When you create a bookmark, you are simply saving the URL of the map with a set of parameters that indicate the map width, center point, and more. When you use a bookmark, Autodesk MapGuide Viewer reloads this URL with all the parameters that indicate exactly how to display the map.
If you know the URL of the map you want to view, and you know some of the values you want to use for particular parameters, such as the latitude/longitude of the center of the map, you can type them directly into the URL box in your browser, rather than manually moving the map. For example, if you know that the map name is amap.mwf and is located on www.mapguide.com, and you know the center point, map width, and map units, you could type the following URL:
http://www.mapguide.com/amap.mwf?Lat=-110.0&Lon=43.1&Width=100&Units=mi&ext=.mwf
The format of the URL should always be the URL of the map, followed by a question (?) mark, followed by the parameters you want to use (each separated by "&"), and lastly followed by "&ext=.mwf".
The following list shows all available URL parameters for Autodesk MapGuide Viewer. Default values are shown in bold. Parameters that include "Target" in their name accept reserved target names. See the Reserved Target Window Names table following the Parameter table.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| StatusBar | Specifies
whether to display the status bar. [On | Off] |
| ToolBar | Specifies
whether to display the toolbar. [On | Big | Off] |
| LayersViewWidth | Specifies the width of the map layer legend in pixels. A value of zero completely hides the map layer legend. Default: 150 |
| Lat | Latitude of the center of the area to display. Specify the value in decimal degrees. You must use a period (.) as the delimiter, for example, "25.333333". This parameter works only when used with the Lon and Scale parameters, or with Lon, Width, and Units. |
| Lon | Longitude of the center of the area to display. Specify the value in decimal degrees. You must use a period (.) as the delimiter, for example, "-45.888888". This parameter works only when used with the Lat and Scale parameters, or with Lat, Width, and Units. |
| Width | The width of the area displayed in Autodesk MapGuide Viewer using the units defined by the Units parameter. This parameter only works when used with the Lat, Lon, and Units parameters. |
| Scale | Scale of the initial display, either a real or integer value. This parameter works only when used with the Lat and Lon parameters. If not specified, a scale that displays the entire map within the map window is selected automatically. This setting overrides the Width parameter, if specified. |
| Units | Units used to specify the width. This parameter works only when used with the Lat, Lon, and Width parameters. [MI | KM | M | FT] |
| Selobjs | Specifies
a list of map features to select after Autodesk MapGuide Viewer is loaded and has
displayed the map. The map features are identified by specifying the name of the layer that
they are on, followed by their keys. Syntax: Selobjs=<MapLayer>,<Key_1>,...,<Key_N> See examples below. |
| DefaultTarget | Specifies the name of the target window where Autodesk MapGuide Viewer will display HTML documents, as well as URLs referenced in the OpenUrl and OpenMap actions. These actions can be defined when customizing the popup menu in Autodesk MapGuide Author. Default: _blank |
| ObjectLinkTarget | Specifies the name of the target window where Autodesk MapGuide Viewer will display the URL associated with a map feature. Default: ObjectLink |
| ReportTarget | Specifies the name of the target window where Autodesk MapGuide Viewer will display reports returned from the View > Report popup menu command. Default: Report |
| ErrorTarget | Specifies the name of the target window where Autodesk MapGuide Viewer will display error messages. Default: Error |
| URLList | Specifies
whether Autodesk MapGuide Viewer should generate an HTML document that lists the names
and links of the selected map features. The HTML document is displayed in the URLListTarget
window whenever the user selects map features that have URLs associated with them. [On | Off ] |
| URLListTarget | Specifies the name of the target window where Autodesk MapGuide Viewer will display its URLList. Default: ObjectLink |
| AutoLinkLayers | Specifies the name of a map layer that automatically displays map feature URL link information in the AutoLinkTarget window. The URLs are displayed in the AutoLinkTarget window. |
| AutoLinkTarget | Specifies the name of the target window where Autodesk MapGuide Viewer will display the URLs downloaded from the AutoLinkLayers. Default: ObjectLink |
| AutoLinkDelay | Specifies the number of seconds before the next URL associated with a map feature from an AutoLinkLayer will be displayed in the AutoLinkTarget window. Default value is 20. If 0 seconds is specified as the delay, the automatic timed update feature will be disabled, and the AutoLinkTarget window will be updated when the mouse passes over a map feature on an AutoLinkLayer. |
All of the target option parameters also accept the following reserved target window names:
| Target Name | Description |
|---|---|
| _blank | Loads the link into a new blank browser window. The window has no name. |
| _parent | Loads the link into the immediate parent of the window in which the link was clicked. |
| _self | Loads the link into the same window as the one in which the link was clicked. |
| _top | Loads the link into the full body of the window in which the link was clicked. |
The following examples show map URLs with parameters added to them.
When Web page authors add maps to their Web pages, they can also set up the pages so that the Autodesk MapGuide ActiveX Control is automatically downloaded and installed on your machine when you access those Web pages. If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, the ActiveX Control will be installed in a folder named Downloaded Program Files under the Windows or Winnt folder.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x provides an automated method for removing the Autodesk MapGuide ActiveX Control.
This deletes the file and removes it from your Windows Registry.
If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x, you can automatically update the Autodesk MapGuide ActiveX Control.
Autodesk MapGuide Viewer exposes an API that allows you to develop highly specialized applications that can display and query maps for use on an intranet or the Internet. You can use JScript or VBScript to develop applications for Microsoft Internet Explorer, or use Java and JavaScript to develop applications for Netscape Navigator.
The documentation for the API, Autodesk MapGuide Viewer API Help, provides all of the information you need to begin developing applications. It describes the different features, methods, properties, and events in the API and includes several sample applications that you can use to get a quick start.