MapInfo Products KnowledgeBase

Product: MapInfo
Version: 7.x
Platform: Windows 98\NT 4.0 SP6\2000\XP
Category: Tools

Summary:
North Arrow tool.

Question:
North Arrow tool new to MapInfo Professional v7.0.

Answer:

Overview
The North Arrow tool is a new MapBasic utility that can be found in the Tool Manager. It can add North Arrows of various styles and optionally add a magnetic declination arrow. A north arrow can be added to a map or layout. It is possible to specify from the dialog which corner to position the north arrow or use the toolbar button to drag a rectangle and place the north arrow at the specified location.

How to access the north arrow
The NorthArrow.mbx is a tool that is found in the Tools>Tool Manager. It is not autoloaded by default. It is possible in the Tool Manager to specify whether to load or autoload this tool. When the north arrow is loaded, it will be found in the Tools>North Arrow menu option and as a button on the Tools toolbar (it's the bottom-most button with the "N").



Using the Tools>North Arrow Menu
Select the Tools>North Arrow>Draw North Arrow menu selection to select the north arrow parameters. This dialog will display if the active window is a map:



This dialog will display if the active window is a layout:



It is possible to select various north arrow styles. The foreground and background pens and brush's can also be specified. The insertion corner can be specified by picking NorthWest, NorthEast, SouthEast or SouthWest. The size is specified as a percentage of the window size. If the active window is a map, it is possible to also specify whether the arrow should point "up" or to north. The Magnetic Decl button allows setting the Magnetic Declination parameters.

Magnetic Declination Dialog
If the Magnetic Decl button is selected, the Magnetic Declination dialog will be displayed.



If the Display Magnetic Declination checkbox is selected, the magnetic declination arrow will be drawn in addition to the north arrow. The angle can be specified in the Magnetic Declination field. The arrow style can be specified.

Using the North Arrow Toolbar
If the North Arrow button is pressed on the Tools toolbar, it is possible to click and drag a rectangle in a map or layout window to position the north arrow.

If a north arrow is inserted in a map window, the following dialog will be displayed:



If a north arrow is inserted in a layout window, the following dialog will be displayed:



The above dialogs are very similar to the dialogs that are displayed when the North Arrow is selected from the Tools menu, with the addition of a radio button choice for aspect ratio. The north arrow can either be drawn at original aspect ratio or stretched to fit the contents of the drawn rectangle.

NorthArrow.Tab
The north arrow and magnetic declination styles are stored in a NorthArrow.tab file. Each object style has a unique identifier. An object can consist of one or two parts represented by one or two entries in the table using the same ID. These two parts represent the foreground and background parts of the arrow. North arrow IDs have values 1 or greater. Magnetic declination arrows have values -1 or lower. Objects with ID=0 are ignored.


Last Modified:
Document URL: http://testdrive.mapinfo.com/techsupp/miprod.nsf/kbase_by_product/8325F498AD3D07BE85256BB90065AC1E

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