DESCRIPTION

If wxGUI is not your default GUI, you can define it as default by typing at GRASS command line prompt

   g.gui -u wxpython 

    GRASS_GUI: gui

    g.gui

    g.gui workspace=file.gxw

You can also start GRASS from the shell command line with wxGUI defined by the -wxpython switch:

    grass70 -wxpython

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

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 as arranged in the layer tree: the bottom layer is displayed first and the top layer is displayed last, as if the layers were 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.

Right mouse click on a layer opens a dropdown menu with options to remove or rename the layer (g.remove, g.rename), change its display properties (d.rast and d.vect options such as color, symbol, etc.), show its metadata (r.info, v.info) or attributes, if applicable.

Left mouse double click on a layer opens GUI for its display options (d.rast, d.vect).

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 workspace file

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

  Add raster map layer

Adds raster map to layer tree, see d.rast.

  Add various raster-based map layers

opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

•   Add shaded relief raster 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 raster numbers layer
  Adds map of raster cells with numbers representing the cell values, see d.rast.num.

  Add vector map layer

Adds a vector map layer, see d.vect.

  Add various vector-based map layers

opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

•   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 grid or vector labels overlay

opens a dropdown menu that allows user to select to:

•   Add overlay grids and lines
  Adds layer to display regular grid (for all locations) see d.grid
•   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.
•   Add geodesic line layer
  Add layer to display geodesic line for latitude/longitude locations only, see d.geodesic
•   Add rhumbline layer
  Add layer to display rhumblines (for latitude/longitude locations only), see d.rhumbline.

  Delete selected layer

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

  Show Attribute Table Manager for selected vector map

Displays attribute data of selected vector map.

Key shortcuts

Ctrl+N

Create new workspace

Ctrl+O

Load workspace from file

Ctrl+S

Save workspace

Ctrl+C

Close workspace

Ctrl+Q

Quit GUI

Alt+R

Add raster map layer

Alt+V

Add vector map layer

Map Display Window

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.

CONFIGURATION

For information about available icon themes see this page.

SEE ALSO

See also Wiki page.

AUTHORS

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