Version
1.0.1.2 (preview)
Language
English
You are reading the Icon Map Lite documentation for version 1.0.1.2, which has not been released yet. Go to the latest version (1.0.1.1).

Edit, reorder and remove layers

The list on the left of the Layer Manager is your map from top to bottom. Drag rows to change which layer draws over which, hide or remove a layer with the buttons on its row, and select a row to change its settings.

Diagram: the rows of the Layer Manager list from top to bottom match the layers of the map from the top layer down to the basemap
The list order is the drawing order. The top row is drawn over everything below it.

The quick path

  • Reorder: drag a row by its grip, or use the Move up and Move down buttons on the row.
  • Hide or show: select the eye button on the row. Shapes layers have one.
  • Remove: select the bin button, Remove from the map.
  • Edit: select the row. Its editor opens in the right column.
  • Save: select Apply changes. Until then nothing in the report changes.

The list and the drawing order

The list under On the map shows every layer that is switched on, data layers and reference layers together, with the top-most first. A layer higher in the list is drawn over the layers below it. The Background map row is always last, because the basemap is drawn under everything.

The order comes from each layer's Z-Index setting, the same number you can see in the Format pane: a higher number is drawn on top. The list sorts the layers for you, so you do not need to work with the numbers.

What a row shows

From left to right:

Part What it is
Grip Drag it to move the row.
Picture A small picture of the layer type.
Name The layer's name. A New badge marks layers added since the dialog opened. A warning icon marks a data layer that is on but draws nothing.
Detail line Data layer or Reference layer, and where its shapes come from, for example "Reference layer · Uploaded file" or "Data layer · Built into the visual". For a layer that draws nothing, the reason replaces this line.
Move up, Move down Move the row one place.
Eye Hide or Show the layer. A hidden row is dimmed.
Bin Remove from the map.

Not every row has an eye or a bin: see "Which rows can be hidden or removed" below.

Layer names are worked out for you: the uploaded file's name, the name of a built-in boundary set such as "Countries", or the layer type. A layer that is waiting for its file gets a numbered name such as "File 2" or "Shapes 2", and its detail line reads "No file yet". A layer cannot be renamed or duplicated here.

Reorder layers

Use any of these:

  • Drag a row by its grip and drop it on the row whose place it should take.
  • Select Move up or Move down on the row.
  • With the keyboard, move the focus to a row and press Alt+Up or Alt+Down.

Each move counts as one change in the footer. When you apply, the Layer Manager updates the Z-Index of the row you moved to fit between its new neighbors. If the neighbors' numbers leave no room, the rows below are renumbered as well. You will see the new numbers in the Format pane.

Circles and Images & icons are two rows, each with its own Z-Index, so moving one does not move the other. Labels on circles and images belong to the Data labels row, which stays above both.

Default order

A layer you have not moved sits where its default Z-Index puts it. From the top:

Layer Default Z-Index
Data labels 950
3D columns 500
Day and night 450
Images & icons 410
Lines & flows 409
Circles 405
Cells, Heatmap, Shapes (from data) 400
Shapes from file 365
Shapes (from files) 360

Where two layers have the same number, the list shows them in the order the map draws them.

Hide and show

The eye button hides a layer without removing it. The layer keeps its place and all its settings, and the row stays in the list, dimmed. Select the eye again to show it.

Remove

The bin button switches the layer off. Its settings are kept in the report.

Which rows can be hidden or removed

Row Hide and show Remove
Circles, Images & icons No Yes. Each row removes only its own layer.
Heatmap, 3D columns, Cells, Lines & flows, Shapes (from data) No Yes
Data labels No Yes. This sets Display Label to No.
Shapes (from files) Yes The last layer only
Shapes from file Yes The last layer only
Day and night No Yes

For the two types you can add several of, the layers are numbered in the order they were added, and only the highest-numbered one has a bin. Removing it reduces the count by one. A layer in the middle can be hidden but not removed, because the layers after it would take over its settings.

The Background map row

The last row names the basemap the map draws: a built-in theme such as "Light", None, the name of your uploaded .imbase file, or "Custom (no file yet)". Change opens the Background map page, described in Layer Manager.

Edit a layer

Select a row, or move the focus to it and press Enter or Space. The right column shows the layer's editor.

The editor for a Circles layer, with size, fill, outline, clustering and zoom fields
An editor: the layer's main settings, each a fixed value.

