MapInfo Products KnowledgeBase

Product: MapInfo Professional
Version: 7.x, 6.x, 5.x
Platform: All Windows Platforms
Category: Layout Window

Summary:
How to get a scalebar into a layout window.

Question:
There is no way to create a scalebar directly into a legend window. However, it can be placed into the frame of the legend window in the Layout.
(Versions 6.5 and later allowed user's to place the scalebar directly in to a layout but sometimes there are problems with this method so here is the pre-6.5 method)

Answer:
Here are the steps to place the scalebar into a frame in the layout window. The steps outlined here show you how to then place the scalebar into a legend window in the layout (although the scalebar does not need to be placed in a legend window - it can be placed anywhere in the layout you wish.)
Perform these steps only after the map is at the zoom level desired.

1. Create scalebar on the map window.
2. Choose Map>Save Cosmetic Objects to save the scalebar to its own table.
3. Choose Map>Clone View to create an identical copy of the map and scale bar window.
4. For this cloned view, choose Map>Options and select the Preserve Current Scale option under When Resizing Window. It is possible to pan and resize
the scalebar window without changing the size of the scalebar.
5. Remove all of the map layers except the scalebar from the cloned view through Map>Layer Control.
6. Use the Grabber tool to position the scalebar in the top left corner of its window and resize the window to just fit the scalebar. (It is important to do this
resizing now. Once the scalebar is placed in the layout it cannot be resized because this will distort the scale.)
7. Remove the scalebar layer from the original map window through Map>Layer Control.
8. Select Window>New Layout Window and select the second radio button: Frames for All Currently Open Windows. (It is not possible to just add a frame to a
previously created layout window because the scale bar will not be in the proper scale.)
9. Select the frame that the scalebar is in and choose Options>Region Style.
10. Change the Pattern and Border Style to None to remove the border surrounding the scalebar.

Now the scalebar frame can be moved over the legend frame and display like below:



If the scalebar seems to disappear behind the legend frame, select the legend and choose Layout>Send to Back. This will put the legend behind the scalebar.

*** The map frame cannot be resized once it is in the layout window, as it will change the scale that was associated with the scale bar. If the map frame needs to be a size other than the default size that it comes into the layout window as, you can try resizing the map window before the legend and the layout are created. Resizing the map window changes the size of the map frame when the layout is created.

Last Modified: 10/11/2006 10:12:45 AM
Document URL: http://testdrive.mapinfo.com/techsupp/miprod.nsf/kbase_by_product/AB6F0AC28E89D72685256895006F4FF6

How to get a scalebar into a layout window.^AB6F0AC28E89D72685256895006F4FF6^Y