How Maptitude for the Web Works

You can quickly create simple applications without programming by adding existing controls to a web form and linking them to your geographic data. Developers can extend the functionality of an application by modifying the source code for the existing controls, often by adding just a few lines of code.

Demo This demo illustrates how to create a web application with the new GoogleOverlay Mapplication in Maptitude for the Web 5.0

The following diagram shows the structure of a typical web form – map.aspx. It contains three controls: LocateControl, MapControl and InfoControl. LocateControl lets users find street addresses. MapControl displays the map image and lets users zoom and pan. InfoControl displays information about map features into a DataGrid HTML table.

Each control is composed of three editable files: The HTML layout (e.g., MapControl.ascx), the .NET source code that executes the logic behind the control (MapControl.ascx.vb) and the XML parameter setting file that link the control to your geographic data (MapControl.config). You edit the parameter setting file visually in Maptitude for the Web, and the other two files in an editor such as Visual Studio.NET, Dreamweaver, Expression Web, or even NotePad.

When you design your application, you assemble the controls you need and you set their parameters. The parameters bind the controls to your data. Click on a highlighted area above to see the parameters for each control.

Maptitude for the Web ships with an extensible collection of controls that are ready to use. The diagram below displays the most common controls (click on the diagram to see a high-resolution PDF version). Additional controls are available for download by registered users from the Caliper web site.