GDA Setup/File structure Contents Next
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/ |
Storage Card/ |
<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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