Every editor has the same shape:

  1. The heading - the layer's name, and below it a line that starts with where the layer comes from, then "Format pane:" followed by the place in the Format pane that holds all of the layer's settings. For a data layer such as Circles it reads "Data layer · Format pane: Data Layers › Circles". For an uploaded reference layer it reads "Uploaded file · Format pane: Reference Layers › Shapes from file › Layer 1".
  2. Row status (data layers) - "Drawing all 1,240 rows", "Drawing 1,180 of 1,240 rows", or an explanation of why the layer draws nothing. See Check your data.
  3. Replace the file or Change the shapes, for layers whose shapes come from an upload or a built-in set.
  4. The fields, in sections.
  5. A note naming the place in the Format pane for advanced options and conditional formatting.

Each field you change counts as one change in the footer. Select Layers in the trail above the heading, or press Esc, to return to the home view.

The controls

Control How it works
Switch On or Off.
Number box Type a value. It is kept within the allowed range.
Slider Drag, or type in the box beside it.
Range slider Two handles on one slider, with a box at each end, for a smallest and a largest value.
Color A color picker with a box for the hex code (#RRGGBB). Some colors have a Transparency slider on the same row.
Dropdown Choose one option.
Picker Choose one of several tiles with a picture and a line of explanation.
Text box Type. The value is taken when you press Enter or leave the box.

Visible at zoom appears in most editors. It is a range slider from 0 to 24: the layer is hidden when the map is zoomed out past the left handle or in past the right handle.

Replace the file or change the shapes

Replace the file (Shapes from file) and Change the shapes (Shapes (from files)) run the add wizard again for the same layer. The title reads "Replace the source of" and the layer's name. The layer keeps its place in the list and its style; only its source changes.

  • For Shapes from file, select Choose a file to upload another file. The upload window opens: see Windows that open on the way.
  • For Shapes (from files), choose Built-in boundaries or Upload a file again. With built-in boundaries, select Add to map at the end and you return to the layer's editor.
The editor for a Shapes from file layer, with the Replace the file button above the Style, Labels and tooltips, and On the map sections
An uploaded reference layer: Replace the file keeps the layer's place and style.

Editors for data layers

Circles

Field What it does Default
Size How the Circle Size field is used: Relative to the largest value, The value, in pixels or The value, in meters. Relative to the largest value
Circle size The smallest and largest circle, for the smallest and largest value, in pixels (0 to 100). Shown when Size is relative. 5 to 30
Fill and Transparency Fill color and its transparency. From the report theme, 20%
Outline and Transparency Outline color and its transparency. From the report theme, 0%
Outline width 0 to 100 pixels. 2
Cluster nearby circles Groups circles that overlap when zoomed out. Off
Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24

More in Circles and Clusters.

Images and icons

Field What it does Default
Images come from An image URL or SVG in your data (the Image / WKT / GeoJSON field) or Text or emoji. An image URL or SVG in your data
Text or emoji Any text or emoji, drawn onto the marker. Shown for text or emoji. Empty
Width 0 to 1000 pixels. 30
Height 0 to 1000 pixels. Not shown for text or emoji. 30
Background color The marker's color. Shown for text or emoji. #000000
Text color The color of the text. Shown for text or emoji. #FFFFFF
Transparency 0 to 100. 0
Cluster nearby images Groups images that overlap when zoomed out. Off
Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24

Icon Map Lite reads no images from the internet: an image in your data is an SVG or a data: URL. When circles and images are both on, each has its own row and its own editor. More in Images and icons.

Cluster order

When Cluster nearby circles or Cluster nearby images is on and a field is in Cluster Group, the Circles and Images & icons editors end with an Order of section, named after the field. A second Cluster Group field has a section of its own.

Field What it does Default
Order The order of the field's values in the cluster charts, the legend and the Format pane's color pickers. The same choices as Order in the Format pane. As in the data
Direction A to Z or Z to A, Ascending or Descending, or Largest first or Smallest first. Shown for the orders that have a direction. A to Z, Ascending or Largest first
Values in order The values in their order now, numbered, each with its color. Select Arrange by hand to start a custom order from it. With Custom, move a value with the arrows next to it.

More in Cluster order.

Heatmap

Field What it does Default
Radius The radius of each point when zoomed out, and when zoomed in, in pixels (1 to 500). 2 to 20
Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24

More in Heatmap.

