wxGUI(1)

NAME
wxGUI

DESCRIPTION
wxGUI is a new generation of the GUI for GRASS GIS. It's a successor of the Tcl/Tk GUI from GRASS 6.

If wxGUI is not your default GUI, you can define it as default by typing at GRASS command line prompt
   g.gui -u wxpython
or define in your .grassrc6 file 'GRASS_GUI' variable
    GRASS_GUI: wxpython
The GUI can be quit by selecting the 'File->Exit' menu item. The GUI can be restarted from the GRASS command line prompt by typing
    g.gui wxpython
or to restart with previously saved workspace type:
    g.gui wxpython workspace=file.gxw

You can also start GRASS from the shell command line with wxGUI defined by the -wxpython switch:
    grass64 -wxpython

The GUI is composed by two main components:

        The Layer Manager includes map layer management, integrated command-line prompt, and command output window tab.

        The Map Display Window integrates basic tools for zooming, panning, data querying, and map elements (north arrows, barscale, etc.). Each display window is associated with its own set of map layers in the layer manager. The user may start multiple map displays during a session. The map layers for each display are grouped under different tabs in the Layer Manager.

  Layer Manager
The Layer Manager provides an interactive graphical interface for creating and managing GRASS displays. There is a toolbar to manage displayed map layers, a layer tree frame in which map layers for display are organized, a command output window tab, and interactive command line prompt. On Linux and Windows platforms, the layer manager also has a menu bar with a set of pull-down menus for all GRASS GIS functions (analysis, file I/O, GIS configuration and management); on a Mac, the GRASS functions menu is at the top of the screen.
The top left button of the toolbar opens a new Map Display Window. Each map display has a unique set of layers to display and region settings. Other toolbar buttons add layers of different types for display in the selected map display window. There are additional buttons for saving or opening workspace file, and others.

Map layers are listed in the window frame below the toolbar. Layers can include raster and vector maps, vector labels, and commands (where any GRASS command can be written). Layers are displayed as arranged in the layer tree: the bottom layer is displayed first and the top layer is displayed last, as if the layers were a series of stacked overlays.

The check box to the left of each layer makes it active or inactive for display. Only active layers are displayed/redisplayed when the display button is pressed. Layers can be organized into groups; entire groups can be activated or deactivated for display. Layer tree composition can be saved to a workspace file and opened in subsequent sessions, restoring all layers and their display options.

A right mouse click on a layer or left clicking the button to the right of the layer opens a dropdown menu with options to remove or rename the layer (g.remove, g.rename), change its display properties (d.rast and d.vect options such as color, symbol, etc.), show its metadata (r.info, v.info) or attributes, if applicable.

A left mouse double click on a layer opens GUI for its display options These options are those for the d.* command for each layer type (d.rast, d.vect, or d.grid, for example).

  Layer Manager Toolbar

Start new map display
    Opens a new map display and creates empty layer tree tab in Layer Manager.

Create new workspace
    Removes all layers from the layer tree and creates a new, empty tree where new layers can be added.

Open existing workspace file
    Opens an previously saved workspace file, containing a set of display layers and their option settings.

Save current workspace to file
    Saves current set of layers and their options to a workspace file.

Load map layers into workspace
    Loads selected raster or vector maps into current layer tree.

Add raster map layer
    Adds raster map to layer tree, see d.rast.

Add various raster map layers (RGB, HIS, shaded relief...)
    Opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

Add 3D raster map layer
    Adds 3D raster map to layer tree.

Add RGB raster layer
    Combines and displays three raster maps defined as red, green, and blue channels to create an RGB color map, see d.rgb.

Add HIS raster layer
    Combines and displays two or three raster maps defined as hue, intensity, and (optionally) saturation channels to create a color map, see d.his.

Add shaded relief raster map layer
    Adds shaded relief raster map layer, see d.shadedmap.

Add raster arrows layer
    Adds map of raster cells with directional arrows drawn. Arrow direction and length are determined by separate aspect/directional map and (optional) slope/intensity map, see d.rast.arrow.

Add raster numbers layer
    Adds map of raster cells with numbers representing the cell values, see d.rast.num.

Add vector map layer
    Adds a vector map layer, see d.vect.

Add various vector map layers (thematic, chart...)
    Opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

Add thematic area (choropleth) map layer
    (for all vector types)" 4m
    Adds layer for thematic display values from a numeric attribute column associated with a vector map. Options include: thematic display type (graduated colors or point sizes), methods for creating display intervals, SQL query of attribute column to limit vector objects to display, control of point icon types and sizes, control of thematic color schemes, creation of legend for thematic map, and saving the results of thematic mapping to a ps.map instructions file for later printing, see d.vect.thematic.

