Creating Selection Filters

Create an attribute selection

1. Create a new Adobe Illustrator document.

2. Import fcstreets.mif from the Tutorial Data folder. It is a line file depicting the major roads of Falls Church, Virginia.

3. Select fcstreets_line and click the MAP Selections button on the MAPublisher toolbar.

4. Click the Create New MAP Selection button at the bottom of the panel.

5. In the Name box, type Route number. Leave the type as Attribute Selection.

6. Click the Expression Builder button to open the Expression Builder dialogue box.

7. In the Objects list, under the heading fcstreets_line, double-click Number so that it is entered into the expression entry box above. Click the equals (=) button and type "A25" (including quotes).

 To view the unique values of a specific attribute column, click Display unique values under the Description box. Click a value to enter it into the expression entry box. It recognizes the attribute as a string and places quotations around the value.

8. Click OK to close the Expression Builder dialogue box.

The expression is valid.

9. Click Save. In the MAP Selection panel, click the Apply as New Selection button.

Lines corresponding to the selection parameters are selected and the MAP Selection is saved in the panel.

10. Deselect all artwork and leave the document open for the next tutorial.

Create a spatial selection

11. In the MAP Selections panel, click the Create New MAP Selection button.

12. In the New MAP Selection dialog box, type Points in M5V Postal Code into the Name box. In the Type drop-down list, select Spatial Selection.

This spatial selection will select any points that are contained in postal code M5V. Use the Attribute Selection that was created in the previous tutorial.

13. In the Use Spatial Properties From the drop-down list, select Existing MAP Selection. In the frame below, the attribute selection M5V Postal Code is already chosen (because it is the only one).

14. Click the [All layers] link, check the torontopoints_point layer and click OK.

15. Ensure that the Spatial Relationship drop-down list is set to Fully contained.

16. Make sure the dialog box matches the one above and click Save.

17. In the MAP Selection panel, click the Apply as New Selection button.

Points that are fully contained in the M5V Postal Code area are selected and the MAP Selection is saved in the panel.

18. Deselect all artwork and leave the document open for the next tutorial.

Create an art selection

19. Select all artwork on the fsatoronto_area layer.

20. In the MAP Selections panel, click the Create New MAP Selection button.

21. In the New MAP Selection dialog box, type All Postal Codes into the Name box. In the Type drop-down list, select Art Selection and click Save.

All selected areas are saved as a MAP Selection in the panel. Now use the MAP Selections panel controls to select subsets and add or remove selections altogether.

22. In the MAP Selections panel, select the M5V Postal Code spatial selection and click the Remove from Current Selection button.

The Area selected by the M5V Postal Code selection is removed from the current selection.

23. Close the document without saving.