Document Number: WV-107

Guide to World Map Conversion

Converting Maps for Use on Windows™
____________________________________________

September 25, 2002

This manual describes how to prepare and convert OpenVMS™ WorldView maps for use
on WorldView for Windows™

Revision/Update Information

Added procedure to convert pop-up notes.

Survalent Technology Corporation

Mississauga, Ontario
____________________________________________
Copyright © 1997-2002 Survalent Technology Corporation

WV-107 Guide to World Map Conversion

All rights reserved

Survalent Technology Corporation

2600 Argentia Road
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 5V4

TEL (905) 826 5000

FAX (905) 826 7144

The software described in this document is furnished under license, and may only
be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license.

The contents of this manual have been carefully checked for accuracy. However, if you
find any errors, please notify Survalent Technology Corporation.
 Contents

1 Converting and Exporting the Files 1-1

1.1 WorldView for Windows Directory System ............................................................................... 1-2

1.1.1 Setting up the NT Version of the Dumper ........................................................................... 1-2
1.2 Preparing Files for Conversion.................................................................................................... 1-2
1.2.1 All Map Objects Must Be In a Layer ................................................................................... 1-2
1.2.2 Edit Text Styles to Correct Alignment................................................................................. 1-3
1.2.3 Review De-Clutter Levels.................................................................................................... 1-3
1.2.4 Check Point ID Conversion ................................................................................................. 1-3
1.3 Converting the Files .................................................................................................................... 1-3
1.3.1 Creating a Conversion Directory ......................................................................................... 1-3
1.3.2 Create a Conversion Command File .................................................................................... 1-4
1.3.3 Convert the Files .................................................................................................................. 1-4
1.3.4 Transfer the Files to the Windows Workstation................................................................... 1-5

2 Importing the Files 2-1

Guide to Converting World Maps Contents i

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
 1 Converting and Exporting the Files

In order to migrate maps that were created on a Survalent for VMS SCADA system to Windows™
workstations, the maps must be converted to a portable format and transferred to the Windows
workstation. Once there, they can be imported into WorldView for Windows (the Windows™ version of
WorldView).

The conversion is required because WorldView for Windows uses a new format for the binary
representation of the map and its resources. The new format is optimized for the Windows environment.

The map resources in VMS are stored in several special library files. See Table 1-1 for a list of these
libraries. On Windows, the map resources are stored in special subdirectories of the WorldView root
directory. See the next section for a discussion of the root directory system.

To organize the files, keep the following conventions in mind:

Table 1-1 File Data Types, Extensions and Directories

VMS binary Windows binary Windows
Data Type format Portable format format Subdirectory
WorldView Map .WMP .WMS .WMP \STANDARD\WMP
Note Pmacros Map .WMX .WMS .WMX \STANDARD\WMP
Drawing Styles .GCL .GCS .GCL \STANDARD\GCL
Drawing Style Tables .GCL .GCS .GTL \STANDARD\GTL
Text Styles .FNL .FNS .FNL \STANDARD\FNL
Pmacros .PML .PMS .PML \STANDARD\PML
Symbols .SYL .SMS .SYL \STANDARD\SYL
Symbol Tables .SYL .SMS .STL \STANDARD\STL

Guide to Converting World Maps Overview of Conversion 1-1

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
1.1 WorldView for Windows Directory System
In WorldView for Windows, the maps and resources are stored in a set of disk directories relative to a
“root directory”. For example, if (as is the default) the root directory is:

C:\Program Files\Quindar\WorldView

then the maps are stored in:

C:\Program Files\Quindar\WorldView\Standard\Wmp

The “Directories” panel of the View->Options dialog box allows you to change the root directory. This
capability allows you to share maps on a file server.

1.1.1 Setting up the NT Version of the Dumper

To use the VMS dumper program, you should define a VMS foreign command for the program as follows:

$ WMDNT :== $MG:[WMAP.IMAGE]I_WMDNT.EXE

Using a foreign command allows the dumper program to obtain command line parameters.

1.2 Preparing Files for Conversion

Before converting your VMS maps, you may have to make some changes to it in order to make the maps
compatible with WorldView for Windows.

1.2.1 All Map Objects Must Be In a Layer

The first release (R1) of the VMS WorldView map editor allowed objects to be added to the map without
placing them in layers. Such objects are in the map but are outside the layer system.

