Import and Export Marker Symbol Library Files

Symbol Library Files

SuperMap provides files to save symbol libraries and symbols. A symbol library file corresponds to a library and saves the logical structure of the library. You can import a symbol library file into the symbol library selector and manage the symbols in the library with the selector. All changes to the library can be saved through saving the the library file.

Marker Symbol Library File: A file with the .sym extension which stores the marker symbol library and marker symbols.
Line Symbol Library File: A file with the .lsl extension which stores the line symbol library and line symbols.
Fill Symbol Library File: A file with the .bru extension which stores the fill symbol library and fill symbols.

Open Marker Symbol Library File

By opening a symbol library file in the Symbol Library Selector, all symbols in the symbol library corresponding to the library file will be loaded to the selector.

The Symbol Library Selector can only mange one symbol library at a time.

In the Marker Symbol Selector, click File, and click Open Marker Symbol Library File in the context menu.
In the Open dialog box, select the symbol library you want to open. When you click Open, the currently opened symbol library will be closed and the selected symbol library will be opened, with all symbols in the selected symbol library loaded into the selector.

Note that in the Marker Symbol Selector, the original marker symbol library will be closed if you open another one. If not saved as a library file or with the workspace, the original symbol library will be lost. If you open a workspace and its associated marker symbol library, then you open another marker symbol library and you don’t save the workspace afterwards. The next time when you open the workspace and its marker symbol library, you will find it is the original symbol library when the workspace was last saved.

Load Default Marker Symbol Library

SuperMap provides a default marker symbol library, which can satisfy the general needs for marker symbols and based on which you can extend the marker symbol resources. In the Marker Symbol Selector, you can change the currently open symbol library through opening an external symbol library file, importing a symbol library, importing symbols, or creating new symbols. If you want to display the default marker symbol library in the Marker Symbol Selector, use the Load Default Marker Symbol Library command.

In the Marker Symbol Selector, click File, and click Load Default Marker Symbol Library in the context menu.
In the Load Default Symbol Library dialog box that shows up, you need to choose what you want to do:

To close the currently open symbol library and load the default marker symbol library, click Yes. Note that if you click Yes to load the default marker symbol library when the workspace with which the original symbol library is associated is open, and after that, you save the workspace. The marker symbol library associated with the workspace will be replaced by the default marker symbol library, with the original one lost. Therefore, you need to take care when using this command. If you restored the marker symbol library through the Load Default Marker Symbol Library command, and after that, you didn’t save the workspace. The next time when you open the workspace, the original marker symbol library associated with the workspace would be still there.
If you want to load the default marker symbol library to the currently open symbol library as a symbol group, click No in the Load Default Symbol Library dialog box. The default symbol library will be then loaded as a subgroup named “Default” under the root group of the currently open symbol library, with its original group structure maintained.
To cancel the operation of loading the default marker symbol library, click Cancel to do nothing and close the Load Default Symbol Library dialog box.

Symbol library properties

Click file - properties to view the properties of the current symbol library, the “Properties” box shows the symbol library type (marker symbol library, line symbol library or fill symbol library), the version information, the number of symbols stored in the symbol and the location of the symbol library file.

In marker symbol library, line symbol library and fill symbol library, the properties information of the current symbol library can be get from the “Properties” in the file menu.

Import Marker Symbol Library

The Import Marker Symbol Library command will import the symbols in a symbol library file to the currently open symbol library as a subgroup under the root group, with its original group structure maintained.In the Symbol Library Manger, click File, point to Import, and click Import Marker Symbol Library.

In the Marker Symbol Selector, click File, point to Import, and click Import Marker Symbol Library.
In the Import Marker Symbol Library dialog box that shows up, click the symbol library file you want to import, and click Open.

A subgroup named “imported file name” will be appended to the subgroups of the Root Group of the currently open symbol library.

Besides, you can import marker symbol library through the Import command in the context menu of the Root Group node in the Path dropdown list.

Export Symbol Library File…

The Export Marker Symbol Library command will export the currently open marker symbol library or a subgroup of the current symbol library as a new symbol library, with the original group structure maintained.

Export Group as Marker Symbol Library

In the Marker Symbol Selector, click File, point to Export, and click Export Marker Symbol Library.
The Export Marker Symbol Library shows up, navigate to the location where you want to save the library file, enter a name, and then click Save.

The marker symbol library will be saved as a marker symbol file of the version of SuperMap GIS 7C with the .sym file extension, which will not be able to be opened with SuperMap products of earlier versions.

Export as SuperMap 5 Marker Symbol Library

If you want to open the marker symbol library exported in SuperMap products of earlier versions, you can save the symbol library as SuperMap 5 marker symbol library following the steps below:

In the Marker Symbol Selector, click File, point to Export, and click Export as SuperMap 5 Marker Symbol Library.
In the Warning dialog box, you will be asked whether you want to continue the export if certain properties of the symbols might be lost if you save it as SuperMap 5 marker symbol library. To continue, click Yes; otherwise, click No.
If you click Yes, the Export as SuperMap 5 Marker Symbol Library dialog box will show up, navigate to the location where you want to save the library file, enter a name, and then click Save.

The marker symbol library will be saved as a marker symbol file with the .sym file extension, which will be able to be opened with SuperMap products of earlier versions.

Besides, you can export line symbol library through the Export command in the context menu of the Root Group node.

Through this way, you can only export the marker symbol library as a marker symbol library file of advanced version.

Export Group as Marker Symbol Library

Right click the symbol group you want to export in the symbol group tree.
Click Export in the context menu that appears.
The Export Marker Symbol Library shows up, navigate to the location where you want to save the library file, enter a name, and then click Save. Here, you can only export the symbols as a marker symbol library of advanced version.

Export Marker Symbols as Marker Library

Select one or more point symbols (by holding Ctrl key).
Right click and select Export as Marker Library in the context menu.
The Export Marker Symbol Library shows up, navigate to the location where you want to save the library file, enter a name, and then click Save. Here, you can only export the symbols as a symbol library of advance version.