The Vector Data Conversion Job has a user interface similar to all of the other jobs in the Geographic Calculator. It can be shown as a tabbed document in the Calculator window, or it can be floated outside of the desktop window.
At the top of the Vector Data Conversion job are the fields that are used to define the input data:
In the example above, the Type is File. In this case, clicking Browse will launch a normal Windows-style file browser that can be used to find the desired file. You can also populate the data path by typing it in. A description of the supported input formats can be found here. In the example above, the input data will be read in as ESRI Shapefile data, since the input file has the .shp file extension.
It is also possible to select a Type that represents a Spatial Database connection. In this case, clicking Browse will launch a Select a Database Connection... dialog. For more information see Spatial Connect with Vector Data Conversions.
You may also drag and drop items from the Data Corral or from Windows Explorer into the Input Data field.
Below the Input Data fields are several controls that are used to set up the coordinate transformation for the conversion:
There is a checkbox above the coordinate transformation controls for times when it is not necessary to perform a coordinate transformation. When this box is checked, all of the coordinate transformation controls will be enabled, and a transformation will be performed. When this box is not checked, the Datum Transformation and Output Coordinate System controls will be disabled, and no coordinate transformation will be performed. When the box is not checked, the Input Coordinate System control will still be active, allowing you to indicate the data's coordinate system. Changing this coordinate system will not perform any transformations, it will merely change the coordinate system definition that is written to the output file.
The coordinate transformation controls should be familiar to a user of the Calculator, as they are widely used throughout the software. For more information about using the coordinate system controls, click here. For more information about using the datum transformation control, click here.
At the bottom of the Vector Data Conversion Job are the fields that are used to define the output data:
In the example above, the Type is File. In this case, clicking Browse will launch a normal Windows-style file browser that can be used to select the desired file. You can also populate the data path by typing it in. A description of the supported output formats can be found here. In the example above the output data will be written out as ESRI Shapefile data, since the output file has the .shp file extension.
It is also possible to select a Type that represents a Spatial Database connection. In this case, clicking Browse will launch a Select a Database Connection... dialog. For more information see Working with Spatial Databases.
You may also drag and drop items from the Data Corral or from Windows Explorer into the Output Data field.