Because of layer-based speed optimizations, WorldView for Windows does not support objects that are
not in layers. Any object that is not in a layer is simply not displayed by WorldView for Windows.

To check your VMS map for this condition:

1. Edit the map using the VMS map editor.

2. Turn off all the layers (via the layer control box).

3. If any objects remain visible, they are not contained in any layer.

To correct this situation:

1. Edit the map.

2. Turn off all layers (via the layer control box).

Guide to Converting World Maps Overview of Conversion 1-2

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
 3. Use the layer control box to create a new layer or to select an existing layer.

4. By rubber-banding, select all of the displayed unlayered objects and select the Relayer
command. This will place the objects into the selected layer.

1.2.2 Edit Text Styles to Correct Alignment.

The early R1 VMS map viewer did not properly justify text according to its flags (Top, Bottom, Baseline,
Left, Right, Center). Later versions of the R1 viewer obeyed some flags. The R2 VMS map viewer
enables even more flags. WorldView for Windows obeys all of the text flags. This can cause some
apparent incompatibilities.

The most frequent problems appear in pushbuttons. Inside a pushbutton, the X-Windows viewer ignores
the vertical alignment settings, and instead just assumes Baseline alignment. WorldView for Windows
uses the alignment flags. The simplest solution for this problem is to make sure that the alignment of text
used in pushbuttons is Baseline for vertical and Center for horizontal. This will allow the exported maps
and text styles to look the same on both systems.

1.2.3 Review De-Clutter Levels

The differences in display resolution between VMS workstations and PC workstations may result in some
differences in declutter level. The most frequent symptom of this is views that have somewhat incorrect
contents. The incorrect contents are corrected by zooming in or out slightly.

To correct these errors permanently, adjust the declutter level in the VMS map editor so that the declutter
is correct on both systems. Usually, this means having to slightly increase the upper declutter limit.

1.2.4 Check Point ID Conversion

If, after having migrated the map to WorldView for Windows, you find that some of the pmacros cannot be
selected, and instead give an error message saying “No Point ID for Pmacro”, it is likely that those
pmacros are represented in the VMS map using the point name rather than the point ID. To correct this,
open the map in the VMS map editor, and execute the “Update Point IDs” command in the “Options”
menu. This will convert the point names to point IDs. Then Save the map, and convert it and import it to
Windows again.

1.3 Converting the Files

The map and resource files must be converted on VMS before being imported and used on Windows. All
of the resource files used in the maps must be converted before the map will import correctly. This
section describes a suggested sequence of steps to follow when converting maps for use in WorldView
for Windows

1.3.1 Creating a Conversion Directory

First, in VMS, create a directory to contain the converted map and resource files.

Guide to Converting World Maps Overview of Conversion 1-3

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
For example:

$ CREATE/DIR MG:[SCADA.CONVERT]

The converted files may be large, but these files may be deleted after they are transferred to at least one
Windows workstation.

1.3.2 Create a Conversion Command File

We suggest that you create a command file to convert all of the resources and map files, since you may
wish to execute this procedure more than once. Using a command file will reduce the chance of error.

The following illustrates an example of a conversion command file:

$ WMDNT :== $MG:[WMAP.IMAGE]I_WMDNT.EXE !

$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:MYMAP.WMP [SCADA.CONVERT]MYMAP.WMS "
$ COPY WMP$MAP_DATA:MYMAP.WMX [SCADA.CONVERT]MYMAP_WMX.WMP !
$ WMDNT [SCADA.CONVERT]MYMAP_WMX.WMP [SCADA.CONVERT]MYMAP_WMX.WMS !
$ DELETE [SCADA.CONVERT]MYMAP_WMX.WMP; !
$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:STANDARDCOLORS.GCL [SCADA.CONVERT]STANDARDCOLORS.GCS
$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:STANDARDPIXMAPS.IML [SCADA.CONVERT]STANDARDPIXMAPS.IMS
$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:STANDARDPMACROS.PML [SCADA.CONVERT]STANDARDPMACROS.PMS
$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:STANDARDSYMBOLS.SYL [SCADA.CONVERT]STANDARDSYMBOLS.SMS
$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:STANDARDTEXTSTYLES.FNL [SCADA.CONVERT]STANDARDTEXTSTYLES.FNS

Note:

! This command creates the “foreign command” for the dumper.

