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Appendix J: MapInfo Data Interchange Format

This appendix describes the data interchange format for MapInfo. In this appendix, you will find information on:

MIF File Header
MIF Data Section
Pen, Brush, Symbol, and Font Codes in MIF
MID File

This versatile format allows generic data to be attached to a variety of graphical items. Since it is ASCII, it is editable, relatively easy to generate, and works on all platforms supported by MapInfo. Perhaps the best way to understand the MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF) is to study the sample file at the end of this appendix in conjunction with the explanation of the file format. You can also create samples of your own by exporting files to MIF and then examining those files in a text editor.
MapInfo data is in two files-the graphics reside in a .MIF file and textual data is contained in a .MID file. The textual data is delimited data, with one row per record and either Carriage Return, Carriage Return plus Line Feed, or Line Feed between lines. The MIF file has two areas - the file header area and the data section. Information on how to create MapInfo tables is in the header; the graphical object definitions are in the data section.

MIF File Header

This is a description of MIF file header with optional information in square brackets.

VERSION n
Charset "characterSetName"
[ DELIMITER "<c>" ]
[ UNIQUE n,n.. ]
[ INDEX n,n.. ]
[ COORDSYS...]
[ TRANSFORM...]
COLUMNS n
<name> <type>
<name> <type>

DATA

Version
The Version clause states whether you are using VERSION 1, VERSION 2, VERSION 300 or VERSION 450 of the format. Version 300, introduced with MapInfo 3.0, allows multiple-section polyline objects. VERSION 450 introduced the expanded node limit: the maximum number of nodes for regions and polylines is 1,048,572 nodes for a single polygon region or polyline. The limit drops by seven nodes for every two additional polygons.If an object with more than 32K nodes is saved and the table is read in a version of MapInfo prior to version 4.5, the object(s) will not be visible. Objects in the table that do not exceed the 32K limit will be visible. VERSION 450 also includes point sized pen width.
Charset
The Charset clause specifies which character set was used to create text in the table. For example: Specify "WindowsLatin1" to indicate that the file was created using the Windows US & Western Europe character set; specify "MacRoman" to specify the Macintosh US & Western Europe character set; or specify "Neutral" to avoid converting the text into another character set. If you are not using one of these character sets, you can determine the correct syntax for your character set by exporting a table and examining the .MIF file in a text editor.
Delimiter
Specify the delimiting character in quotation marks, for example:

DELIMITER ";"

The default delimiter is Tab; if you are using the default, you do not need the DELIMITER line.
Unique
Specify a number. This number refers to a database column; 3 is the third column, 7 is the seventh column, and so forth. What happens to columns in the UNIQUE list is subtle. For example, imagine that you have a database with highways in it. Each highway has only one name, but it might be represented by several segments. You would put the NAME column in the UNIQUE list, while the column containing data for the individual segments would not be in that list. This has the effect of creating two related tables; one with names, and one with the other attributes of the objects. This is how MapInfo's various street maps (StreetInfo) are prepared.
Index
To indicate that columns in the table are indexed, include a number (or a comma-separated list of numbers) in the Index clause. Each number refers to a database column; 3 is the third column, 7 is the seventh column, and so forth. Columns in the INDEX list will have indexes prepared for them.
CoordSys Clause
Specify the COORDSYS clause to note that the data is not stored in longitude/latitude form. When no COORDSYS clause is specified, data is assumed to be stored in longitude/latitude forms.
All coordinates are stored with respect to the northeast quadrant. The coordinates for points in the United States have a negative X while coordinates for points in Europe (east of Greenwich) have a positive X. Coordinates for points in the Northern hemisphere have a positive Y while coordinates for points in the Southern hemisphere have a negative Y.

Syntax1

CoordSys Earth

Syntax2

CoordSys Nonearth

Syntax3

CoordSys Layout Units paperunitname

Syntax4

CoordSys Table tablename

Syntax5

CoordSys Window window_id

type is a positive integer value representing which coordinate system to use
datum is a positive integer value identifying which datum to reference
unitname is a string representing a distance unit of measure (e.g. "m" for meters); for a list of unit names, see Set Distance Units
origin_longitude is a float longitude value, in degrees
origin_latitude is a float latitude value, in degrees
standard_parallel_1 and standard_parallel_2 are float latitude values, in degrees
azimuth is a float angle measurement, in degrees
scale_factor is a float scale factor
range is a float value from 1 to 180, dictating how much of the Earth will be seen
minx is a float specifying the minimum x value
miny is a float specifying the minimum y value
maxx is a float specifying the maximum x value
maxy is a float specifying the maximum y value
paperunitname is a string representing a paper unit of measure (e.g. "in" for inches); for a list of unit names, see Set Paper Units
tablename is the name of an open table
window_id is an Integer window identifier corresponding to a Map or Layout window
A performs scaling or stretching along the X axis.
B performs rotation or skewing along the X axis.
C performs shifting along the X axis.
D performs scaling or stretching along the Y axis.
E performs rotation or skewing along the Y axis.
F performs shifting along the Y axis.

