MapServerMapMaker
MapServer MapMaker is an idea for a mapfile management and authoring tool that would be part of the MapServer distribution.
'''Background'''
Perhaps the biggest hurdle to the adoption of MapServer is the creation and maintenance of MapServer configuration files, called mapfiles. Although they are relatively simple text files the myriad of configuration options is daunting for all but the most experienced users. Any number of 3rd party authoring tools have appeared over the years but most have failed to catch on with the MapServer community. One significant reason is that none of these tools are part of the core distribution...
'''Design Goals'''
- multi-platform support (*nix, Windows and MacOS)
- leverage XML mapfile schema
- ability to define and apply interface templates
- ...
'''Use Cases'''
- create, import (from .map) and edit mapfile
- create, import and edit mapfile includes
- preview map
- create and edit query templates
- preview query template
- ...
'''Implementation Options'''
- ingest an existing tool
- web-based application
- desktop application
- plugin for 3rd party desktop GIS systems (e.g. for QGIS, ArcGIS, etc...)
- plugin for 3rd party authoring environments (e.g. Ecplise)
- ...
'''Mapfile Authoring Tools'''
- [http://www.qgis.org/ QGIS Mapfile Writer]
- [http://code.google.com/p/mscompanion MS Companion]
- [http://www.mapstorer.org MapStorer]
- ...
