Frequently Asked Questions
Resize by Click-and-Drag
If you drag the program window from a smaller monitor to a larger one on a multi-monitor setup, you may not be able to resize the program-window by clicking-and-dragging the edges. To fix this, Maximize the window, then Restore it again, and the resizing will work as it should.
Country Names and Ham Country Names
The layers for Country Borders, Country Names, Capital Cities, and Flags all have one thing in common: when selecting them via the Layer Menu, there is an Additional Layer Feature where you can select 'Standard Countries' or 'Amateur Radio Countries'. This is because the Amateur Radio community uses its own definitions as to what constitutes a country. When plotting layers, it is best to keep these two definitions separate, to avoid confusion and label-overlap, so the program doesn't let you show both at the same time.
Country Label Ranking
When making a map, especially a world map where space is limited, the map-maker has a choice: let labels overlap, or devise a system to stop this. Time Mapper UHD does the latter, stopping labels in the same layer from overlapping where possible, but then we encounter another problem: where two or more labels must fit in the same space, which has the priority to be shown, and which will perforce be hidden until the screen resolution increases? Everyone has their own preferences here, so the Time Mapper UHD provides a system of Ranking. Initially the plot-order is set by population, with countries that have a larger population taking priority over one with a smaller population, but you can change this by typing 'SM' to open the Settings Menu, then going to the 'Country Rank' tabpage. Choose whether you wish to adjust the 'normal' Countries list or the Ham Radio Countries list with the radiobuttons, then click a country name that you wish to move, then adjust its Ranking to a new value with the 'Ranking' control. Click the 'Change Rank to New Value' button, and the change will be remembered. The button at the bottom of the tabpage lets you restore all changes to the default order.
City and Country Positions
A Ham (Amateur Radio) Country Name will not be shown in the same position as a Ham Capital City name. Generally, the Country name position will show in the center of a country. The Ham Prefixes are associated with the Country Names, but have the opposite orientation around the central Point marker, so both Ham Country Name and Prefix can be turned on at the same time.
Blank Labels
You might have an instance where the map appears to be covered with blank labels. It happens when you have 'Back Fill' turned on, and the 'Font Color' matches the 'Back Color'. This can be easily fixed by either unchecking the 'Back Fill', or providing different colors for the 'Font Color' and the 'Back Color' in the map-layer in question. Open the 'Layers Menu', click the desired layer in the 'Map Layer Name' column, then, in the 'Settings for Labels' panel on the right, click the 'Change Label Style Settings' button. The 'Edit Label Style' window will open, and show an example of the current label-style. Click any of the color-rectangles to change them. Close the windows to save the new settings. The 'Layers Menu' help page explains this in more detail.
Layer Color Changes
Q. I set the Point and Labels style for my favourite Layer, but when I changed to a different Base Map, the style changed!
A. Yes, that is a feature of the 'Time Mapper UHD', not a fault. As mentioned in 'Layers Style' section of the 'Layers Menu' help-page, the settings that you give to any Layer will only apply to the current Base Map. You can have different settings for each layer on each base map, and the program remembers them all! See 'Settings Menu > User Style' for Style reset.
How to Report a Program-Error
Yes, every program has some bugs in it, and it is often the Users who will spot them, by using the program in a way that I had not anticipated, or by encountering external data that I had not expected. If you get an error, PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT IT, and I will be able to fix it for you.
A program-error will often show an Error Window or an Exception Window. Rather than closing it, please take a photo or a screenshot of the window. Better still, if the window has an entry saying 'Copy Details', then click that line, which will copy the error details to your Clipboard. Then start a blank email to me, and Paste the details into the email. That will be very helpful in determining what the problem is. You might also mention what you were doing when the error appeared: the more details you send me, the easier it will be to track the error down and fix it.