DESCRIPTION

wxGUI is a new generation of the GUI for GRASS GIS. It's a successor of the Tcl/Tk GUI.

To start the wxGUI automatically for each session run GRASS with wxpython switch

    grass -wxpython

or define in your .grassrc6 file 'GRASS_GUI' variable

    GRASS_GUI: wxpython

The GUI can be quit by selecting the 'File->Exit' menu item. The GUI can be restarted from the GRASS command line prompt by typing

    g.gui wxpython

    g.gui wxpython workspace=file.gxw

to launch wxGUI and load workspace file on start-up.

The GUI is composed by two main components:

Layer Manager which allows users to run different GRASS modules from menu, includes map layer management, integrated command-line prompt, and command output window tab.
Map Display Window which integrates basic tools for zooming, panning, data querying, decorations (north arrows, barscale, etc.). The user is allowed to start various map display instances during one session. The Layer Manager registers Map Display Windows using different tabs.

Layer Manager

The Layer Manager provides an interactive graphical interface to GRASS commands. It includes a set of pull-down menus for all GRASS GIS functions (analysis, file I/O, GIS configuration and management), the toolbar to manage display map layers, a layer tree frame in which map layers to display are organized, command output window tab, and interactive command line prompt.

The top left button of the toolbar opens a new Map Display Window. Each map display has a unique set of layers to display and region settings. Other toolbar buttons add layers of different types for display in the selected map display window. There are additional buttons for saving or opening workspace file, and others.

Map layers are listed in the window frame below the toolbar. Layers can include raster and vector maps, text, map decorations (scale and north arrow, and grids), and commands (where any GRASS command can be written). Layers are displayed in as arranged in the layer tree: the bottom layer is displayed first and the top is displayed last, as if layers are a series of stacked overlays.

The check box to the left of each layer makes it active or inactive for display. Only active layers are displayed/redisplayed when the display button is pressed. Layers can be organized into groups; entire groups can be activated or deactivated for display. Layer tree composition can be saved to a workspace file and opened in subsequent sessions, restoring all layers and their display options.

Layer Manager Toolbar

Open new Map Display Window

Opens a new map display and creates empty layer tree tab in Layer Manager.

Creates new workspace file

Removes all layers in the layer tree and creates a new, empty tree where new layers can be added.

Load map layers (raster, vector) into workspace

Loads selected raster or vector maps into current layer tree.

Open an existing workspace file

Opens an previously saved workspace file, containing a set of display layers and their option settings.

Save layers composition to workspace file

Saves current set of layers and their options to a workspace file.

Add raster-based map layer

Adds raster map to layer tree, see d.rast. Includes also shaded relief map, RGB or HIS map or raster flow arrows map.

Add shaded relief map layer

Adds shaded relief raster map layer, see d.shadedmap.

Add RGB raster layer

Combines and displays three raster maps defined as red, green, and blue channels, see d.rgb.

Add HIS raster layer

Combines and displays two or three raster maps defined as hue, intensity, and (optionally) saturation channels, see d.his.

Add raster arrows layer

Adds map of raster cells with directional arrows drawn. Arrow direction and length are determined by separate aspect/directional map and (optional) slope/intensity map, see d.rast.arrow.

Add vector-based map layer

Adds a vector map layer, see d.vect. Includes also thematic vector map or thematic charts layer.

Add thematic map layer (for all vector types)

Adds layer for thematic display values from a numeric attribute column associated with a vector map. Options include: thematic display type (graduated colors or point sizes), methods for creating display intervals, SQL query of attribute column to limit vector objects to display, control of point icon types and sizes, control of thematic color schemes, creation of legend for thematic map, and saving the results of thematic mapping to a ps.map instructions file for later printing, see d.vect.thematic.

Add thematic charts layer (for vector points)

Adds layer in which pie or bar charts can be automatically created at vector point locations. Charts display values from selected columns in the associated attribute table. Options include: chart type, layer and attributes to chart, chart colors, and chart size (fixed or based on attribute column), see d.vect.chart.

Add command layer

Adds a layer in which a GRASS GIS command or command list can be entered. For a command list use the semi-colon (";") symbol as a separator. For example:

d.rast soils;d.rast -o roads;d.vect streams col=blue

Note that when an option of the command contains spaces, you need to "escape" them with the backslash ('\') character, for example:

d.text text=Population\ density

Add layer group

Adds an empty layer group. Layers can then be added to the group.

