The Mapping Screen

About Mapping with MrDistrict© The Close Map button The Open a Map button The Save Map button The Print... button The Enlarge Map button The Find button Built in Map functionality Main Toolbar button Navigation Toolbar button Draw Toolbar button Location Toolbar button Route Panel button Nearby Places Panel button Legend Panel button

About Mapping with MrDistrict©   MrDistrict© mapping features are provided by an integrated copy of the Microsoft© Map Point© Active X© control which was installed with the MrDistrict program.   There are three methods of accessing the Mapping screen in MrDistrict. The first is from the File Dialog screen by clicking the Instant Map button. Opening the Mapping screen in this way opens the screen without actually having a MrDistrict data file loaded. The option is there so that you can quickly create a map without having to wait for your data file to load and includes an option to use a template map that you have previously created which might contain a default starting point or destinations that you often need to create a map to.   The second method is by clicking either the street address or city/state/zip line in the summary screen visible from most any of the MrDistrict screens. Clicking the street address opens the map directly on the address while clicking the city/state/zip line opens the map on the city identified.   The third method is for mapping multiple records all at once. Clicking the pushpin icon on the Program Accessories toolbar will create a map of all the records currently available in MrDistrict. In other words, any set of records brought up by any combination of querying/filtering or any loaded group can be mapped by using this method. The first time that you use this method to create a map for your entire data file, MrDistrict saves a copy of the map (because it can take a little while to generate a map for, say, 50,000 people) and then the next time you request a map of your entire data file offers to use the saved map. This then makes the process of accessing a map of your entire district almost instantaneous.   MrDistrict© implements all of the functionality of the Microsoft© Map Point© program. In fact, in several ways the Active X control, included with MrDistrict, is more powerful than the stand alone Microsoft© Map Point© program, for instance, allowing you to map unlimited record sets (the stand alone has a 10,000 record limit per map).   You will be able to create maps of any Group or filtered/queried view created with MrDistrict© allowing you to do things like create a map showing where all your signs are located during election season, create a map showing where all of your donors live, map all of the registered voters on five neighboring streets for a day of pavement pounding, add notes to a map, highlight areas, save and re-open maps. You will be able to import data from external data sources, such as, CSV files and Excel© files. You will be able to create demographic maps. Get turn by turn directions to virtually any address in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Find a hotel, restaurant, airport, or landmark within X miles of any point on the map. Get travel times, construction updates, calculate travel costs and, if you are able to get to the internet, actually book hotels, make reservations, or get extended information about places on your maps. MrDistrict©'s mapping features are even compatible with your GPS unit.   This help file will provide help as to how to use the Microsoft© Map Point© features from MrDistrict but because the mapping features are extensive it is recommended that particular questions about the Map Point control should be explored from Map Point's own help file. MrDistrict implements all of the Map Point features available. Click here to open the Microsoft© Map Point© help file.   Top: The Map Screen   The Close Map button Click this button to close the Mapping screen and return to whatever screen you had opened before opening the Mapping screen.   Top: The Map Screen   The Open a Map button Click this button to open a map previously created with MrDistrict or to open any Microsoft© Map Point© map file.   Top: The Map Screen   The Save Map button Click this button to save the map you currently have open/created in MrDistrict. Your map will be saved with all highlighting, notes, pushpins, locations, etc. intact. Some maps such as a map of the records for an entire district take some time to create. Being able to save such a map will make accessing it much faster than re-creating it.   Top: The Map Screen   The Print... button Click this button to open the Print dialog. There are several options as to how you would like your Map to print some of which will only be available if a Route has been created.   Top: The Map Screen   The Enlarge Map button The Enlarge Map button causes the map itself to increase in size. This can be very helpful when a toolbar, directions panel, or legend panel are open to increase the viewable area of the map itself. When the Map is enlarged a miniature toolbar appears at the top of the screen which embodies most all of the functionality available when the Map is Normal sized. When the Mapping screen is enlarged the Voter Summary Section can be toggled on/off using the small button located in the far upper left of the screen.   Top: The Map Screen   Built in Map functionality The Map itself, as well as, the toolbars and panels have all sorts of built in functionality. Too much for us to document here. And so, for more advanced help with the Mapping features of MrDistrict available through the integrated Microsoft Map Point ActiveX control, please, check out the Map Point Help file by clicking here.   Right-clicking on the map causes one of several contextual pop up menus to appear depending where in the map you are when you right-click. The pop up menu above appears when you right-click on a voter's address. As you can see, there are options for highlighting, zooming, showing information associated with this location, and creating a 'Route'. Creating a route is probably the feature that you will use the most. After creating your route, click the 'Get Directions' choice from this menu and you will be presented with turn by turn directions to your destination. These directions can take into consideration such factors as: your average speed on various types of roads, construction updates, fuel costs, and more.   