Appearance
Style Editor & Map Editor
InsightMaps provides two complementary tools: the Style Editor for customizing how existing layers look, and the Map Editor for drawing shapes and performing geometry operations.
Style Editor
The Style Editor allows you to change how any layer appears on the map. Styling options vary by geometry type (point, line, or polygon).
Accessing the Style Editor
- Open the Style panel from the toolbar
- Select a target layer from the map
- The style controls appear based on the layer's geometry type
Point Styling
Marker Shape: Choose from circle, cross, diamond, square, triangle, or x
Point Size: 0-50 pixels
Color: Full RGBA color picker with transparency support
Outline:
- Width: 0-10 pixels
- Style: solid, dash, dash-dot, dot, long-dash, and more
- Color: Independent color picker
Line Styling
Line Style: 11 options including solid, dash, dash-dot, dot, long-dash, long-dash-dot, short-dash, short-dot, and more
Line Width: 0-10 pixels
Line Color: Full RGBA color picker
Line Markers (optional arrows or shapes along the line):
- Marker styles: arrow, circle, square, diamond, cross, x
- Placement: begin, end, or begin-end
- Marker color: Independent color control
Polygon Styling
Fill Style: 8 options — solid, backward-diagonal, cross, diagonal-cross, forward-diagonal, horizontal, vertical, none
Fill Color: RGBA color picker with transparency
Outline:
- Style: Same options as line styling (11 patterns)
- Width: 0-10 pixels
- Color: Independent color picker
Label Editor
Expand the Labels section to configure text labels on features.
Font Properties:
- Font size: 1-20 pixels
- Font weight: normal, bold, bolder, lighter
- Font style: normal, italic, oblique
- Font decoration: none, underline, line-through
- Label color: RGBA color picker
Label Placement (varies by geometry):
- Points: 9 positions (above-center, above-left, above-right, below-center, below-left, below-right, center-center, center-left, center-right)
- Lines: 3 positions (above-along, below-along, center-along)
- Polygons: Always horizontal
Halo Effect:
- Halo color: RGBA picker
- Halo size: 0-10 (0.5 increments)
Overlap Strategy:
- Static: Hide overlapping labels
- None: Show all labels regardless of overlap
Applying and Resetting Styles
- Click Update (or press Ctrl/Cmd+Enter) to apply style changes
- Click Reset to restore the original layer style
Map Editor
The Map Editor provides tools for drawing shapes, editing geometries, and performing spatial operations. It works with two layers: a Primary (target) layer and an Overlay (reference) layer.
Accessing the Map Editor
- Open the Draw & Sketch panel from the toolbar
- Select or create shapes on the Primary or Overlay layer
- Use geometry operations to combine or modify shapes
Drawing Tools
Five drawing tools are available:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Polygon | Click vertices to draw a closed shape. Double-click or press Enter to complete. |
| Polyline | Click vertices to draw an open line. Double-click or press Enter to complete. |
| Point | Single click to place a point marker. |
| Circle | Click to set center, drag to set radius. |
| Rectangle | Click and drag to define corners. |
Drawing Modes
Single Mode (default): Draw one shape at a time. Must finish before starting another.
Continuous Mode: Draw unlimited shapes without tool deactivation. Toggle using the Multi switch in the toolbar.
Drawing Aids
Snapping:
- Toggle the Snap switch to enable
- Select which layers to snap to from the checklist
- Drawn vertices snap to existing feature geometry
Measurement:
- Toggle the Measure switch to enable
- Displays real-time distance while drawing lines (meters/kilometers)
- Displays area while drawing polygons (hectares)
- Uses geodetic calculations for accuracy
Selection and Editing
Select Shapes:
- Click the Select tool, then click a shape on the map
- Works with features from existing layers
- Can cycle through overlapping results with repeated clicks
Edit Mode:
- Select an existing shape to enter edit mode
- Move vertices to new positions
- Add new vertices by clicking on edges
Primary and Overlay Layers
The Map Editor uses two working layers:
Primary (Target) Layer: The default working layer where shapes are drawn and results appear.
Overlay (Reference) Layer: A secondary layer used as input for geometry operations.
Each layer shows:
- Count of completed shapes
- Layer selector to choose from available map layers
Use the Reset button to clear all shapes from the active layer.
Geometry Operations
All operations combine shapes from the Primary and Overlay layers. Results appear in the Primary layer.
| Operation | Description | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Creates an expanded boundary around shapes at a specified distance (in meters) | Shapes in active layer |
| Intersect | Returns only the overlapping area between Primary and Overlay shapes | Both layers must have shapes |
| Subtract | Removes Overlay shapes from Primary shapes | Both layers must have shapes |
| Union | Merges all shapes from both layers into a single geometry | Shapes in one or both layers |
| Cut | Splits Primary polygons along Overlay polylines | Primary: polygons, Overlay: polylines |
Saving Results
Save to Database (requires login):
- Click the Save button
- Fill in the form:
- Name (required)
- Label (optional display name)
- Description (optional)
- Public or Private toggle
- Multiple shapes are automatically merged into a single entry
- Saved to your user account under "My Layers"
Exporting Results
Export to File:
- Click the Export button
- Choose a format:
- Shapefile
- KML
- GeoJSON
- GPX
- Select a coordinate projection:
- Web Mercator (EPSG:3857)
- WGS84 (EPSG:4326)
- Other common projections (state plane, UTM zones)
- Enter a filename
- Click Download
Troubleshooting
"Style changes not applying"
Causes:
- Layer does not support styling (e.g., tiled or image services)
- Style update not clicked
Solutions:
- Click Update or press Ctrl/Cmd+Enter to apply
- Only vector layers (FeatureLayer, MapImageLayer) support styling
"Drawing tools not responding"
Causes:
- Another tool or panel is active
- Snapping enabled with no compatible layers
Solutions:
- Close other active panels
- Disable snapping if no snap-compatible layers are loaded
"Geometry operation failed"
Causes:
- Required layers are empty (e.g., intersect needs shapes in both layers)
- Wrong geometry types (e.g., cut requires polylines in the Overlay layer)
Solutions:
- Check that both Primary and Overlay layers have the required shapes
- For cut operations, ensure the Overlay layer contains polylines
Summary
Style Editor: Customize layer appearance with geometry-specific controls for colors, symbols, outlines, labels, and line markers. Supports points, lines, and polygons with full RGBA color pickers and multiple style patterns.
Map Editor: Draw shapes (polygon, polyline, point, circle, rectangle) with snapping and measurement aids. Perform geometry operations (buffer, intersect, subtract, union, cut) to combine or modify shapes. Save results to your account or export as Shapefile, KML, GeoJSON, or GPX.