GDA Setup/File structure  Contents  Next

SETUP

1) Make sure that ArcPad has been installed using the default installation folders suggested by the ArcPad setup wizard.
2) Unzip GDA.zip on a Windows pc.

3a) For installation onto a Windows pc, double-click on GDA_PC_Install.bat. You may need Administrator privileges in order for the files to be copied correctly.

3b) For installation onto a PDA, determine how the PDA refers to its external data storage card. It may be called \Storage Card, \Storage Card2, \SD Card, or \CF Card. Copy an appropriate copy of GDA_***card.cab to any folder of your choice on your PDA and double-tap it. The cab file will expand, install files in appropriate places, and delete itself.

4) Both routines overwrite previously installed GDA files. If you have shapefiles with data generated from a previous installation that you do not want overwritten, make sure they do not reside in either  My Documents\GDAProjects\Templates (on your Windows pc) or \Storage Card\Templates (on your PDA; see previous step about the naming of storage cards), which are the default installation folders for GDA.bat and GDA.cab, respectively.

5) Make a copy of the Templates directory for each active mapping project. Give each copy a short project name. The directory structure will be

PC

PDA

My Documents/
    GDAProjects/
        Template/
        <proj1>/
        <proj2>/

Storage Card/
    Template/
        <proj1>/
        <proj2>/

<proj1> and <proj2> are short names of your choice for each mapping project. A mapping project has a common geographic area, a common geologic vocabulary, and a single map projection and datum.

6) Within each project directory, create subdirectories for base materials and pre-existing geologic data:
            <proj1>/
                  base/
                  old_geol/
                  Geolines_0.5.apl
                  Geolines_0.5.shx
                  ...
                  Units_0.5.dbf

7) If necessary, edit the picklist files Geologists_0.5.dbf, LineTypes_0.5.dbf, SampTypes_0.5.dbf, and StrucTypes_0.5.dbf to reflect the vocabulary of the project. See
Picklists. This is difficult to do on a PDA. Edit the files on a desktop computer and copy them to the PDA. If you edit LineTypes_0.5.dbf or StrucTypes_0.5.dbf, be aware that the symbology defined in the associated layer definition file (Geolines_0.5.apl, Structure_0.5.apl) should also be changed; see next step.

8) Go to
Symbology and follow the instructions for setting up point symbolization specific to your project. Edit Units_0.5.dbf as needed.

DESCRIPTION OF FOLDER CONTENTS

Applets

The applet files (GDA_0.5.apa and GDA_0.5.vbs) and the GDAHelp folder are installed in the default ArcPad Applets folder. The .apa file is an XML format file that describes the look of the GDA toolbar and links events, tapping a button for instance, to the VBscript routines stored in the .vbs file.


System
The system configuration files (ArcPad.apx and ArcPad.vbs) are installed in the default ArcPad System folder. The .apx file is an XML format file that links VBS routines to certain system events and the .vbs file is the collection of those routines.

Fonts
One true type font file is shipped with GDA. This is for symbolization of the structure measurement types. It is called ‘ESRI Geology’ (esri_7.ttf) and if you have installed ArcGIS, you probably already have it on your pc. The installation routines install this file in the system’s ‘Fonts’ folder.

Templates
On a pc, this folder is installed in a new folder called My Documents\GDAProjects\Templates; on a PDA it is installed on a storage card. The Templates folder contains picklists and empty project shapefiles and subtables that are used for starting new projects. To start a new ArcPad project, make a copy of the Templates folder and all of its files and rename it.

FILE TYPES
There are three types of project files:

Shapefiles
A shapefile is really a group of, minimally, three files with the same name but different extensions: .shp, .shx, and .dbf. The .shp and .shx files control the geometry of the features and the .dbf file stores the attributes for the features. The shapefiles that come with GDA are called Stations, Structure, Geolines, and Mylar. The shapefiles have layer definition files (.apl) and VBscript (.vbs) files associated with them. The .apl file is an XML file that controls the layout of the editform (the main form where data are entered into the attribute table of the shapefile) and specifies the routines that will run during particular events. The .vbs file is the collection of those routines. An ArcPad-created Tracklog shapefile is also often used to record a GPS tracklog.

Subtables
Subtables are .dbf files that contain non-spatial data that are related to one feature. The two subtable dbfs that work with GDA are called Samples_0.5.dbf and Photos_0.5.dbf. Data are entered into them through the Stations editform.

Picklists
Most picklists for GDA are stored as .dbf files (see the
Picklists page). Some picklists are stored within layer definition (.apl) files.

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