3D columns

Field What it does Default
Shape Square or Circle. Square
Height Relative to the largest value or The value, in meters. Relative to the largest value
Column height The height for the smallest and largest value, in meters (0 to 20,000). 100 to 5000
Width 1 to 100,000 meters. 100
Color and Transparency Column color and its transparency. #1F77B4, 10%

More in 3D columns.

Cells

Section Field What it does Default
Cells Cells come from The grid and the source, with the same options as Source in the Format pane: H3 from Longitude and latitude coordinates, H3 Indexes as ID (hex), H3 Indexes as ID (64bit integers), S2 from Longitude and latitude coordinates, S2 Cell IDs (64bit integers), S2 Cell tokens (hex), A5 from Longitude and latitude coordinates, A5 Cell IDs (64bit integers), Geohash from Longitude and latitude coordinates, Geohashes as ID, Custom shapes from Longitude and latitude coordinates. H3 from Longitude and latitude coordinates
Cells Aggregate values by Sum, Count, Average, Minimum or Maximum. Sum
Cells Cell size Fixed or Follows the zoom. Fixed
Cells Resolution Higher is finer: H3 0 to 15, S2 and A5 0 to 30, Geohash 1 to 12. Shown when Cell size is fixed. 3
Colors Low color, Mid color, High color The colors for low, middle and high values. #DEEBF7, #6BAED6, #08306B
Colors Fill transparency 0 to 100. 10
Colors Outline and Transparency Outline color and its transparency. #000000, 10%
Colors Outline width 0 to 100 pixels. 0

Custom shapes need a polygon file, which you upload in the Format pane. More in Cells: H3 hexagons and grids.

Lines & flows

Field What it does Default
Style A picker of six line styles: see below. Straight lines
Color and Transparency Line color and its transparency. From the report theme, 20%
Width 0 to 100 pixels. 2
Arrowheads Shown when the style is Flow arcs or Flow tree. On
Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24
The Style picker for Lines and flows, with a tile for each of the six line styles
The Style picker: one tile per line shape.

The Style picker sets the same setting as Line Shape in the Format pane. The names differ between the two places:

Tile in the Layer Manager What it draws Line Shape in the Format pane
Straight lines The shortest line on the screen from origin to destination. Straight / Rhumb
Great-circle arcs The shortest path over the globe, as a flight would take. Shortest
Flow arcs Curved flows whose width follows a value, with arrowheads. Flow arcs
3D arcs Arcs rise off the map; tilt it to see them in three dimensions. 3D Arcs
Flow tree Lines from one origin share a trunk, then branch to each destination. Flow Tree
Routes (side by side) Lines sharing a street are drawn beside each other, like transit lanes. Routes

Each shape is described in Lines and Routes.

Shapes (from data)

Field What it does Default
Fill and Transparency Fill color and its transparency. #1F77B4, 20%
Outline and Transparency Outline color and its transparency. #000000, 0%
Outline width 0 to 100 pixels. 2
Show points as Circle, Pin, Text or emoji or Image. Circle
Point size 0 to 500 pixels. 5
Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24

More in Shapes from data (WKT and GeoJSON).

Shapes (from files)

Change the shapes is available.

Section Field What it does Default
Source Boundaries Built-in boundaries only: Countries, Countries, split or States and provinces. Choosing another set also resets Property to match your data to that set's first property. Countries
Source Property to match your data The property of each shape that holds the value in your Feature Reference field. For built-in boundaries, a dropdown of the set's properties with an example value. For an uploaded file, a dropdown of the file's properties with Any property (slower) first, or a text box you can leave empty to try every property. The set's first property, or empty
Source Hide shapes with no matching row Draws only the shapes that match a row. Off
Style Fill and Transparency Used when the layer has no color from your data. #1F77B4, 1%
Style Outline and Transparency Outline color and its transparency. #000000, 1%
Style Outline width 0 to 100 pixels. 1
On the map Visible Shows or hides the layer. On
On the map Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24
On the map Every property in the tooltip Adds every property of the shape to its tooltip. Off

When the report uses the layers as drill-down levels, the row's detail line adds "drill-down level" and its number. More in Shapes from files and built-in boundaries.

Data labels

The Data labels row appears once labels are switched on in the Format pane (Format pane > Labels > Content > Display Label).

