Vector Map
The 'Vector Map' tab-page shows the results of filled or outline map-drawing. It is called a 'Vector Map' because all of the maps are drawn from projected coordinates, held in a database. Unlike a map in 'Raster' format, such as a pre-drawn GIF or JPG illustration, a vector map can be drawn at any scale or projection without losing any detail. The colors can also be easily changed without degrading the map in any way.
The 'Vector Map' tab-page is used to show static maps produced by the 'Map Plotting' tab-page, manual-fill maps produced by the 'Contest Mode' tab-page, auto-fill maps produced by the 'External Logger' tab-page, and fills corresponding to log-contents produced by the 'Log Plotting' tab-page.
The 'Vector Map' tab-page contains a number of features, which are described below. Some of the features are only available in certain program-modes.
To the left of the screen is a data-table, that shows a list of items corresponding to the current map. Only a few columns are shown - to see more, visit the 'Tables' tab. As with any of the data-tables in this program, you can sort the row-order by clicking on one of the column headers. Alternate clicks will change the row-order from Ascending Order to Descending Order. Right-click any of the rows to see a range of other available actions. These are detailed in other parts of the Help Guide. Not all of the actions are available all of the time. This depends on what data is currently showing. You can export the current contents of the data-table, in its current row-order, by clicking 'Export > Export Vector Map Table to CSV File' on the upper Menu-Bar.
The map itself represents the heart of the 'County-Hunting Mapper' program. It is designed to be very easy to use. You can zoom in or out by clicking the 'up' or 'down' arrows in the top-right corner of the map. You can move the map by left-clicking on it with your Mouse. The position that you click will be used as the new center of the map. This position will be detailed in the right-hand status bar, at the bottom of the program window. If you click on a valid US land-region, the name of the county and state at that position will also be shown.
You can export the current map image, in a variety of image-formats, by clicking 'Export > Save Vector Map as Image' on the upper Menu-Bar.
You can add a variety of text to the map. The text can refer to State, Section, County, or Grid Locator content: they are not available all of the time, and depend on which map is currently showing. When available, you can use the 'S', 'C', or 'G' radio-buttons to choose which text is then selected in the adjacent 'Text Content Control'. Use 'S' for State or Section, 'C' for County, or 'G' for Grid Locators. The size of the text is set by the next control, the 'Text Size Control (6-20), which retains the last used value for each text-type. The actual text to be displayed is set by the next control, the 'Text Content Control', which initially is set to the 'No Text' option. The text is positioned at the center of each polygon. At the moment, I have not added the code for more intuitive text-layout schemes: it is quite a complex task, and requires some time to process.
You can add a variety of grid-lines to the map by using the next control, the 'Grid Line Control', which is initially marked 'Grid Lines: None'. The options are easy to understand. The 'LatLon Lines: Auto' setting will choose the latitude and longitude line-frequency depending on the current zoom-value.
The 'GridLoc' options', which show bounding-boxes for areas designated by the Maidenhead Grid Locator system, works in the same manner.
The current position of the mouse-cursor, if the mouse is currently over the map, is shown in the lower-left box of the Status Bar. The values shown are:
1/ Latitude position of the cursor.
2/ Longitude position of the cursor.
3/ Grid Locator position of the cursor.
4/ Distance, in kilometers, from the cursor to your home location, as specified in 'Help > Options > User Details > My Home Details > My Latitude/My Longitude'.
5/ Distance, in statute miles, from the cursor to your home location.
6/ Short-path bearing from your home location to the cursor location.
7/ Long-path bearing from your home location to the cursor location.