Drawing Area

This is the area where any kind of data (image, road map, altimetric map etc.) is presented. It is the SPRING main menu itself, as well as the other visualization windows, and even the contrast dialog box.

The visualization windows or drawing areas are controlled in the Control Panel, as well as its presence in the working area and the data that is being presented. Next it will be described the facilities of this windows.

Footnote - just below the drawing area, the footnote presents a message to the right, indicating which is the active Information Layer, that is, the IL that will receive an operation, even if this IL is not visualized in the window, and to the left it presents the cursor geographic coordinates.

See:
How to Define Presentation Modes
How to See Geographic Data Positioning
How to Open (or View) and Close a Drawing Area
How to Use a Zoom
How to Zoom In / Zoom Out / Zoom IL
How to Merge Windows
About the Digitizer Cursor, Point and Graph Canvas
The Draw, Previous Image and Reset resources in the Drawing Window
How to get information from the IL displayed
How to fly after a zoom (pan resource)


See also:
How to display data in the window
How to see the legend in a thematic map
Control Panel Resources

Using SPRING for the first time


How to define Presentation Modes

Mode Auto/Full/Scale

The IL presentation in the drawing area can be controlled by other parameters that are defined for each window. In the footnote of each window (unix.gif - 943 Bytes version) or the tools bar (windows.gif - 1353 Bytes version) there is an option button that allows the selection between: Auto, Full and Scale. See the effect of each of these options:

    • Auto Mode: the SPRING resamples the image such that it is completely presented inside the window standard dimensions of the active project, or inside the rectangle defined by the zoom operation.
    • Full Mode: there is no resampling, all pixels are presented, and if the image does not fit in the window dimensions, the lateral bar can be used for visualization of the whole image.
    • Scale Mode: the data are presented in the window using the scale defined in the corresponding field, it requires just that the value has to be typed. A message will be displayed if there is not enough memory to display the image in the desired scale. In this case the scale factor should be changed to a smaller value. The text box that displays the scale factor for each visualization can not be changed unless the scale option is selected.

NOTE: When clicking on Execute - Reset or the atalho_recompor.gif - 981 Bytesbutton in the active window, the presentation mode returns to the Auto Mode.


To change the presentation mode:

  • click, using the LB, on the scale listing box button to open it and next click on the desired option (Auto, Full or Scale).

 

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To see the data geographic positioning

When a project is active and the cursor is moved over an opened drawing area, the geographical position of the cursor can be displayed, in planar or geographical coordinates. In order to get this feature, one should change the coordinate field that is in the “drop-down” listing box, to the right of the text scale box. The options are:

Disabled
This option disables the coordinates at the footnote area.

Planes
The coordinates are presented at the window footnote area, in meters.

Geographic
The coordinates are presented at the window footnote area, in degrees, minutes and seconds.

To change the coordinate system:

  • click using the mouse LB over the listing box button to open it and next click on the desired option.

 

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To open and close a drawing area

Not including the SPRING main menu, which is also a drawing area, it is possible to open or close other drawing areas (Displays 2, 3, 4, and 5):

To open a drawing area:

  • click on one of the Display Control (Show 2, 3, 4, or 5) in the Control Panel. A (V) mark is placed on the box indicating that it is opened;

Three ways to close a drawing area:

  • click on the Closing button which is placed to the right at the bottom part of the window;
  • click on the Display Control (Show in the Control Panel) you want to close;
  • click on the control menu box (left top corner), and select Close.


WARNING : The Close button at Window 1 (Main Menu), closes the program.
* Opening a drawing area does not mean it is active.

 

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Using the Zoom in an active Window - Zoom Cursor

The Zoom Cursor is used to define regions that can be amplified in the drawing area. The zoom is enabled when this button is active or the mouse cursor has a shape of a small square ( for ) or an arrow pointing to the right bottom corner ( atalho_cursor_ar.gif - 923 Bytesfor ) inside the drawing area. Two points are required to establish the zoom area, the upper left corner and the lower right corner.


The procedure to make a zoom needs 4 main steps:

Making a zoom in the drawing area:

  • activate the Area Cursor. in [View] [Zoom Cursor] or atalho_cursor_ar.gif - 923 Bytes. Notice that the cursor changes from the normal mode (upward arrow) to the zoom mode ( for or atalho_cursor_ar.gif - 923 Bytesfor );
  • click on the drawing area to define the first point (upper left), indicating that the movement has to be from left to right and from top to bottom. Drag the cursor to the desired position;
  • click on the drawing area again to define the second point (lower right) in the zoom area;
  • click on - [Execute] [Draw] or the atalho_desenhar.gif - 941 Bytesbutton.

NOTE: In order to disable the zoom cursor and go back to the normal mode, just click on the Zoom Cursor in the tools bar atalho_cursor_ar.gif - 923 Bytesor [View] [Zoom Cursor], or use the middle right button (RB) inside the drawing area.

Once a zoom area is defined (dotted rectangle) this can be resized before the [Execute][Draw]. Click on any of the rectangle sidelines or the rectangle external diagonals. These allow to resize (see the eight possible positions in the figure below). A second click is required to anchor the new position.

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The marked zoom area can still be totally moved to another position, just click in the internal part of the defined rectangle, drag it to the desired position and click again to anchor it in a new position.

The zoom resource is very important when one wants to see an Information Layer in more details. For data in the raster format, the zoom does not make sense since it is possible to see the resolution elements (pixels). A vector data, however, will not loose its resolution, independently of the scale used.