Top: The Map Screen   The Find button When you are in the Mapping screen of MrDistrict© the 'Find' button brings up the Map Point© Find dialog. The Find Dialog is divided into three sections. These are Address, Place/Data, and Lat/Long. Address is for searching by address with text boxes to enter Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code. These boxes are drop down boxes and if you are repeating a previous search then you can save time by choosing the previous search criteria from these drop down boxes. The Place/Data search allows you to search by Place names like 'Sunny Grove Bank', 'Rochester Hotel' or 'Lincoln Monument'. The Lat/Long search allows you to move the map to a specific Latitude and Longitude.   Top: The Map Screen   Main Toolbar button The buttons from left to right are: Save .............. Use the MrDistrict 'Save Map' button instead Print .............. Use the MrDistrict 'Print...' button instead Page Setup .............. Use the MrDistrict 'Print...' button instead Cut .............. Cut to clipboard Copy .............. Copy to clipboard Paste .............. Paste from clipboard Undo .............. Undo the last action performed on the Map Redo .............. Redo the last action undone on the Map Legend .............. Open the Legend Panel Territories .............. Open the Territories interface Find Nearby Places .............. Open the Find Nearby Places panel Route Planner .............. Open the Route Planner panel Directions .............. Create turn by turn directions for your route Link Data Wizard .............. Import Data Wizard .............. Data Mapping Wizard .............. Export to Excel .............. Export the current Map data to an Excel file Show Information .............. Show or Hide the information balloon for the current pushpin Search the Web .............. Open your browser and search for information about the current pushpin/location Drawing Toolbar .............. Open the Drawing toolbar Location Toolbar .............. Open the Location toolbar Map Point Help file .............. Open the Map Point Help file   Top: The Map Screen   Navigation Toolbar button The buttons from left to right are: Back .............. Move back without changing the current record Forward .............. Move forward without changing the current record Find a Location Utility .............. Find any location in North America Zoom Utility .............. Control the Zoom of the current view Select .............. Set cursor behaviour select style Pan .............. Set cursor behaviour pan style Map Type Dropdown .............. Set Map Type like: Road Map, Terrain, etc.   Top: The Map Screen   Draw Toolbar button The buttons from left to right are: Z-Order utility .............. Control what is displayed in front or placed behind in your drawing Pushpin .............. Add any of hundreds of pushpins or your own customized pushpin Highlighter .............. Just like a highlighting pen Scribble .............. a freehand pencil tool Line .............. draws straight lines Arrow .............. draws arrows Freeform .............. creates freeform polygons Rectangle .............. creates rectangles Oval .............. creates ovals Radius .............. creates circles Textbox .............. creates a textbox Fill Color .............. Sets the fill color Line Color .............. Sets the line color Text Color .............. Sets the text color Line Style .............. Sets the line style Arrow Style .............. Sets the arrow style   Top: The Map Screen   Location Toolbar button The Location Toolbar shows a standard map scale key to help you visually estimate distances on the map. It also shows the current location broken down into more and more exactness. For instance, if you are looking at the Radisson Hotel on Rodeo Drive, then across the top will read; North America - United States - California - Beverly Hills and clicking any of those headings will zoom the map out to that level.   Top: The Map Screen   Route Panel button Shown with the optional Directions panel active the Route Planner gives you everything you need for generating driving directions with multiple stops, advanced options that calculate costs, time, mileage and more.   Top: The Map Screen   Nearby Places Panel button The Nearby Places panel allows you to find such things as restarants, hotels, airports, landmarks and more within X miles of any point on your map. With an internet connection you can even make reservations, get tickets and more right from within MrDistrict.   Top: The Map Screen   Legend Panel button The Legend panel provides a key into what different symbols on your maps mean. It also provides the interface to Pushpin sets. You can create multiple Pushpin sets each representing something different allowing you to use one map, for instance, to set up multiple days of pavement pounding.   Top: The Map Screen   The Navigation Arrow buttons The Navigation Arrow buttons allow you to scroll through the currently loaded records and the map will move from address to address. Clicking the on screen Navigation Arrow buttons is the recommended method of scrolling through records because sometimes Map Point will move a pushpin when the keyboard arrow keys are used. This is an anomaly we are working to nail down, and so for now, please navigate through the currently loaded records by using the on screen Navigational Arrow buttons.   Top: The Map Screen   The Voter Summary Section When in the Mapping screen the Voter Summary section behaves just like it does in the other screens of MrDistrict with one minor difference. The difference is that clicking on the City/State/Zip Code causes the map to zoom out on the current record's location instead of zooming out to the whole town or city. Otherwise, the Voter Summary section works exactly as it does in other parts of MrDistrict©. For details on how the Voter Summary section works click here.   Top: The Map Screen