Kaarten in UI-View ( Engels ) To read, remove the Background Image

UI-View32 supports two types of maps - bitmap maps, and virtual maps, which are made available by plug-in map servers. For information about map servers see UI-View32 Map Servers.

UI-View32 bitmap maps can be BMP, PNG, GIF, JPG or EMF files. By default the maps live in the UI-VIEW32\MAPS folder, but you can also put maps in a folder specified in 'Extra maps path' in Miscellaneous Setup. (Extra maps path is intended for use if you want to put maps on a CD.)

Maps should have a colour depth of at least 256 colours. GIFs are much smaller than BMPs in terms of disk space, but BMPs load faster. For drawn images such as maps, JPG files often do not compress as well as PNGs and GIFs, and the lossy compression of JPG can spoil the image quality.

UI-View32 assumes that North is the top of the map, that latitude changes linearly along the Y axis and that longitude changes linearly along the X axis. If the maps do not meet those conditions then inaccuracies in plotting will occur.

For each map BMP, PNG, GIF, JPG or EMF file, there must be a matching INF file. E.g. if you have a map called GB.GIF then there must also be a file called GB.INF. AN easy way to create the INF file is to create the map graphics file, save it in the MAPS folder, then drag it from Explorer and drop it onto the map window. The Create An INF File dialogue will then open.

INF File Format
First line - the longitude and latitude of the top left corner of the map, separated by a comma. It doesn't matter whether longitude or latitude is first on the line.

Second line - the longitude and latitude of the bottom right corner of the map, separated by a comma. It doesn't matter whether longitude or latitude is first on the line.

Third line - up to 30 characters of description.

Format of longitude and latitude - [dd]d.mm.n[n]<NESW>.
d[dd] = degrees, one to three digits.
mm = minutes
n[n] = decimal minutes, one or more decimal places (NOT seconds)

Example INF file:-

9.47.9W, 57.12.4N
5.46.6E, 50.18.1N
Great Britain

It is also acceptable to put latitude before longitude:-

57.12.4N, 9.47.9W
50.18.1N, 5.46.6E
Great Britain

BTN Files

You can add buttons to the toolbar for loading specific maps by creating BTN files. The BTN files live in the UI-VIEW\MAPS\BUTTONS folder and should have the same name as the map with which they are associated. A BTN file contains a single line of text, if the text is the name of a BMP or ICO file, then that image will be used as the picture for the button. (The BMP and ICO files must be in the same directory as the BTN files.) Otherwise the text is used as the caption text for the button . (You can only fit about four letters on the button!) The Make A Button option on the Map menu can be used to create a BTN file and an associated BMP file for the currently loaded map.

Example 1 - GB.BTN containing a single line -
GB
Will add a button to the toolbar for the "Great Britain" map (GB.GIF) with the caption "GB".

Example 2 - GBNORTH.BTN containing a single line -
GBNORTH.BMP
Will add a button to the toolbar for the "Great Britain (North)" map (GBNORTH.GIF) and use GBNORTH.BMP in the BUTTONS directory as the picture for the button.

A recommended format for the .BMP files use on the buttons is 20 pixels by 20 pixels, 256 colours, using the default Windows palette. Icon (.ICO) images are slightly too big to fit in the buttons, so some of the picture is lost. If you want to use them, you will need to experiment in order to produce a satisfactory appearance.

If you load the map for which you want to make a button image into PaintShop Pro and reduce the size to 20 pixels by 20 pixels, you may well find that the result is quite satisfactory to be used as a button image. (MAKE SURE you save it in the BUTTONS directory! One false click and you can lose your map!)

Making Maps From The OS Atlas
The UK maps supplied with UI-View32 were created from the OS Atlas CD. The following notes explain how to make extra maps using that CD. I have not tried to make maps from any other sources. If you make extra maps for your own use, please respect the copyright of whatever source you use.

1. Learn to use the atlas!

2. Select the area for which you want to make a map. Turn off the layers you don't want. I always turn off the media pins, boundaries and relief. Sometimes I also turn off minor roads.

3. Display the map full screen.

4. Move the mouse to the top left corner of the map and write down the longitude and latitude as displayed on the read out.

5. Move the mouse to the bottom right corner of the map and write down the longitude and latitude as displayed on the read out. Note that you can drag the navigation box out of the way. If you don't, then you may get the wrong coordinatescoordinates.

6. Use "Print", "Save To File", to save your map in the UI-VIEW32\MAPS folder as a BMP.

7. Use a plain text editor to create the INF file, with the format as described above. (The read-out in the atlas is decimal minutes, so no conversion from seconds to decimal minutes is needed.)

You now have a usable map. However, it is a very large BMP file and it can be converted to a much smaller GIF by using a graphics utility such as PaintShop Pro.