Organizing Layers

There are two aspects to organizing layers in a project. One is to define the order of appearance of the layers on the map. Layers at lower positions are drawn first and layers at higher positions are drawn at the end. Top layers can hide elements of bottom layers. The other aspect is to create a logical hierarchy based on the nature of the layers. In other words, this allows the creation of groups (and subgroups) of layers that have a logical relationship. For example, there could be a group of layers related to roads, another to hydrography, and another to census. Organizing them in groups makes it easier for the users to work with layers.

To start organizing the layers, open the Layers section of the project.

Ordering layers

To order layers of a project, open the tab titled List. This section presents the layers in their order of appearance on the map. The lowest position is the first layer to be drawn on the map. To change the order, you must use the Modify menu located at the top of the column displaying the position of each layer. You can also select one or more layers and move them using the available options (Move up, Move down, Move at…, etc.). In addition, you can open a window displaying all the layers and reorder them using drag-and-drop actions.

Grouping layers

To organize layers in groups, open the tab named Hierarchy. This section presents the current hierarchy of layers. By default, all layers of the project are in one unique group called Layers. To create a new group, press Create group. Fill the layer group parameters as described below:

Layer group
Name	Enter a name for the new group. The name must be unique.
Description	Optionally enter a description for the new group. This description will be visible to users.
Visible	Makes the group initially visible when the project is opened. All visible layers inside the group will be displayed.
Always listed	Ensures the group is always listed (displayed in the layer management window ) even if it contains no layer. By default, empty groups are not listed. A group can be empty if it contains no layer, if all the layers it contains are not listed or if the user doesn’t have the permission to see the layers of the group.
Image	This option allows you to select an image (an icon) to display with the group of layers. Press Choose to open the file browser and select the image file. The image size should not exceed 100*100 pixels. This option is only available for JMap NG applications. Other application types do not display the image.

Once groups have been created, you can move layers towards these groups using the Modify menu located at the top of the column displaying the position of each layer.