Coordinate File Utilities

This command organizes a wide variety of coordinate file and point manipulation routines into one central location. The type of coordinate file format is displayed within the dialog box. Another increasingly popular coordinate format is the Carlson coordinate database (.CRDB) which is based on SQLite and supports point numbers and descriptions up to 255 characters in length.

In addition to running the routines through the dialog, many routines have command names that you can enter at the Command prompt, create a Quick Key, or put into a toolbar. The table below shows the command names and their corresponding key-in command equivalents:

Open CRD File: Allows the user to switch to another file. See Set Coordinate File for additional information. When you exit Coordinate File Utilities this will be the current file that you work with in Carlson.

List Points: List the points stored in the active coordinate file. See List Points for additional information.

Copy/Merge CRD File: This command allows for the copying of entire CRD files, or parts of CRD files, to a new or existing files. This can be used to make a backup of your coordinate file, and it can also be very valuable in coordinate file manipulation. For example, if a certain range of points from one CRD file was also required in the active CRD file, this command would be used to simply copy the required range into the active CRD file. There are two options when first executing the command. These options are whether to import points from another file to the current (active) CRD file, or to export the current (active) coordinate file to another file.

Once this option has been decided, a prompt for the file to copy From or TO, will be displayed. Here simply specify the correct file.

Next there's a dialog to specify the range of points to transfer and some options. Here specify the points to copy. Point numbers and ranges can be entered together. For example, 1-3,10,15 would result in points 1 through 3 and points 10 and 15 being copied. The Description Match can be used to filter the points to transfer only the points with matching description. The default of * will transfer all the points in the range. The Store Non-Conflicting Point Automatically will set the transfer action as Store for all transfer points that don't have a point protect conflict. The Skip Merge Dialog If No Conflicts will skip the next dialog when there are no point protect conflicts.

The Import dialog has a few more options than the Export dialog. The Add Prefix/Suffix To Point Names will change the point names as they are imported. The Create Point Group will make a new point group with the imported point names.

Next there's the Merge Points Manager dialog that shows the Source Coordinate File on the left (where the point data is being copied from) and the Target Coordinate File on the right (where the point data is being written to). Conflict cases are when the same point number exists in both files with different coordinates. The action choices for conflicts are to Overwrite, Skip or Renumber. For renumber, you can either renumber with the next available point number in the target file or to the highest point number in the target file plus one. Non-conflict cases are when the source point number does not exist in the target file. The action choices for non-conflicts are to Store or Skip. You can assign actions by picking on the Action field in the spreadsheet or by entering in a Point Range to apply and picking an action button. The Show Matching Points toggle will show points with matching point data in both files. Otherwise only point with differences are shown. The Next Conflict button will highlight the spreadsheet and set the Point Range to the next point that needs an action assigned. Similarly, the Previous Conflict sets focus to a lower point number that needs an action. The History button shows the point history for the selected point. The Report button creates a list points report. The Current Merge Status reports the number of unresolved and resolved points. When all the unresolved points are resolved by assigning actions, you can pick OK.

Delete Points: Deletes points from the active coordinate file. See Erase Points for additional information.

Convert CRD File Format: This allows you to convert the current coordinate file from one format (e.g. numeric only) to another (e.g. alphanumeric). This routine will also change coordinate files to and from other software formats. These formats include Carlson SQLite (.CRDB), C&G™, Microsoft Access (.MDB) in same format as AutoDesk Land Desktop, and Simplicity™ (.ZAK). The current format of the active coordinate file will be displayed as well as the options for the new file format. This command only changes the format of the active coordinate file.

Screen Pick Point: Pick a point on the graphics screen and its coordinate value is added to the coordinate file. This command does not plot a point, point attributes or point symbol. Use Draw Field-to-Finish or Draw-Locate Points or Update Drawing from CRD File to graphically draw the point(s).

Map Points from 2nd File: This routine adds point to the current coordinate file from points stored in a second coordinate file. The points to copy are specified by numbers one at a time. Prompts for the destination point number (number to create in current coordinate file) and source point number (point number to be copied from second coordinate file) will be displayed.

Scale Points: This option multiplies the point northing, easting, and elevation by the scale conversion factor. You can use this routine for Metric-Imperial unit conversion. See Scale Points for additional information.

Import Text/ASCII File: This routine converts point data from a text file into the current coordinate file. See Import Text/ASCII File for additional information.

Translate Points: This option translates a range of points based on entered delta x and delta y, entered coordinates or translation point numbers. See Translate Points for additional information.

Export Text/ASCII Text File: This routine outputs point data from the current coordinate (.CRD) file to a ASCII Text file. See Export Text/ASCII File for additional information.

Rotate Points: This option rotates a range of points based on entered degrees or rotation, entered azimuths, entered bearings or rotation point numbers. See Rotate Points for additional information.

Edit Header: Enter or edit the job information associated with the coordinate file. The fields include Job Description, Job Number and Job Date. This information will appear on the List Point report. Non-digit characters are not allowed in the Job Number field.

Align Points: This option does a translate based on a source point and destination point and then rotates to align the first source point and a second source point with the first destination point and a second destination point. See Align Points for additional information.

Compress CRD File: Removes unused point numbers by renumbering high point numbers into the unused spaces. For example, for an original file with points 1,2,105,107,108,109 would be compressed to 1,2,3,4,5,6.

Description for Points: This routine modifies the point description field with the user-specified text for a range of point numbers. There is an option to update the description attributes of the points in the drawing in addition to updating the coordinate file.

Coordinate Transformation: Transforms coordinates between local, State Plane 27, State Plane 83, Latitude/Longitude, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) and many other projections, including regional and user-defined projections. This works on individually entered coordinates, by range of point numbers and with on-screen entities. See Coordinate Transformation for additional information.

