ProRaster Help – User Interface

On this page, you will find general help for the ProRaster product family including links to documentation, instructional videos, and training videos.
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Go to: ProRaster Essential help page, ProRaster Premium help page, ProRaster Scientific help page.
The ProRaster User Guide is available for download as a PDF.

Working with the ProRaster Main Dialog 

The ProRaster main dialog allows you to open, create, edit, and view multiple MRD raster rendering algorithm files simultaneously. From the system menu you can access the About dialog which contains links to online resources, and the Options dialog which enables you to customise some of the behaviour of ProRaster. 

The left half of the main dialog is devoted to algorithm editing and the right half contains the preview map window. Hit the “Close preview window” button to collapse this half of the dialog and stop rendering. Hit the same button again, now labelled “Open preview window” to reopen the preview map window. If you have external map views open for the algorithm, hitting this button will close them all.

Opening Algorithms 

The “Open…” menu button allows you to open and create algorithms. Load an MRD by: 

  • Hitting the “Open…” menu button and browsing for an MRD file.
  • Opening the “Open…” menu button, selecting “Open Algorithm…” and browsing for an MRD file.
  • Drag and drop an MRD file from File Explorer onto the ProRaster main dialog.

Creating Algorithms

 Create an MRD by: 

  • Opening the “Open…” menu button, selecting “New Algorithm for Raster…” and browsing for a raster file. This will create a default algorithm for the first field in that raster.
  • Opening the “Open…” menu button, selecting “New Algorithm for Raster Source…” and selecting an existing raster source. This will create a default algorithm for the first raster in the raster source.
  • Opening the “Open…” menu button, selecting “New Algorithm for Raster GHX…” and browsing for a raster file. The file ought to have GHX file alongside it that has been populated with rendering information by MapInfo Pro Advanced. This will create a matching algorithm for the raster.
  • Opening the “Open…” menu button, selecting “New LUT Algorithm”. This will create an algorithm with a LUT Color layer. Two other items create algorithms with an RGB Color layer or and Image layer.
  • Opening the “Open…” menu button and selecting a previously accessed MRD file from the recents list.
  • Drag and drop a raster file onto the main dialog. This will create a default algorithm for the first field in that raster. 

At the centre top of the main dialog is a drop-list showing the algorithms loaded for editing. The name of each algorithm is reflected in this list (so it is a good idea to uniquely name your algorithms). Change this list selection to edit different algorithms. Close the selected algorithm by hitting the “Close the current algorithm” button. If necessary, you will be prompted to save the changes.

Saving Algorithms 

The  title bar shows the status of the current algorithm. It will reflect whether the algorithm is unsaved, saved, or modified and will show the file path and name of the MRD algorithm file. 

Hit the “Save As..” button to save a new algorithm or to save an existing algorithm in a different location. Once an algorithm has been saved, hit the “Save” button to save it to file. If it has not been saved previously, you will be prompted to browse to a file path and name. 

Hit the “Save and Close” button to close the main dialog and exit ProRaster. By default, all modified algorithms will be saved silently before the application quits. If you have created new algorithms, you will be prompted to save them. You can change this behaviour in the Options dialog.  If you disable the “Save modified algorithms on OK” option, then you will be prompted to save modified and new algorithms when you hit “Save and Close”, but no algorithms will be silently saved. 

Hit the “Cancel” button (or hit the window close button) to close the main dialog and exit ProRaster. You will be prompted to save modified algorithms. By default, new algorithms that have not been saved will be discarded. You can change this behaviour in the Options dialog.  If you enable the “Save new algorithms on Cancel” option, then you will be prompted to save new algorithms when you hit “Cancel”. 

Editing Algorithms

 The algorithm tree control reflects the Algorithm – Layer – Component structure of the algorithm. At the  top of the tree is the algorithm item. The layers are subordinate to this item and listed from last to first. This reflects the rendering order where layers that are last render over the top of layers that are first. Each layer has two or more components that are subordinate to the layer item. The number and order of the components cannot be changed. 

Select any item in the algorithm tree to display its properties. These are displayed in a property sheet next to the algorithm tree. There may be multiple property pages, depending on what item in the tree is selected. 

You can enable or disable any layer or component by either hitting the checkbox in the algorithm tree alongside the item or toggling the “Enable” checkbox in the primary property page for each item. If you disable a component, then that component will not contribute when rendering the layer. You can turn components on and off in any combination. If you disable a layer, then that layer will not be rendered. Turning components and layers on and off may also change inherited and propagated properties like the coordinate system. 

Add a new layer to the top of the algorithm by dropping down the “Add Layer” menu button and selecting the type of layer that you want to add. You can then reorder layers by selecting the layer you wish to move and hitting either the “Move the layer up” or down buttons. Hit the “Delete the selected layer” button to delete a layer. 

All edits you make to an algorithm are recorded in an undo-redo list. Hit the “Undo edit” menu button to undo the latest change. Hit the “Redo edit” to restore a change that you made by hitting undo. Drop the undo and redo menu buttons down to see a description of the change that will be removed or reinstated. To undo or redo to a specific change, select it from the list. All changes up to and including that change will be undone or restored. 

When you edit a property in any property page, the changes you make are immediately reflected in the preview map window and any external map windows. Some edits will require entering a text string or a number into an edit box or some other kind of control. In this case, the edit is not committed until you finish typing the text. You can indicate that you have finished editing by hitting the return key. In ProRaster, hitting the return key does not close the application or other dialogs. Alternatively, you can change the focus to another control (in other words, click on something else). 

Algorithms, layers, and components can all have names. It is advisable to name the algorithm because it is reflected in the algorithm list box and in the algorithm tree. Layer names are reflected in the algorithm tree and the system may automatically name an algorithm when you assign a raster source to the primary component of the layer. Component names are reflected in the algorithm tree as a [suffix]. 

If you are using a free or restricted version of ProRaster, then the main dialog may have a different appearance. Where functionality is restricted, buttons may not be visible. If you request an action, you may be presented with an Upgrade dialog instead. You may also see an upgrade property page for selected items in the algorithm tree, indicating that you are not authorised to modify the properties of that item.