[ka-Map-users] Re: Sending query results to "Content" div on top of the map

[Steve Walker]

Earlier this week I wrote on the topic of 'Sending query results to
"Content" div on top of the map.'  The idea is to use the real estate of
the map (viewport) to provide sufficient room to display the formatted
results of the query.

I now have a live example of an implementation of this.  Since it is a
commercial site I won't reproduce the URL as a link here, but if you wish
you can visit it at     vegas    hotel     map    (dot)   net


-Steve

-----------------------------

Original Thread:

Mixing and matching interfaces here...

I really like the "Content" functionality associated with kaExplorer - for
those who don't know, it places some html 'content' (ka-map! info, help,
or what you want) on top of the viewport - or map image.

What I really *don't* like are the pop-up windows associated with the
query, print, and other tools (such as in the ka_aqua interface).
Similarly, neither the 'service' div under kaExplorer nor the index_query
use of a shrinkable div in a corner of the viewport offer enough real
estate to do anything useful with my query results.

I wanted the real estate of the kaExplorer 'content' but working from
within a kaAqua-sourced template.

Here is what I have been able to do:

Working with the kaAqua startUp.js as a base, I grabbed the relevant
'content' code from the kaExplorer startUp.js and screen.css/tools.css

Then, in the kaAqua startUp.js at around line 310 I replaced this:

    WOOpenWin( 'Query', 'map_query.php?'+params, 'resizable=yes,scrollbars=\
yes,width=600,height=400' );

with this:

    showContent('map_query.php?' + params);

And now the results of my interactive queries will show up in the
'content' div on top of my map, just like the 'INFO' and 'HELP' links do
under kaExplorer.  I'm thinking that I can make the 'print' and 'search'
tools behave the same.

!AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT!

Just one little issue/question.  A bunch of black boxes, like bounding
boxes, show up surrounding the elements on the map:  Each image in the
toolbar, each zoom-shrink icon on the map, and within the keymap, parallel
vertical and horizontal lines representing tile boundaries.  They persist
even after closing the 'content' window.  Presumably they are element
bounding boxes, but where are they being turned on?

I think I solved this one:

Instead of
>
>     showContent('map_query.php?' + params);
>

The line should be

      showContent('map_query_float.php?' + params);

Which has the benefit of picking up the layer query metadata as well.


Also, when somebody clicks on the 'Zoom to' magnifying glass on the query
results table, it should then be closed (because the user is returning to
the map).  So, in map_query_float.php at around line 310 I have added the
hideContent() directive, so that the line now reads:

// ZOOM TO EXTENT
echo "<td align=\"center\"><a href=\"#\"
onClick=\"myKaMap.zoomToExtents($xmin,$ymin,$xmax,$ymax);hideContent();\"><img
id=\"toolZoomInMini\" src=\"images/a_pixel.gif\" alt=\"zoom
to\"></a></td>";




-- 
Steve Walker
Middle Fork Geographic Information Services
walker at mfgis.com
360-671-2505