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How to make a Zoom In / Zoom Out / Zoom IL

After presenting some data in any of the SPRING window, it is possible to ZOOM IN or to ZOOM OUT the data. It is possible to amplify (Zoom +) or reduce (Zoom -) once starting from the drawing center area. Another option is to draw the IL evolving rectangle exactly, which is previously defined.


Just click on one of the options:

  • The Zoom In button or [Execute] [Zoom In] in the main menu amplify the area twice starting from the drawing area center after selecting the IL in the "Control Panel".
  • The Zoom Out button or [Execute] [Zoom Out] in the main menu reduces the area twice starting from the drawing area center after selecting the IL in the "Control Panel".
  • The Zoom IL button or [Execute] [Zoom IL] in the main menu amplify the data according to the active IL in the "Control Panel", based on the evolving rectangle in the IL. Other IL's can be selected, but the action will be in the active IL.

 

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Merging one window into another

Merging one SPRING window means to show its contents, that is, the IL's that are selected in the "Control Panel", in the main window, through a mobile window over the drawing area.

This window merging resource allows, easily, to compare the data from other IL's with the active and visible IL in the SPRING main window. The figure below shows the central part in window 1, part of another merged window. See the following procedure.


Attaching the data from a display with the main window:

  • enable the Main Window in the Display Control if it is not enabled yet;
  • draw some IL over the Main Window(for instance an image);
  • click on Execute - Draw in the Main Window or atalho_desenhar.gif - 941 Bytes;
  • enable the Display 2 in the "Control Panel", but it is not required to show it;
  • select any other IL in the "Control Panel" (for instance a river map or a road map);
  • click on the Attach button in the Display 2;
  • enable the Zoom Cursor ( atalho_cursor_ar.gif - 923 Bytes) and mark any rectangle over the Main Window (as if you were about to make a zoom), but do not click Draw;
  • once the rectangle is defined (zoom area) over the Main Window, click on its interior and move the rectangle to any place in the Main Window. Notice that the contents in the Display 2 is presented inside the rectangle.

NOTE: While the window is merged to the mouse movement, the user can use the mouse RB (right button) to hide and present quickly the merged windows contents. Keeping the RB pressed without moving the mouse, the merged area temporarily disappears.

The figure below shows an example of merged window, where there is an image in the Main Window and a thematic image merged in the Display 2.

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Cross Cursor

The Cross Cursor is used for SPRING functions where it is required to get an specific position in the window, for instance, reading the gray levels of an image. To enable it click on View - Cross Cursor. The cursor keeps a cross (+) shape in the display, indicating that it is active. The cross cursor will be used in applications where the coordinate has to be indicated by window pointing.

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Digitizer Cursor

The Digitizer Cursor button is used when we want to make a vector data digitizing through the digitizer, and it only will be enable when a digitizer is connected and configured, through the environment variables SPRINGTABLEPORT and SPRINGTABLE (more details about this see see the environment variables).


IMPORTANT: Do not forget to make the digitizer calibration before using it.


NOTE: When activating the Digitizer Cursor, the mouse will become disable, allowing only the digitizer cursor movements. In order to return the control to the mouse just click the button 4 in the digitizer cursor.

 

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Graphic

The Graphic button in the tools bar or View - Graphic is used to show some application's results in the graphic form, such as Profile Calculus and Lineaments analysis.

 

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To Draw, Zoom In, Zoom Out, Zoom IL, Previous and Reset the display data

The Draw button or [Execute] [Draw] in the main menu updates the data in the window according to the selection performed in the "Control Panel" and the presentation characteristics, such as scale, defined in the window. It has to be activated at each new selection, after changing the visualization parameters, data edition, and after defining the zoom area with the cursor.

The Reset button or [Execute] [Reset] in the main menu resizes the data presentation as a function of the window size and of the rectangle around the active project. It will undo a zoom performed using the Zoom Cursor and restore the presentation mode to Auto, if the system was set to Full or Scale.

The previous button or [Execute] [Previous] in the main menu restores the last presentation action of a data in the current window. It will undo the last zoom made through the Area Cursor, Zoom In, Zoom Out, Zoom IL or Flying Cursor.

 

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To get information from the presented IL's in the display

The usage of the button or [View] [Info Cursor] in the main menu, allows to show all information about the presented IL's in the active window. When activating this button, the cursor changes to a cross (+) shape and when clicking in the active window, all information in the indicated position are presented in the " Data Report" window. To restore the cursor's shape (arrow), click on the info button again.

 

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Flying over the drawing area

The flying feature using the atalho_voar.gif - 962 Bytesbutton or [View] [Roaming Cursor] in the main menu, allows to move the data in the window while keeping the visualization scale, and has only effect when the zoom is applied over the data in the active window. The cursor turns to the cross (+) shape when the flying feature is active. Click on a position in the window and drag the mouse until the desired position, releasing it after that, so the image will be presented in the new position. To restore the cursor to the arrow shape, click on the mouse right button inside the drawing area or the flying button itself.



Flying in the window after the zoom:

  • amplify any window using the zoom;
  • click on the atalho_voar.gif - 962 Bytesbutton or View - Roaming Cursor in the main menu;
  • click on any point in the amplified window and drag to a new position. When releasing the mouse button the image will be moved to the new position, always keeping the visualization scale.

 

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