Map Tool Help

New layers, such as parcels, will appear as you zoom in on the map.  Use the pulldown menu at top right to zoom to selected locations.  Click on layer names for more information about the layer.

Click on a tool icon for details on purpose and how to use.  Not all tools appear on every map.

Zoom In: Select this tool and draw a box around your area of interest to zoom most quickly.  For slower zooming simply select the tool and click on the map.

Zoom Out: Draw a box with this tool to control zoom distance.  A tiny box will zoom out a great distance.  A large box will zoom out a small distance.  For slower zooming simply select the tool and click on the map.

Zoom Full: Zooms to the full view of the map.  This may or may not be the original view.

Zoom Active Layer: Zooms to the full view of the active layer.

Zoom to Last View: Zooms to the previous view.  Use this instead of the 'Back' button on your browser.

Pan: Drag the map to move to adjacent areas.

Hyperlink: Select and then click on a feature in the active layer to get extended information about the feature.  For instance, click on a parcel to get Assessor's data, permit information, and photos.  For now, the parcel layer is the only layer with hyperlinks.

Identify All: Select and then click on the map to get information about objects located at that point.  The tool returns information about all visible layers.  Bug Note - sometimes this tool causes the map to turn yellow in the next view.  Use the Clear Selection tool to clear.

Query: This tool opens a dialogue box at the bottom of the map where you can type in a query or use the query builder interface. If a single feature is found a new map will be drawn that is zoomed into the feature. The tool works on the active layer. To find a street: make the roads layer active, enter the street name and street type in capital letters in the 'Value' field, click "Add to Query String", then click "Execute". Click the "Samples" button to check the format of fields. Complex expressions can be built with by using various operators such as "And" and "Or". If multiple features are found, a list will be returned where features can be selected and zoomed to.

Find: Click the button and type in a search string to get a list of all the features in the active layer that match. Use the asterisk as a wildcard. To search for all parcels that start with 988 you would type "988*". If multiple features are found, a list will be returned. Click on the record number at left to zoom to a feature.

Measure: Click the button and then define the first point by clicking on the map.  As you move the cursor away from the first point the distance will be displayed at the top left.  Click again to define the second point.  Repeat for each segment.  You must wait for each command to be completed before clicking another point.  Use cues from your browser to monitor this.  Use another tool to end measuring and the Clear Selection tool to reset the values.

Set Units: Click the button and select a new distance unit. This will affect the scalebar, measuring, and buffering. The default value is feet.

Buffer: Select a feature and then click the buffer button. Enter a distance for the buffer and a layer that you want to highlight features from and then click "Buffer". A new map will be returned that shows the buffer and features that fell within it. Buffering may take some time depending on the layer you choose to highlight and your buffer distance. Check the "Display Attributes" checkbox prior to buffering to get a list of features that fall within the buffer.

Select by Rectangle: Select an object by clicking once or drawing a rectangle within it. All objects in the active layer that are touched by the rectangle will be selected.

Select by Line or Polygon: Select an object by choosing points and then creating a line or a polygon. All objects in the active layer touched by the line or polygon will be selected. Wait for a red dot to appear before choosing the next point.

Clear Selection: Clears selected features and returns a fresh map.

Locate Address: This tool opens a dialogue box at the bottom of the map where you type in an address.  You must include a street address number.  If the search is successful a red dot and address label will be placed on the map.  If you have already zoomed to one address you may have to click on the address number hotlink to the left of your next address to view it.  Zip code and cross street are not required but may improve results.  This works by interpolating street address ranges and does not search any kind of real address database.  As a result, address flags may not line up precisely with the actual address.  If you don't have a street number but want to find a street, try typing in a reasonable fake number.

Print: Click this button, enter a title for your map, and click "Create Print Page".  A new browser window will appear with a map layout.  Use the print button on your browser.