The dual problem of creating maps which contain pertinent information and appear visually attractive has been a challenge for mapping systems. Features such as Autolabelling are an efficient means of displaying feature information on a map quickly but by themselves suffer from poor label placement and orientation and conflict between layers. spCarto is a tool for building label layers for linear features and boundaries. spCarto creates layers with user-specified line and font styles by feature, optimizes the placement, spacing and orientation of street labels, produces boundary labels in free map space and shades boundaries with a 4 colour method to produce a visually appealing map display containing improved label density over traditional methods. Tightly integrated with MapInfo products – MapInfo Professional, MapX and MapXtreme, spCarto will enhance your on-screen and printed map output.

Version 2.40 introduces map scale linked line thickness for linear features. In conjunction with some new templates designed to mimic two popular web mapping sites, this provides a starting point for superior web and intranet map layouts and illustrates the power of MapInfo style attributes.

Latest version Details:

v2.40 (24 March 2008) Changes: 

1. Version 2.40 includes the release of a stand-alone application, DisplayMinder. This is run on an end-user MapInfo environment to ensure the cartographic styles are applied at each zoom setting.
2. A Settings Wizard  has been introduced to simplify the initial setup and processing. Use the control dialogue to further refine your style settings.
3. The line style options have been extended by the inclusion of a width-scalable, user-colour selectable single line style. This is available in a MapInfow.pen file in the templates directory.
4. Each output layer now contains metadata to describe the style settings not available through standard MapInfo Professional workspace layer and label settings.
5. The Correct Formatting menu item will reformat a label field in a nominated table to multi-line and mixed-case. The table must exist as a layer with the target field set as the label field. Existing data is protected by adding a new column.
6. Context sensitive help has been added to spCarto.
7. Quick Build is a new menu and control dialogue option to apply all styles settings but not process street labelling for optimum location.
8. Reference Styles control dialogue button displays a dialogue to allow the definition and loading of reference colours for lines and polygons. See the help file for details. spCarto  is released with 2 standard colour palettes which match those of the style templates of the same name.
9. Several new styles have been added that produce output similar to two popular web mapping sites.

Colour assignment is one of the time-consuming tasks in producing a legible, balanced and pleasing map. The reference styles introduced in version 2.40 allow you to pick from existing sets (groups) and to define new groups to suit a new map series.