Maptitude Help / Managing Geographic Files / Connecting Points

Connecting Points

You can build lines from groups of points, created with a GPS receiver or by other methods, using the Tools>Editing>Point to Line Conversion command.

With this command you have a great amount of control over how to identify groups of points and how to organize the points into lines. You can:

Use all of the points, or just a selection set
Add the lines to an existing standard (.dbd) line geographic file in the current map, create a new line geographic file that will be added as a layer in the current map, or add the lines as annotations
Connect the points based on increasing or decreasing values in any numeric field, by latitude, or by longitude
Connect only points that have a matching value in a field, such as a street name
Limit lines to a maximum number of points, to a maximum length, or both
Omit lines that would have less than a minimum number of points, less than a minimum length, or both
Set the largest gap that will be spanned when connecting points

Blue triangle icon To Connect Points

If you are going to add lines to an existing standard (.DBD) line geographic file, make sure that it is opened as a layer in the current map.
Choose the point layer that will be used for connecting points from the drop-down list on the Standard toolbar. If you want to use just some of the points, create a selection set for those points.
Choose Tools>Editing>Point to Line Conversion to display the Point to Line Conversion dialog box.

Choose whether to use all features in the point layer or a selection set from the Features drop-down list.
Choose where to add the lines as follows:

To do this...	Do this...
Add the lines to an existing layer	Choose To Layer in the radio list and choose the layer from the drop-down list
Create a new line layer	Choose To New Layer in the radio list
Add the line as a freehand annotation	Choose As Annotation from the radio list and click the sample to set the line style

TIP: By default, only one line will be created with each input being converted into a shape point along the line. If you wish to convert each point into a node and to create a line segment between each point, make sure you check “Limit number of points to” and then enter 0 under the Options tab.

Choose a field for ordering the connection from the Field drop-down list and choose whether to sort the field in increasing or decreasing order.
If you want to set options to control how lines are created, click the Options tab to display the Options page, and make choices as follows:

Point to Line Conversion dialog box Options tab

To set a maximum gap to connect, check the Don't connect successive points far apart box, enter the maximum span in the edit box, and choose the units from the drop-down list.
To omit short lines, check the Shorter than box, enter the minimum span in the edit box, and choose the units from the drop-down list.
To omit lines with few points, check the With fewer than box and enter the minimum number of points in the edit box.
To limit the number of points in a line, check the Limit number of points box and enter the maximum number in the edit box.
To limit the length of a line, check the Limit length to box, enter a maximum length in the edit box, and choose the units from the drop-down list.
To prevent lines from connecting to points that do not have matching values for a field, check the Line points must have a matching value box and choose a field from the drop-down list.

Click OK.

Maptitude connects the points and displays the new lines.