The editor for data labels, with label text, style, when to show, size, color, position and zoom fields
The Data labels editor.
Field What it does Default Name in the Format pane
Label text Fixed text, or leave it empty to show the ID of each row. To take the text from a field, use conditional formatting (fx) in the Format pane. Empty Label Text (Body Text for card styles)
Style Classic, Halo text, Glass, Dark glass, Card, Pill or Neon. Classic Label Style
Show Always, On mouse over or When selected. Always Label Visibility
Text size 0 to 100 points. 16 Font Size (min zoom)
Text color The color of the text. #000000 Text Color
Position Above, Below, Left, Right or Center. Center Position (circles & images)
Hide overlapping labels Hides labels that would collide. Off Avoid Overlapping
Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24 Visible From Zoom, Visible To Zoom

The editor heading gives the place in the Format pane as "Data Labels". The card is named Labels. More in Data labels.

Editors for reference layers

Shapes from file

Replace the file is available.

Section Field What it does Default
Style Use these colors On: the fill and outline below are used. Off: shapes keep the colors stored in the file, where it has them. Off for the first layer, On for the others
Style Fill and Transparency Fill color and its transparency. #555555, 30%
Style Outline and Transparency Outline color and its transparency. #000000, 20% for the first layer, 0% for the others
Style Outline width 0 to 100 pixels. 1
Style Show points as Pin, Circle or Image. Pin
Style Point size 0 to 200 pixels. 10
Labels and tooltips Show labels Labels each feature. Off
Labels and tooltips Label property The property of each feature to write as its label. Shown when labels are on. Empty
Labels and tooltips Text size 0 to 100 points. Shown when labels are on. 10
Labels and tooltips Text color Shown when labels are on. #000000
Labels and tooltips Show tooltips Shows every property of the feature, unless Tooltip Property is set in the Format pane. Off
On the map Visible Shows or hides the layer. On
On the map Visible at zoom Zoom range. 0 to 24

More in Shapes from file and Labels on reference layers.

Day and night

Field What it does Default
Color and Transparency The night shading and its transparency. #000000, 70%

More in Day and night.

What stays in the Format pane

The editors show the settings most maps need. Everything else, and everything that takes its value from your data, is in the Format pane. Each editor's heading and closing note name the place.

Diagram: the Layer Manager and the Format pane both write to one set of layer settings; conditional formatting is only in the Format pane
The Layer Manager sets fixed values. Conditional formatting (fx) is set in the Format pane.

Conditional formatting (fx). The Layer Manager sets one fixed value for each setting: one fill color for all circles, one width for all lines. To color, size or switch things per row from a field or a measure, use the fx button beside the setting in the Format pane. If a setting already uses conditional formatting, change it in the Format pane. See Conditional formatting.

Advanced options. These are examples of what the editors leave to the Format pane:

Layer In the Format pane only
All layers Conditional formatting, and the Z-Index number itself
Circles Cluster appearance and behavior
Images & icons Offsetting overlapping images
Heatmap Weight, intensity and the advanced radius settings
Cells The polygon file for custom shapes
Lines & flows Dashes and animation, line symbols, images and circles at the ends of a line, 3D arc settings
Shapes (from data) Extrusion in 3D
Shapes (from files) Colors for shapes with no matching row, drill-down or multiple layers
Data labels Switching labels on, title, image and footer, fonts, the label container, pointer and orientation
Shapes from file Filtering the layer by your data, selecting with its polygons, detailed label settings

For where each card and group is, see the Format pane map.

Where the editor's "Format pane:" line points

The line in each editor's heading uses short names. These are the cards they refer to:

The editor says Card in the Format pane
"Data Layers › ..." Data Layers
"Reference Layers › Shapes from file › Layer 1" Reference Layers, groups Shapes from file layer 1 - Configuration, - Formatting and - Labels
"Reference Layers › Daylight Terminator" Reference Layers, group Daylight Terminator
"Data Labels" Labels
"Background Layer" (the Background map page) Background Layer

Tips and limits

  • Nothing changes in the report until you select Apply changes. Cancel discards the changes made since the dialog opened, except those saved before the upload window opened. See Windows that open on the way.
  • Removing a layer keeps its settings. Hiding a layer keeps its place as well.
  • For the types you can add several of, only the last layer can be removed.
  • Layers cannot be renamed or duplicated in the Layer Manager.
  • Colors are entered as six-digit hex codes, for example #1F77B4.