| What is the active layer? |
The active layer is that layer which is currently being focused on in the map. The ID, Query and Find tools work on the active layer. To use any of these tools to find something about a particular layer, that layer must first be set to be the active one. The active layer is denoted in the Layer List section of the map with a lighter blue highlight box behind the name of the layer.
Only one layer can be active at a time.
To set a layer to be the active one, find its name in the Layer List, and click on the name text (for example, if you want to set Consents to be the active layer, find consents in the Layer List, and then click on the word Consents with the mouse. |
| Why won’t it let me set some layers as the active layer? |
If the name of a layer is greyed out in the Layer List section, the map is currently zoomed out beyond the maximum scale at which that layer can be shown. Active layers can only be set to those layers which are ticked in the list of layers and are visible on screen. If you want to make a layer that is greyed out the active layer, you must first zoom in the map until the layer is no longer greyed out. |
Why do I keep getting this kind of message when I click the Query tool, or try to click on a feature with the ID tool?
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This message only shows if the Active Layer is either turned off, or the layer is greyed out because the map is set to a scale that is beyond its maximum view scale. In this case the Active Layer is set to the Springs layer, which is either turned off (not ticked in the Layer List) of beyond the visible range of that layer. The Springs layer is the default active layer in a new map. Before using the ID, Query or Find tools, make sure that you have set the active layer to the one you wish to search. |
| I keep getting the downloading data message, but nothing shows up in the map. |
The most common reasons for this occurring are:
- There is heavy traffic on the map site – it has happened (though fortunately it is very infrequent) that sometimes so many people are drawing on the website that it can’t cope
- There is something wrong with the map service at Environment Canterbury – this may be an outage due to data updates or hardware problems
- There is a general problem with internet
- You are doing a particularly large query – these can sometime take a long time to process
When this happens, try refreshing your web browser or completely closing and reopening it.
Processes that show this message should only last a few seconds – if it takes any more than a minute, it is not likely to work at all and you may as well cancel and try again.
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| How do I get the map coordinates of a point? |
In Internet Explorer 6 and below, the coordinates of the mouse on the map show in the status bar at the bottom of the browser as the mouse moves.
Unfortunately at Internet Explorer 7 (and later in version 8), the browser changed and a security setting prevents this function from working (i.e. the coordinates are no longer displayed). Instructions on how to make a change to Internet Explorer 7 and 8's settings that will allow the coordinates to be displayed are listed later on in this document. |
| How do I get the results of a query or find into Excel or Word? |
Results in the Results/Actions area can be copied and pasted directly into Word, Excel or any other Windows software.
To do this, use the mouse and drag an area over all the results in Results/Actions area (the contents should be highlighted in blue). With the mouse, right click the results and choose Copy from the popup menu. Go to Excel (or other) and press Paste – the copied records should appear as a table in the application. |
| Why can’t I save the map as a picture when I right click on it in Internet Explorer? |
The web application uses several invisible layers on the map for working purposes (one contains the north arrow, another the scale bar, etc). When you right click on the map in IE and choose Save as Picture, this picks up one of these invisible layers rather than the map picture itself.
If you need to get this picture, you have a couple of options:
- You could go trawling around in the temporary internet items folder and find the image (this can get messy if you haven’t cleaned out this folder recently).
- Create a print page – you can do a right click and save from one of these.
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Why do I get this message when I try to view the Environment Canterbury online GIS application?
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The technology that the Environment Canterbury online GIS is built with predates the large, high-definition widescreen displays that are becoming more common today. It has built in limitations as to the size of the image it can produce and send.
If you get this message when you start up the online GIS, first check if your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc) is maximised to fill the entire screen. If it is, resize the browser so that it only partially fills the screen and click the refresh button. Experiment with the size of browser window until you find a good size that the online GIS functions with.
An example of the size of screen that the system does function on is a 19 inch flat panel display set 1280x1024 pixels. |
| Why won’t the print page appear after I click the "Create Print Page" button? |
The print page that is generated appears as a popup window. Depending on your web browser settings and internet security programs installed, popup windows may be prevented from being shown. In Internet Explorer, a bar will appear at the top of the browser window saying popups have been blocked.
You can temporarily allow popup windows to show by right-clicking on this bar and choosing temporarily allow popups.
The bar at the top of the page should now say Popups temporarily allowed. Clicking on the “Create Print Page” button should function for the remainder of the session.
You can also permanently allow popups from this page to be allowed if you wish by clicking on that option in the right click menu that you chose temporarily allow popups from. |