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MapIt

by Evolutionary Systems
version info: 1.0 (10/8/99)
shareware: free (included with HandMap Deluxe)
http://www.handmap.net

written by palmguru, chris

This is part of 2 of the HandMap Deluxe review ...

Wish you had a map for your town? Want more Maps for Handmap? MapIt is the program you are looking for. Map it is a Windows program that allows you to make maps from BMP files, and expert them for use with HandMap Deluxe, and Pro (for more information, check out the HandMap review). MapIt will run on Windows 95/98/NT. With MapIt, you can make maps up to 500k, for HandMap. You can find updates at the HandMap Web site listed above.


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The MapIt program is a little difficult to figure out at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is really pretty easy to use. The Interface is very simple. It consists of three menus, and a toolbar. On the toolbar there are 6 buttons. The first two are and up and down arrows, there are used to navigate between layers, which are discussed below. Next to that is another arrow, with is just for selecting objects that have already been created. The next button is for drawing lines. This is used for drawing roads railways and other objects that do not connect to themselves. Then next button is for drawing polygons, great for buildings, lakes and other objects that make up a polygon shape. The last button is for simply placing a point of the map.

Ready to make a map? First thing that you should do is to create BMP file of the map. You can do this, by finding a map on the Internet, or by scanning a map. When you start the program, it starts with a blank box. From the file menu, you can start a new file, for open the sample provided. To start a new project, click on New, and then select the BMP file that you want to make the map from.

Now you must create some layers for the map. Go to the Layer menu, and select Edit layers. You will need at lest two layers. First, create a ERASE_BKG layer, and select what type of back ground you want for your map. For the next layer, you can select either a SNG or MISC type layer. The SNG layer only allow one type of object, and a MISC layer allows for multiple objects on the same layer. The manual suggest that you use SNG type layers for better storage, but I couldn’t see any difference the small maps that I worked on.

Once you have created all of your layers, it is time to start drawing your map. From here you can use the buttons in the toolbars to start drawing. When drawing a line, you must hit the enter key to end your line. Once you do this, a dialog box appears. In the dialog box, you enter the name of the object, and then you select the object type form the drop-down menu. To complete a polygon you must end by clicking on the first point that you made. When you do this, the dialog box appears, and you can label the object. The point, is probably the coolest though. When you place point, you label it the same as a line or polygon, but then if you double click on it again, you can select an icon to match the object. This icon will then appear on the HandMap version of the map.

Once you have completed the map, you should save it (saves as a MPR file), and then go to the tile menu and select Export, then select HandMap. When you do this, a PDB file is created, in the directory that the project is saved in. You must then install the file using the HotSync install tool.

the flip side:There are some thing that this program lacks, that would make it easier to use. One thing is installing a map can be cumbersome, after you export it, you must manually install the map. Second, the manual does not do a good job at stepping you through making a map. Third this program has not help section. if you think there is something important that I am missing, please contact me at reviews@palmguru.com.

MapIt is free with HandMap Deluxe
this product is available for purchase at PalmGear H.Q!


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