MapMarker : A Tutorial.

I hope the information contained here will be helpful to you.
The way in which I intend to set out this tutorial is a guide to how I would use MapMarker and a guide to the various functions/options.


The Examples Provided

There are three images provided :

./eg_pics/ourworld.gif
This is only for practising marking-up. The URL's do not exist.
You can use this if you have the photo-widget as part of your "wish".
./eg_pics/cyclohexene.xbm
Again this is only for practising marking-up.
This is for use if you don't have the photo-widget. MapMarker does do a conversion, which uses imconv, but it may not be very useful. I recommend that you create your own xbm's using something like xv or xpaint.
./eg_pics/genome.gif
This one has a fully marked up map that has live URL's - some point externally.
Firstly load the image, then the mapfile ./eg_pics/genome.map.
Now if you select an object - by clicking on it - the Test_URL button will become active. Invoking this button will call your browser, pointing to the relevant file.

This image is provided as an example of a working mapfile.

All file references here assume that you are in the root MapMarker directory.
A good place to start is a guide through the different features of MapMarker.

Throughout this tutorial, I will use the ourworld examples provided. Before starting, the first thing to do is to edit the ourworld.map file in eg_pics.
The first line of the file contains the string :
*YOUR-WORKING-DIRECTORY*
change this to the correct pathname for the parent MapMarker directory.

Now let's make a start.


Having copied the tar.Z file, uncompress and untar it.
This is done by typing the following :

  1. uncompress MapMarker-V1.0b.tar.Z
  2. tar xvf MapMarker-V1.0b.tar
This will explode MapMarker into the relevant directory structure.

Now 'cd' to the parent MapMarker-V1 directory :
You may have to edit the file runMM.csh to set your browser and to point to the image-conversion software. This file is found in this, the root directory.
Also the file eg_pics/ourworld.map will need some editting as it is used as an example. In here change the capitalized part of the first line reading *CHANGE_ME* to point to the correct directory.

Now type :

./runMM.csh
In a short while the MapMarker window will appear on the screen.
You now have two options :

  1. Load an image.
  2. Load a mapfile.
Whichever you pick, a browser will appear, and it is used much in the same way as the one found in Mosaic.
I recommend loading the mapfile - eg_pics/ourworld.map. This way you have some example mark-ups to look at.

Loading An Image
Invoke the Load_Image menu button. When the browser appears move to the relevant directory and either double-click on the filename, or select the filename and press OK.
The accepted image formats are :
  1. *.gif - converted to rppm via rgb (for now)
  2. *.rppm - for colour images, but you need the photo-widget installed in your "wish".
  3. *.xbm - basic b/w pictures.
Loading A Mapfile
Invoke the Load_Map menu button, and use the browser in the normal fashion.
NB // Mapfiles should have the suffix "map"
A window will appear asking if you want to load the imagefile also. If you have not editted the file ourworld.map, then the imagefile will not be found. This is a feature of MapMarker, any mapfiles saved will contain as the first comment line the full pathname for the image being marked. This is handy when images are being marked in small sections.

You will see a map of the world, with certain marked-up areas. These consist of :

  1. Canada - rectangle
  2. South America - polygon
  3. Africa - polygon
  4. Australia - polygon
The URL's linked to these shapes do not point to real files, but if you select one of the objects by clicking on it and choose the Options-Annotate selected button, you can edit the URL to point to a real file. Then by pressing the Test_URL button, see what happens.

Have a play using this example. Create new shapes. This is done by selecting one of the radiobuttons under the Create menu.
Each time you create a new object, a window will appear asking for a URL and a piece of annotation text. This is set as the default which you can switch of by turning off the Options-Force Annotation checkbutton. I suggest that you do not turn it off in general, because a mapfile cannot be saved unless every object has been annotated with a URL. In this case, however, it doesn't really matter.
If the neccesity arises that multiple similar objects need to be created, go to the Options-Single_Edit_Mode checkbutton and switch it off. The default setting allows creation of one object at a time. Once this has been done, the canvas bindings are returned to the defaults. They can also be reset to these at any time using the Options-Default Edit Mode button.

Another thing you should try is the edit-functions. Both the defaults and the functions found under the attributes of objects. This proves useful for grouping objects visually when marking up an image.


That's about all there is to it. The more you use it the more natural it becomes (hopefully). I haven't told you about setting the options available under the Options menu. You can see how all this is done and what each one means by clicking here.

All that remains is a guide to making your first map.

---

Gudge.