" This command runs the converter, reading the binary map file (MYMAP.WMP in this example) from the
usual source directory for published maps and writing the converted file into the conversion directory.
If you want to read the map from the edit directory, you could use WMP$EDIT_READ instead of
WMP$MAP_DATA.

! These three commands rename the .WMX file that contains the list of pop-up notes into a file with a
.WMP extension, and then dump the resulting .WMP file. The reason for doing this is that dumper is
capable of dumping the notes file but only if it has a .WMP extension. After the notes file has been
dumped to a .WMS file, the temporary .WMP file is deleted.

1.3.3 Convert the Files

If you have a conversion command file, just run it. For example:

$ @convert

If you do not have a conversion command file, convert each file in turn. For example:

$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:STANDARDTEXTSTYLES.FNL [SCADA.CONVERT]STANDARDTEXTSTYLES.FNS

$ WMDNT WMP$MAP_DATA:MYMAP.WMP [SCADA.CONVERT]MYMAP.WMS

You should get no error messages.

Guide to Converting World Maps Overview of Conversion 1-4

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
1.3.4 Transfer the Files to the Windows Workstation

You can transfer the output files to the Windows workstation using the TCP/IP utility FTP.

On the Windows workstation, run ftp (you can enter the FTP command in the Start menu Run command
box).

When the FTP window appears, open a connection to the SCADA computer that contains the converted
data files.

ftp> open hosta

Log in to the SCADA system

ftp> username: scada

ftp> User scada requires a password: ******

Set the remote (VMS) working directory to the conversion directory. For example:

ftp> cd mg:[scada.convert]

Set the local working directory to the directory for WorldView. For example:

ftp> lcd “c:\program files\quindar\worldview”

The quotes are required because the directory string contains a space.

Set the transfer mode to ASCII:

ftp> ascii

Get the files:

ftp> mget *.*

At this point, ftp will prompt you for each file in the source directory in turn. Answer “Y” to each file that
you want to get. Make sure you include the notes file (the MYMAP_WMX.WMS file in the example of
paragraph 1.3.2, Create a Conversion Command File).

Now exit FTP:

ftp> bye

The final step is to copy the file that contains the list of pop-up notes to its proper directory and rename it
to the same name as the map but with a .WMX file extension. In a DOS command window on the PC, set
the local working directory to the directory for WorldView and rename MYMAP_WMX.WMS to
STANDARD\WMP\MYMAP.WMX. For example:

> cd “c:\program files\quindar\worldview”

> rename mymap_wmx.wms standard\wmp\mymap.wmx

Guide to Converting World Maps Overview of Conversion 1-5

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
The quotes are required, because the directory string contains a space.

Guide to Converting World Maps Overview of Conversion 1-6

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
 2 Importing the Files

This chapter discusses the procedure for importing the converted files into WorldView for Windows.

To import the converted files:

1. Run WorldView for Windows.

2. Open a new map (File->New->Wmp). (If you import a map into a window that contains an
existing map, the result will be a merge of the existing map and the newly converted map. If
this happens accidentally, just close the window without saving the map.)

3. Import the resources. Import the resources in the following order: first the Drawing Styles,
then the Text Styles, then the Symbols, and lastly, the Pmacros.

• Make sure that the new map is selected.

• Log in to a privileged account on the SCADA system (use the File->Login command or
the “Key” button in the tool bar).

• Select File->Imports and then select the resource type. The Open dialog box will prompt
you for the file to import. The default location is the WorldView installation directory, but
you can browse to another location. As you execute each Import command, the viewer
will convert the resource file and write out the resources described in the file to the
correct WorldView directory. Any existing resources will be overwritten.

• Note that there should be two resource files of the symbol type. Import the file named
symbol.sms first, and the file named symboltable.sms second.

4. After all of the resources have been imported, import the map. Select File->Import->Map.
The open dialog will default to the WorldView installation directory. The map you select will
be imported and then drawn in the current window. Unlike the resource imports, the results
of a map import are not automatically written to disk. You must choose the Save command in
the File menu to save your map.

Guide to Converting World Maps Importing Files 2-1

Converting Maps for Use on Windows
Each import is a separate command. You can exit after any command. You can choose to re-import any
resource or map at any time without repeating the other files. You may choose to import resources once
but maps many times. You may have to import some resources more than once as you adjust the
resources on a VMS workstation. (For example, text styles may need adjustment for centering.)

Guide to Converting World Maps Importing Files 2-2

Converting Maps for Use on Windows