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XML Configuration file ‘GeoSurvey_config.xml’

Note 1: This config file is read when the program starts, so if you are editing the file to make changes, you must re-start the program before the changes will take effect.

Note 2: The File/Settings/Program Settings must be set to access this file. (You can have multiple xml config files, you can use any filename and have one of them ‘active’.

The program currently reads the following values from the config file:
  • Program Control Options - see below
  • Plan Forms
  • Sheet Sizes - see below
  • Section Layouts
  • String Codes (formerly defined in Strings_def.mst)
  • Point Codes (formerly defined in Strings_def.mst)
  • Symbol Definitions (formerly defined in Strings_def.mst)
    •
    Checking Your XML File
    To check that the file is setup correctly, there are two options. Start a job and the program will read in the file and check the syntax as it goes. If an error is found, it will display an error message and the line at which it found the error.

    Another approach is to double click on the xml file or open it with Internet Explorer, it will read the file and tell you if it finds syntax errors.
    When the program starts, it will read the file and display an error message if it finds an error in the file format.

    Program Control

    Company Name
    You can define the company name which will be used for New jobs on the top of reports etc. This can be further changed in the ‘Job Properties’ dialog.
    <company_name>Mimaka Pty Limited</company_name>

    Job Plot Scale
    You can define the job plot scale used for New jobs.
    <job_plot_scale>1000</job_plot_scale>

    Code String Number
    Enter “Y” or “N”. Y = a string number is required on codes used for string formation. When set to Y, TB1 is legal, TB2 is legal but TB is not legal and will cause an error.
    <require_string_number val="Y" descr="string codes require a number TB01, TB alone is illegal" />

    Lock Job File
    This sets the .acs file behaviour when the .acs file is opened by the program.
    * Set the value to “R” to make the .acs job file Read Only. This means that other network users can copy the file with Explorer but cannot open the job with the program.
    * Set the value to “Y” to lock the .acs job file for exclusive access. This means that other network users will not be able to read, copy or open the .acs file in any way while the job is open.
    * Set the value to “N” to make the .acs job file read/write by any users of any programs, even when the program has the job open.
    <lock_file val="R" descr="Lock .asc file when job is open ('Yes','No','Read_only')" />

    Output File Path
    This allows you to default the output folder for conversion files to the work directory where the job is located (“Yes”) or it will remember the last output folder used by the user (“No”).
    <outfile_work_path val="yes" descr="Use work path as default when writing output files, or use last file written ('Yes','No')" />

    Contour Interval Defaults
    This sets the default values for contour formation.
    <contourDefaults minorInterval="0.2" majorInterval="1.0" />

    Annotation Outside Anti-Clockwise Strings
    When creating annotation, the program usually autodetects anti-clockwise string and creates the annotation on the inside of the lot. This option allows you to force annotation to the outside of the lot lines by creating the lots in an anti-clockwise manner.
    <annotationOutsideAntiClockwiseStrings>No<annotationOutsideAntiClockwiseStrings>

    Positive Latitude Values
    Strictly, latitude entries for the Southern Hemisphere are negative and should be entered as negative values. This option allows you to enter positive values for latitude, they will be converted to negative values in the program.
    <latitudeEntryPositive>Yes</latitudeEntryPositive>

    Northern Hemisphere
    For historcal reasons, latitude entries for the Southern Hemisphere were entered as positive numbers. This option will make GS treat Positive latitude as Northern Hemisphere and Negative latitudes as Southern Hemisphere. If YES
       Positive latitude as Northern Hemisphere
       Negative latitudes as Southern Hemisphere
    If NO
       Positive latitude as Southern Hemisphere
       Negative latitudes as Southern Hemisphere

    Display Offset Points Button
    Set to Yes to display the Insert Offset Points toolbar button.
    <toolbarOffsetPt>Yes</toolbarOffsetPt>

    Display Create Mesh Points Button
    Set to Yes to display the Create Mesh Points toolbar button.
    <toolbarMeshPts>Yes</toolbarMeshPts>

    Job Title Prompts
    These options jobInfoTitle1 to jobInfoTitle4 allow you to change the prompts in the Job Info dialog box.
    <jobInfoTitle1>Plan Purpose</jobInfoTitle1>

    Listing Page Length
    This is the number of lines per page used for Field Obs Reduction and other reports when writing listing files.
    <listingPageLen>40</listingPageLen>

    Export DXF Fonts
    Set to Yes to export the Text font names to the DXF file.
    <dxfFonts>Yes</dxfFonts>

    Display Defaults

    Boundary String Colour
    You can set the colour of the Boundary string when it is formed. Use 'ByLayer' if you don't want to set a particular colour.
    <boundaryColour>Pink</boundaryColour>

    Display Co-ordinates Decimals
    You can set the number of decimal places when displaying Easting, Northing in dialog boxes.
    <coordsDecimals>3</coordsDecimals>

    Display Heights Decimals
    You can set the number of decimal places when displaying heights in dialog boxes.
    You can control the number of decimal places for spot heights on the layer.
    <htsDecimals>3</htsDecimals>

    Display Square Offset Decimals
    You can set the number of decimal places when displaying Square Offsets in dialog boxes.
    <sqOffsetDecimals>3</sqOffsetDecimals>

    Display Bearings Decimal Places
    You can set the number of decimal places when displaying Square Offsets in some (F3,F4) dialog boxes.
    <bearingsDecimals>2</bearingsDecimals>

