Joining Areas

1. Create a new Adobe Illustrator document.

2. Import world.mif from the Tutorial Data folder.

3. With the world layer selected open the MAP Attributes panel.

All Features mode is only available when using Adobe Illustrator 2022 (version 26.x) or later

Notice that the Continent column has the continent name listed for each country. This is the attribute that you will join areas on.

4. On the MAPublisher toolbar, click the Join button and click Join Areas.

Since only one area layer is present in the document and there are no areas selected, the Source Layer defaults to the world_area layer in the Join Areas dialogue box.

5. Under Destination, choose the Copy results to new layer option and type Continents (a new layer will be created with this name).

6. Under Join Type, choose the Join areas by attribute option and choose Continent from the drop-down menu.

The Join Methods section is set to Create compound areas and that the Dissolve borders between adjacent sub-areas, checkbox is checked. This means that borders between countries (or areas in general) will be dissolved. Leave all attribute operations as Set to default if different.

7. Click OK.

8. New areas have been created based on matching Continent attributes and the boundaries of counties have been dissolved.

9. Close document without saving.