Text patterns and line styles

Text Patterns


Line styles
Line Styles define how line features are rendered on a map. Line styles offer numerous controls for color, gradient or pattern fills, dash patterns and many other properties.

Line styles have the following properties listed below:

1. Name - Each line style is given a name for easy identification and use when creating a map
2. Colour - This property controls the colour and appearance of the line feature. The line can be filled with a colour, gradient, hatch pattern or bit mapped texture.
3. Thickness - This property sets the thickness of the line (in pixels).

Pattern Type - Selects whether to use a basic (predefined) dash pattern or create a custom pattern. 

Dash Style - Allows a choice of dash style to be used. The following styles are generally used:

1. Solid: This pattern draws a solid outline without dashing and this is the default setting
2. DashDot: This pattern draws a dashed outline with a “dash-dot” pattern.
3. DashDotDot: This pattern draws a dashed outline with a “dash-dot-dot” pattern
4. Dot: This pattern draws a finely dotted outline
5. Dash: This pattern draws a dashed outline

A Custom Pattern Type is also available where the Dash Style property will be displayed as a text box where a custom dash pattern is entered. Dash patterns are expressed as a comma-delimited list of pixel lengths. The first number represents the length of the first dash in the pattern. The next number represents the length of the first space after that dash, and so on. When the end of the sequence is reached, it repeats.

A Line Join determines what type of joint to draw at the point where one line ends and another begins.