    Display Distances Decimals
    You can set the number of decimal places when displaying Distances in dialog boxes.
    <distDecimals>3</distDecimals>

    Layer Defaults

     Layer Defaults
    These are the default values for new layers.
    <layerDefaults symbolSize="2.5" symbol="4" colour="Black" heightDecimals="2" fontName="Arial" fontSize="2.5" />

    Geom Layer Defaults
    These are the default values for new layers.
    <geomLayerDefaults symbolSize="2.5" symbol="3" colour="Green" heightDecimals="2" />

    Strings Layer Defaults
    These are the default values for new layers.
    <layerDefaults symbolSize="2.5" symbol="4" colour="Blue" />

    Triangles Layer Defaults
    These are the default values for new layers.
    <layerDefaults colour="LtGrey />

    Auto Set Select Objects On Visible Layers
    This option will cause the tick box on the layers dialog box to be set each time you start the Layers dialog.
    <autoSetSelectObjectsOnVisibleLayers>Yes</autoSetSelectObjectsOnVisibleLayers>

    Boundary Layer Defaults
    You can set the layer to be used when a boundary or No Contour areas are created. If this value is missing from the config file, the current Insert layer will be used.
    <boundaryLayerDefaults name="Tri Boundaries" colour="Grey" />

    Remarks Layer
    You can set the layer to be used when Text items are created from point remarks. If this value is missing from the config file, the current Insert layer will be used.
    <remarksLayer>Tri Boundaries</remarksLayer>

    Toolbar Layer Selection Width
    You can set the width of the Layers selection box on the toolbar.
    <toolbarLayersWidth>200</toolbarLayersWidth>

    Form Longsection Layer
    This value affects the Strings/Form Longsection.. option to autocreate a new layer for the inserted points.
    The new layer will be named 'STRING-Inserted Points' where STRING will be the string name.
    The layer will be created if it does not exist.
    This option is enabled by setting
    <autoLongsectionLayer>StringName</autoLongsectionLayer>

    Point Symbolisation Update Layers
    When the Strings/Form Strings by Codes option is used, it forms strings by matching point codes.
    It also assigns symbols, colour etc by matching point codes.
    The Point Codes are defined in the config file - see Here for details.
    The default behaviour is to update the Point layer attributes.
    This can be a problem if successive Point Symbol definitions to the same layer have different attributes (colour, symbol etc).
    This option stops the updates of the layer attributes,
    <symbolisationUpdateLayers>Yes</symbolisationUpdateLayers>
    Set the value to No if you want to stop this.
    When the value is 'No', if the layer does not exist, it is created and the layer attributes are set as before.
    If the layer exists, the layer is not updated, the attributes are assigned to the Point instead.

    Triangle Parameter Defaults

     This sets the default values for triangle formation.
    <triangleDefaults ignoreDisconsWithNonContourablePoints="Yes" ignoreDisconsOutsideBoundary="Yes" checkPointsNearDiscons="Yes" minPointDisconOffset="0.010" ignoreInvisiblePoints="No" />
    Click for more info.

    Field Data Defaults

     Field Session Layer
    This sets the 'layer' assigned to Field data. Turning this layer on/off control visibility of the field data observations.
    <fieldSessionLayer>"Field Observations"</fieldSessionLayer>

    Field Station Setup Azimuth Method
    You can set the default value used when new station setups are read from a filed data file.
    <fieldStnAzimuthMethod>2</fieldStnAzimuthMethod>
    The value must be a number 0-4, see Field Station Seup Properties for more info

    Plan Forms

    For information on how to specify Plan Forms.click here
    <Plan_Forms>

    Sheet Sizes

    You can define your own standard sheet sizes in the configuration file by altering the dimensions of the sheets.
    <Sheet_sizes>
    <sheet name="A0+" size="1000.0,800.0" />
    <sheet name="A0" size="900.0,700.0" />
    <sheet name="A1" size="770.0,510.0" />
    <sheet name="A2" size="594.0,420.0" />
    <sheet name="A3" size="420.0,297.0" />
    <sheet name="A4" size="297.0,210.0" />
    </Sheet_sizes>

    You can also change the sheet name, this name will appear on one of the buttons on the Viewport Properties dialog box. When you press that button, the dimensions in the config file will be loaded.
    <sheet name="DP1" size="590.0,420.0" />

    Note: The number of buttons is fixed at 6, it cannot be changed.

    Screen Display Order
    <!-- data display order on screen: any item not in the list will not be displayed --> <displayOrder>
    <element>Triangles</element>
    <element>Contours</element>
    <element>Points</element>
    <element>Strings</element>
    <element>HighlightLines</element>
    <element>HighlightPoints</element>
    <element>FieldObs</element>
    <element>TextLotnos</element>
    <element>TextBrgs</element>
    <element>TextDists</element>
    <element>TextPointNumber</element>
    <element>TextPointHeights</element>
    <element>TextPointCodes</element>
    <element>TextPointRemarks</element>
    <element>TextPointNames</element>
    <element>TextAngles</element>
    <element>TextOther</element>
    <element>ShortLineTable</element>
    </displayOrder>

    String Codes

    For full details of how to implement String Codes click here.

    Point Codes

    For full details of how to implement String Codes click here.

    Note: The program Settings/Code/Stringing File (.MST) must be blank for the XML symbol/point/string definitions to be read and used.

    Section Layouts

    For full details of Sections Configuration click here.

    Symbol Definitions

    For full details of how to implement String Codes click here.