Add overlay grids and lines

Adds layer to display regular grid (for all locations), or geodesic and rhumblines (for latitude/longitude locations only), see d.grid, d.geodesic, d.rhumbline.

Add labels layer for vector objects (from existing labels file)

Add raster text layer from a labels file for vector objects created with the v.label module (accessed from button in options panel). A labels file can also be created with a text editor, see d.labels.

Remove map layer from layer tree

Removes selected map layer or map layer group from layer tree.

Open Attribute Table Manager for selected vector map

Displays attribute data of selected vector map.

Map Display Window

This component includes toolbar area (set of toolbars), map canvas where a map composition is displayed, and the statusbar.
Map Display Window

Each Map Display Window has a unique layer tree and region setting. The window contains a toolbar with buttons to manage the map in the display (zoom and pan), providing tools for query and distance measurement, and exporting or printing the display.

In the statusbar can be displayed the geographic coordinates under the cursor, current geographical region extent, computational region (including graphical visualization in map display), map display geometry (number of rows, columns, resolution) and map scale.

It is important to note that zooming in any display will have no effect on the 'computational region' setting (set with g.region). Only by selecting the 'Set current region to match display' item in the zoom menu (in the map display toolbar) will the current display extents be copied to the computational region extents.

Map Display Toolbar

Display active layers (current region): Displays all active layers from layer tree at current resolution and region extents for that map display window.
Re-render and display all active layers and zoom to current region: Resets the region to the display resolution and extents and forces re-display and re-rendering all active layers.
Erase display content: Erases the currently selected map display to a white background; also removes all frames, see d.erase, d.frame -e.
Arrow cursor: Select arrow cursor for map display.
Query tool (select a map first): Query selected raster, RGB raster (all three map channels will be queried), or vector map(s) using the mouse. Map(s) must be selected before query. Vector charts and thematic vector maps cannot be queried. The results of the query will be displayed in the console window, see r.what, v.what.
Pan: Interactive selection of a new center of view in the active display monitor. Drag the pan cursor while pressing the left mouse button to pan. Panning changes the location of the region displayed but not the size of the area displayed or the resolution. Panning does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.
Zoom in: Interactive zooming with the mouse in the active display monitor. Drawing a box or just click with the mouse (left button) and zoom-in cursor causes the display to zoom in so that the area defined by the box fills the display. The map resolution is not changed. Clicking with the zoom-in cursor causes the display to zoom in by 30%, centered on the point where the mouse is clicked. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.
Zoom out: Interactive zooming with the mouse in the active display monitor. Drawing a box or just click with the mouse (left button) and zoom-out cursor causes the display to zoom in so that the area displayed shrinks to fill the area defined by the box. The map resolution is not changed. Clicking with the zoom-out cursor causes the display to zoom out by 30%, centered on the point where the mouse is clicked. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does not affect the computational region for other GIS processes, see g.region.
Revert zoom: Returns to the previous zoom. Up to 10 levels of zoom back are maintained, see g.region.
Zoom menu: Automatic zoom settings menu. Zoom to match the extents of a selected map, zoom to match the computational region (set with g.region), zoom to match the extents of a saved region or save the current extents to a named region file, or to set computational region (the mapset's WIND file) to match the current display extents (does not change the resolution). See g.region.
Analyze menu: Contains functions for distance measurement, creating histogram or profile tool.
Distance measurement tool: Interactive measurement of lengths defined with the mouse. The length of each segment and the cumulative length of all segments measuered is displayed in the command output window frame. Lengths are measured in the current measurement unit, see d.measure.
Profile tool: Interactively create profile of a raster map. Profile transect is drawn with the mouse in map display. The profile may be of the displayed map or a different map, see Profile Tool help page.
Display histogram of selected raster map: Displays histogram of selected raster map or image in new window, see d.histogram.
Add overlay: Adds overlay to map display like barscale, north arrow, text.
Add scalebar and north arrow: Adds layer to display a combined scalebar and north arrow. Options include scalebar placement (using screen coordinates or a mouse), scalebar format, and scalebar colors, see d.barscale.
Add raster map legend: Adds layer to display with legend of selected raster map, see d.legend.
Add text layer: Adds layer to display a line of text using default GRASS font (selected with d.font). Options include: text placement (screen coordinates); and text size, bolding, and color, see d.text.
Export map display: Exports visible map display to different raster graphic formats.
Print map: Prints map on the UNIX lpr printer or PostScript device; saves visible map display (including PostScript text and labels) to PDF or EPS file. Requires ghostscript for all output except EPS.