Elevation for Points: This routine modifies the elevation of the specified points. The Absolute method sets the elevations to the specified value. The Differential method adds the value to the current elevations. The Scale method multiplies the current elevations by the value.

Draw Entities by Point ID: Draw Lines, Arcs, 3DLines, Polylines or 3DPolys by defining a range of point numbers.

Prompts

Plot Entities by Point Number
Type of entity, Arc/Polyline/3dpoly/2dline/Exit/<Line>: Indicate the type of entity to draw.
Undo/<Enter point numbers or ranges>: Indicate the point numbers through which to draw.
Example: 1-4,7,10-12,5,8 would draw the entity from point numbers 1 through 4 then to 7, to 10 through 12, then to 5 to 8 (limit 132 characters)
Example: 1-10,20-30 would draw the entity from point number 1 through 10 then to point number 20 through 30.

Point Number Report: This routine lists the used and the unused point numbers in the coordinate file.

New Last Point Number: This option sets the highest point number in the coordinate file. NOTE: All points above this number are erased!

Duplicate Points: This function searches the coordinate file for points with the same northing, easting and elevation. The tolerances for considering points to have the same coordinate are set in the dialog separately for northing/easting and elevation. To be counted the same coordinate, both the northing/easting and elevation must be within the tolerance distance. The duplicate points can be reported, deleted or averaged. For the erase and average options, the first point number is kept and any higher point numbers with duplicate coordinates are processed from the coordinate file.

Swap Northing-Easting: This option allows you to swap northing and easting coordinates for any selected range of points. What was the northing of an existing coordinate point, or range of points, becomes the easting. And the easting(s) become the northing(s).

Compare Points: This function compares the coordinates in the coordinate file with either the coordinates for the matching point numbers in the drawing file, with matching point numbers from another coordinate file or with different point numbers from the same coordinate file. A report is created for any differences that shows the point numbers and the differences. The difference can be reported as a bearing and distance between the two points, as distance North/South and East/West or as the delta-X and delta-Y. There is an option whether to include the point coordinates in the report. The Create Point Groups option creates point groups of "Missing From Drawing" and "Changed Points" for any points that have this status. Use the Point Group Manager routine to check on these point groups.

Example Bearing-Distance format Compare Points Report:

Point Entry CRD File Links Manager: When points are created in the drawing, the program records the source coordinate file for the points. The coordinate file names assigned to the point entities links the point entities back to the coordinate file. These links are used by routines that process the point entities and then need to reference the changes (e.g. those generated from the Rotate Points routine) back to the coordinate file. This routine checks all the point entities in the drawing and lists all the linked coordinate files. You can use the Assign button to set the coordinate file assigned to point entities which is useful when the coordinate file has been moved or manually renamed after the points were drawn. Use the Unlink button to remove the link.

Renumber Points: This option renumbers points in the user-specified range starting from a new point number. See Renumber Points for additional information.

Update Drawing from CRD File: This function updates the position of Carlson points in the drawing to match the position stored in the coordinate file. This command also has options to erase and draw points. For the erase option, points are erased from the drawing if the point number does not exist in the coordinate file. For the draw option, if a point number in the CRD file does not exist in the drawing, then this point is drawn using the settings from the dialog. The number of points modified, erased and drawn is reported at the end of the command.

Input-Edit Point: Enter or edit the coordinate values or the description of a point. The Notes section is for adding optional point notes which are additional point descriptions. Under notes, any number of lines of text can be assigned to the point. A list box shows the lines of notes. To add a note line, pick a blank line in the list box and then type in the note in the edit box belong the list box and press Enter. To edit a note, highlight the line in the list box and edit the text in the edit box.

Update CRD File from Drawing: This function allows you to select all or some of the points in the drawing and add or update them to the coordinate file. The points can be filtered using standard CAD entity selection and/or wild-card matching of the point descriptions. The Update Point Descriptions option determines whether the point descriptions from the drawing will be stored to the coordinate file. Use this command to manually update the file after a general CAD edit such as Move, Rotate, Erase, etc. This routine directly reads Leica (Wildsoft), Softdesk, Geodimeter, InRoads, Land Development Desktop, and Eagle Point point blocks.

Point History: All changes to the coordinate file will record the commands performed on this coordinate file and the status of the points themselves. This makes up the coordinate file history. The history can then be reported by point number or by command. All of the changes can be rolled back.

The Disable History Feature button at the top of the dialog shown above is a toggle device. It should be clicked if you prefer not to build the point history file. Clicking it a second time changes it back to saying Enable History Feature. You can also choose Delete History File to delete the file altogether. By clicking any point from the list, as shown in the Points tab example above, and then selecting History, you will be given the history for that specific point. Double-clicking on any command shows the details. Clicking on Details also shows the selected command details. Undo thru Selected will undo the effect of all of the commands up through and including the selected command. The changes from the undo command are themselves then added to the command list and can be undone in the future.

NOTE: It is important to note that if maintaining such a history file is your objective, make sure that Maintain CRD History File option is enabled within the (Carlson) Configure -- General Settings command:

Point Protect: When enabled, attempting to store a point with a point identifier (point number) that already exists in the current coordinate file will display the following alert:

Overwrite with new coordinates will update the existing point number with the new location of the point.

The Renumber Point# field displays the point number that will be used if the Renumber Point# From -- Next Available option is selected (the routine will attempt to fill in any point number gaps. To leave any existing point number gaps in the file, specify the End of File option.

The Overwrite All and Renumber All options apply when more than one point with the same number exists in the coordinate file. These options are helpful when importing points into existing coordinate files.

Pulldown Menu Location(s): Points
Keyboard Command: cfu
Prerequisite: None