Add thematic chart layer (for vector points)
    Adds layer in which pie or bar charts can be automatically created at vector point locations. Charts display values from selected columns in the associated attribute table. Options include: chart type, layer and attributes to chart, chart colors, and chart size (fixed or based on attribute column), see d.vect.chart.

Add group
    Adds an empty group. Layers can then be added to the group.

Add grid or vector labels overlay
    Opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

Add overlay grids and lines
    Adds layer to display regular grid (for all locations) see d.grid

Add labels layer for vector objects (from existing labels file)
    Add a layer of text from a labels file for vector objects created with the v.label module. A labels file can also be created with a text editor, see d.labels.

Add geodesic line layer
    Add layer to display geodesic line for latitude/longitude locations only, see d.geodesic

Add rhumbline layer
    Add layer to display rhumblines (for latitude/longitude locations only), see d.rhumbline.

Add command layer
    Adds a layer in which a GRASS GIS command or command list can be entered. For a command list use the semi-colon (";") symbol as a separator. For example:
    d.rast soils;d.rast -o roads;d.vect streams col=blue
    Note that when an option of the command contains spaces, you need to "escape" them with the backslash ('\') character, for example:
    d.text text=Population\ density

Delete selected layer
    Removes selected map layer or map layer group from layer tree.

Show attribute table
    Opens attribute table manager for selected vector map.

Import raster or vector data

Import raster data
    Import selected raster data into GRASS using r.in.gdal and load them into current layer tree.

Import vector data
    Import selected vector data into GRASS using v.in.ogr and load them into current layer tree.

Raster Map Calculator
    Launches Raster Calculator GUI front-end for r.mapcalc.

Graphical Modeler
    Launches graphical modeler to create models and run them.

Georectifier Tool
    Launches GCP Manager to create, edit, and manage Ground Control Points.

Cartographic Composer
    Launches Cartographic Composer to create interactively hardcopy map outputs.

Show GUI settings
    Opens dialog to change GUI settings.

Show help
    Opens GRASS manual.

  Key shortcuts

Ctrl+Tab
    Switch 'Map layers' and 'Command output' tab

Ctrl+Q
    Exit GUI

Workspace

Ctrl+N
    Create new workspace

Ctrl+O
    Load workspace from file

Ctrl+S
    Close workspace

Map Layers

Ctrl+Shift+L
    Add multiple raster or vector map layers to current map display

Ctrl+Shift+R
    Add raster map layer to current map display

Ctrl+Shift+V
    Add vector map layer to current map display

Ctrl+W
    Close current map display

Command line prompt

Tab
    Show command tooltips

Esc
    Hide command tooltips

Ctrl+Space
    Map entries without arguments (as in r.info [mapname])

Up/Down
    List command history

Enter
    Run command

  Map Display Window
The map display window includes toolbar that can be docked and undocked from the window, a map canvas where a map composition of one or more layers is displayed, and a statusbar with information about the geographic region of the maps displayed.
Each Map Display Window has a unique layer tree (in the layer manager) and geographic region setting. At the top of the window is a toolbar with buttons to manage the map in the display (render, erase, zoom and pan), for query and and analysis (distance measurement, profile, and histogram creation), to overlay map elements onto the display (scale, north arrow, legend, and custom text), and to export or print the display.

In the statusbar, the user can choose to display the geographic coordinates under the cursor, current geographical region extent, computational region (including graphical visualization in map display), map display geometry (number of rows, columns, resolution) and map scale. Checking the render button in the statusbar will cause the map display to update automatically any time a map is added to, removed from, or changed in its layer tree.

It is important to note that zooming in any display will have no effect on the 'computational region' setting (set with g.region). Only by selecting the 'Set current region to match display' item in the zoom menu (in the map display toolbar) will the current display extents be copied to the computational region extents.

  Map Display Toolbar

Display map
    Displays all active layers from layer tree and re-renders for display any layers that have changed since the last time the display was updated, including layers added or removed.

Re-render map
    Re-renders all active layers regardless of whether they have changed or not.

Erase display
    Erases the currently selected map display to a white background, see d.frame -e.

Pointer
    Select arrow cursor for map display.

