MAP Tagger Tool

The MAP Tagger Tool and MAP Contour Tagger Tool are interactive labeling tools that use the attribute data of selected features as a source for the labels. These tools function similarly to the Label Features function, however, labels are created by clicking features on the artboard. It provides greater control over the initial placement of the label. For the MAP Tagger Tool, labels are placed at the position of the mouse click and leader lines can easily be created in dense areas. For the MAP Contour Tagger Tool, labels are placed for Line layers only and works best on contour lines.

Requirements

Labels are added to a Text layer created using the MAP Views panel.

For best results, set up a character style for type font, size, justification and colour in the Adobe Illustrator Character Style panel. Select the appropriate style while using MAP Tagger tools otherwise, labels will appear using the default colour, font and font size.

In the Tools panel, click and hold the button to switch between the MAP Tagger Tool or MAP Contour Tagger Tool.

MAP Tagger Tool Configuration

In the Tools panel, double-click the MAP Tagger Tool or MAP Contour Tagger Tool button to enter new label settings or to edit settings.

Source Layer and Column

First, set the options in MAPublisher to determine the attribute values that will be converted to text labels. The Source Layer list shows all Area, Point and/or Text layers in the current document.

For each layer, the Column drop-down list is populated with the attribute structure of that layer. Select the column that holds the desired attributes to label the data with.

Target Text Layer

In the Text layer drop-down list, specify the Text layer that the labels will be output to. Note that labels can only be created in text layers in the same MAP View as the Source Layer.

Label Settings

MAPublisher provides options to specify label preferences such as label position, alignment to lines of latitude, minimum font sizes and horizontal scaling to best place labels within polygons and paths. These Label Settings are common to Label Features, MAP Tagger Tool and MAP Contour Tagger Tool (Lines only).

Leader Line Settings

Double-click the MAP Tagger Tool button to access the Label Features dialog box. Below, click the Leader Line Settings to access appearance and rules.

Adjust appearance of the leader line by clicking the style link and adjusting stroke width, colour, and opacity or by using an existing graphic style. To change the end styles, select a feature end style and label end style. Adjust the end style scale (based on percentage) using the corresponding controls. Apply an offset between the feature and the beginning of the leader line if desired. The leader line offset parameter can be applied when labeling points, lines and areas. The length of the offset can be set in Inches, Centimeters, Points, Picas, Millimeters, Pixels, Feet, Yards, or Meters. A preview shows what the leader line will look like.

Under the Rules section, there are two settings: Box Size, and Label Attachment. The Box Size has two options: Full Height and Cap Height. The default is Full Height. With Full Height selected, there will be somewhat of a buffer between the snap points for the leader line and the text itself. With Cap Height selected, the snap points will be located at the highest/lowest points of the text (i.e. the leader line will be closer to the text with this option selected)

The Label Attachment refers to how the change the Leader Line is attached to the label. This can be changed to one of four settings:

 If the "Labels curve with lines of latitude" option is enabled (in the Area Settings tab), the leader line will only attach to the sides of the text.

Tagging MAP Data

MAP Tagger Tool

Ensure the label settings are completed. With the MAP Tagger Tool enabled, click a map object to add a label for it. It may be convenient to lock the layers in the Adobe Illustrator Layers panel or disable undesired features by setting the attribute column option to No attribute selected for those data layers that do not require labeling to avoid undesired results.

The following list of keyboard modifiers can be used for additional labeling options with the MAP Tagger Tool:

MAP Contour Tagger Tool

The labeling procedure for MAP Contour Tagger Tool differs slightly. In the Tools panel, change to the MAP Contour Tagger Tool. The procedure begins by using the tool to draw a line and dragging it across multiple paths (instead of clicking features to label them). Labels are placed at the intersection of the drawn line and the contour path. This is particularly useful for contours, routes, or rivers that are positioned near each other. The label follows the path. Optionally, use Create Knockouts to mask the lines behind the labels.

The following list of keyboard modifiers can be used for additional labeling options with the MAP Contour Tagger Tool: