properties of the new data group. Unlike Base groups, Data groups do not render in the template layout view; they are only displayed at map creation time. Data groups can be removed from the template by selecting the desired group from the dropdown list on the Group Properties tab of the Map Template Properties dialog and clicking the Delete button.
	Align Top Click this button to align the top edges of the currently selected items with that of the main selection item. On multiple selection in the map template system, you can select multiple items by holding down the <Ctrl> key and remove items by holding down the <Shift> key. The last item selected is the main selection item and is identified by darker handles on its selection rectangle. During this and the other alignment operations, this is the item that does not move while the other items align to it in the chosen direction. On linked items: In some cases items may already have linking properties set. In this case alignment and moving may not have any effect on their position. If desired the linking properties can be removed using the Remove selection’s links button ( $image\removelinks.jpg$ ).
	Align Middle Click this button to align the middles (vertically) of the currently selected items with that of the main selection item.
	Align Bottom Click this button to align the bottom edges of the currently selected items with that of the main selection item.
	Align Left Click this button to align the left edges of the currently selected items with that of the main selection item.
	Align Centre Click this button to align the centers (horizontally) of the currently selected items with that of the main selection item.
	Align Right Click this button to align the right edges of the currently selected items with that of the main selection item.
	Make Same Width Click this button to make all selected items the same width as the main selection item.
	Make Same Height Click this button to make all selected items the same height as the main selection item.
	Make Same Size Click this button to make all selected items the same size in both dimensions as the main selection item.
	Edit Selection Links Click this button to display the Map Template Item Links dialog that enables you to edit the currently selected item’s link properties. An item’s linking properties only control its own position. For example, if the left edge of item A is linked to the left edge of item B with a 10 mm offset, then item A will move in X to match that offset. So, if item B is dragged 5 cm right (or moved due to its own link properties) then item A will also move 5 cm to the right. This may take some getting used to but can be used very effectively to control layout on an output map (especially on a "map" style map where the Base view has a fitting view defined).
	Delete Selection Links Click this button to remove links from the currently selected item. This button is enabled only when one or more of the items in the current selection have links attached to them. Removing the links can be useful to set up the initial placement again using the layout buttons and snapping before revising the linking again.
	Turn on Snap to Grid Click this button to automatically snap to grid when working in your map. The snapping grid origin is at the lower left corner of a map or map template and the snapping distance can be controlled using the Layout View Properties button.
	Show Snapping Grid Use this to toggle the visibility of the snapping grid. The units and snapping grid size are controlled by the Layout View Properties button.
	Show Ruler Use this to toggle the visibility of a ruler on the left and top sides of the map view. The units displayed on the ruler are controlled by the Layout View Properties button.
	Layout View Properties Click this button to set the resolution, units, and other properties for snapping and rulers. The default value is 5 mm. The units set here define the units that are used for layout of maps and map templates and also affect coordinates and measurements displayed in the status bar for Base view operations (licensed version only).

Application Notes

Mouse Wheel Zoom Behaviour

By default, Oasis montaj zooms relative to the cursor position. When you roll the mouse wheel, the view zooms in or out around the point beneath the cursor, rather than around the window centre.

This behaviour makes it faster and more intuitive to:

Zoom into features that are not centred in the current view
Keep the cursor over a specific area while zooming
Quickly focus on a particular feature without first panning

You can customise both the zoom centre (cursor position or window centre) and the zoom direction using the Mouse Wheel Zoom Mode and Mouse Wheel Zoom Direction options under Map Settings in Advanced Settings.

For detailed instructions on modifying these options, see Advanced Settings.

These settings apply at the Oasis montaj system level (not per project) and affect all projects and any new workspaces you create.