Query raster/vector maps
    Opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

Display mode
    Query selected raster, RGB raster (all three map channels will be queried), or vector map(s) using the mouse. Map(s) must be selected before query. Vector charts and thematic vector maps cannot be queried. The results of the query will be displayed in the console window, see v.what.

Edit mode
    Query selected vector map in edit mode. The results of the query will be displayed in a form that permits editing of the queried vector attributes.

Pan
    Interactive selection of a new center of view in the active display monitor. Drag the pan cursor while pressing the left mouse button to pan. Panning changes the location of the region displayed but not the size of the area displayed or the resolution. Panning does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.

Zoom in
    Interactive zooming with the mouse in the active display monitor. Drawing a box or just click with the mouse (left button) and zoom-in cursor causes the display to zoom in so that the area defined by the box fills the display. The map resolution is not changed. Clicking with the zoom-in cursor causes the display to zoom in by 30%, centered on the point where the mouse is clicked. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.

Zoom out
    Interactive zooming with the mouse in the active display monitor. Drawing a box or just click with the mouse (left button) and zoom-out cursor causes the display to zoom in so that the area displayed shrinks to fill the area defined by the box. The map resolution is not changed. Clicking with the zoom-out cursor causes the display to zoom out by 30%, centered on the point where the mouse is clicked. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.

Zoom to selected map(s)
    Set zoom extent based on selected raster or vector maps. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.

Return to previous zoom
    Returns to the previous zoom extent. Up to 10 levels of zoom back are maintained, see g.region.

Zoom options
    Opens a dropdown menu that allows user to:

        Zoom to match the extents of a selected map

        Zoom to match the computational region (set with g.region)

        Zoom to match the extents of the default region

        Zoom to match the extents of a saved region

        Set computational region (the mapset's WIND file) to match the current display extents (does not change the resolution), see g.region.

        Save display geometry (current extents) to a named region file

Analyze menu
    Opens a dropdown menu with:

Distance measurement tool
    Interactive measurement of lengths defined with the mouse. The length of each segment and the cumulative length of all segments measuered is displayed in the command output window frame. Lengths are measured in the current measurement unit, see d.measure.

Profile tool
    Interactively create profile of a raster map. Profile transect is drawn with the mouse in map display. The profile may be of the displayed map or a different map. Up to three maps can be profiled simultaneously, see Profile Tool help page.

Histogramming tool
    Displays histogram of selected raster map or image in new window, see d.histogram.

Add overlay
    opens a dropdown menu that allows user to:

Add scalebar and north arrow
    Adds layer to display a combined scalebar and north arrow. Options include scalebar placement (using screen coordinates or a mouse), scalebar format, and scalebar colors, see d.barscale.

Add raster map legend
    Adds layer to display with legend of selected raster map, see d.legend.

Add text layer
    Adds layer to display a line of text using default GRASS font (selected with d.font). Options include: text placement (screen coordinates); and text size, bolding, and color, see d.text.

Save display to graphic file
    Save the visible image in map display to different raster graphic formats.

Print map
    Prints map on system native printer or PostScript device; saves visible map display (including PostScript text and labels) to PDF or EPS file.

Map display mode
    Opens a dropdown menu for selecting different display mode

2D view mode
    Normal GIS display. All active layers are composited and displayed in 2D mode.

3D view mode
    Experimental replacement for NVIZ. Displays all active layers in 3D perspective using OpenGL. A new control panel opens to manage the 3D view. 3D view can be zoomed, panned, rotated, and tilted. The vertical exaggeration of rasters and 3D vectors can be set. Various color and lighten settings are possible. Not yet functional for Windows platforms

Digitize mode
    Puts display into vector digitizing mode and opens a new digitizing toolbar. The user can digitize a new map or edit an existing map. Not yet functional for Windows platforms

SEE ALSO
wxGUI components:
Vector Digitizer
Attribute Table Manager
3D Viewer
Graphical Modeler
Manage Ground Control Points
Cartographic Composer

See also wxGUI wiki page, and Quick wxGUI Tutorial.

TCL/TK-based GIS Manager, TCL/TK-based Display Manager

AUTHORS
Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic
Michael Barton, Arizona State University, USA
Daniel Calvelo Aros
Jachym Cepicky
Markus Metz, Germany
Anna Kratochvilova, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic
Vaclav Petras, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic
Icons created by SVN)

$Date: 2012-01-21 19:19:14 +0100 (Sat, 21 Jan 2012) $

Full index

© 2003-2011 GRASS Development Team