Transform Clause
When you have MIF files with coordinates stored with respect to the northwest quadrant (quadrant 2), you can transform them to the northeast quadrant (quadrant 1) with a transform clause.

The transform clause has the following syntax:

TRANSFORM Xmultiplier, Ymultiplier, Xdisplacement, Ydisplacement

To transform quadrant 2 data into quadrant 1 data, use the following transform clause:

TRANSFORM -1,0,0,0

The zeroes instruct MapInfo to ignore that parameter.
When you have an application which creates MIF files in quadrant 2, you can:

Columns
Specify the number of columns. Then, for each column, create a row containing the column name, the column type, and, for character and decimal columns, a number to indicate the width of the field. Valid column types are:

· char (width)
· integer (which is 4 bytes)
· smallint (which is 2 bytes, so it can only store numbers between -32767 and +32767)
· decimal (width,decimals)
· float
· date
· logical

This is an example of the columns section of the header:

COLUMNS 3
STATE char (15)
POPULATION integer
AREA decimal (8,4)

For the database specified in this header, the MID file has three columns:

a 15 character field that represents the STATE column,
an integer field that represents the POPULATION column,
an AREA column that consists of a decimal field with up to 8 total characters (digits, decimals points, and optional sign) and 4 digits after the decimal.

MIF Data Section

The data section of the MIF file follows the header and must be introduced with DATA on a single line:

DATA

The data section of the MIF file can have any number of graphical primitives, one for each graphic object. MapInfo matches up entries in the MIF and MID files, associating the first object in the MIF file with the first row in the MID file, the second object in the MIF file with the second row in the MID file, and so on.
When there is no graphic object corresponding to a particular row in the MID file, a "blank" object (NONE) must be written as a place holder in the corresponding place in the MIF file.

NONE

The graphical objects that can be specified are:

point
line
polyline
region
arc
text
rectangle
rounded rectangle
ellipse

A point object takes two parameters; an X coordinate and a Y coordinate. As an option, specify the symbol that represents the point. Symbols are designated by numbers. If you omit the SYMBOL clause, the current symbol is used.

POINT x y
[ SYMBOL (shape, color, size)]

MapInfo 4.0 also supports two variations on the SYMBOL clause; see Symbol discussion later in this appendix.
A line objects requires four parameters; an X and a Y coordinate for each end point. As an option, specify a pen type. When no pen type is specified, the current pen type is used.

LINE x1 y1 x2 y2
[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]

A polyline object consists of one or more sections. If the polyline has more than one section, include the MULTIPLE keyword, followed by the number of sections. For each section, specify a numpts argument (which indicates the number of nodes in that section), followed by an x/y coordinate pair for each node. Use the optional PEN clause (described later in this appendix) to specify the line style. If you include the optional SMOOTH keyword, the polyline is smoothed.

PLINE [ MULTIPLE numsections ]
numpts1
x1 y1
x2 y2

[ numpts2
x1 y1
x2 y2 ]

[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]
[ SMOOTH ]

A region object consists of one or more polygons. Specify the number of polygons through the numpolygons argument (immediately after the REGION keyword). For each polygon, specify a numpts argument (which indicates the number of nodes in that polygon), followed by an x/y coordinate pair for each node. Use the optional PEN and BRUSH clauses (described later in this appendix) to specify the object's style. Use the optional CENTER clause to define the object's centroid explicitly. The centroid must be within the object.

REGION numpolygons
numpts1
x1 y1
x2 y2
:
[ numpts2
x1 y1
x2 y2 ]
:
[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]
[ BRUSH (pattern, forecolor, backcolor)]
[ CENTER x y ]

An arc requires the diagonally opposite corners of its bounding rectangle and the beginning (a) and ending (b) angles of the arc in degrees, moving counter-clockwise with zero at three o'clock. As an option, specify the pen type. (An arc specifies a section of an ellipse, the corners of which are determined by the bounding rectangle.)

ARC x1 y1 x2 y2
a b
[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]

A text object consists of a text string, up to 255 characters long. To make the text string wrap onto multiple lines, insert the characters within the textstring argument (e.g. "First line Second line Third line"). The x1, y1, x2, and y2 arguments specify the location of the text on the map. Spacing can be 1.0 (single spacing), 1.5, or 2.0 (double spacing). Use the Font clause (described later in this chapter) to control the typeface, etc.

TEXT "textstring"
x1 y1 x2 y2
[ FONT...]
[ Spacing {1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0}]
[ Justify {Left | Center | Right}]
[ Angle text_angle]
[ Label Line {simple | arrow} x y ]

A rectangle requires the coordinates of the diagonally opposite corners. As an option, specify pen and brush types.

RECT x1 y1 x2 y2
[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]
[ BRUSH (pattern, forecolor, backcolor)]

A rounded rectangle requires the coordinates of the diagonally opposite corners and the degree of rounding (a). As an option, specify pen and brush types. Degree of rounding is expressed in coordinate units.

ROUNDRECT x1 y1 x2 y2
a
[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]
[ BRUSH (pattern, forecolor, backcolor)]

An ellipse object requires the coordinates of the diagonally opposite corners of its bounding rectangle. As an option, specify pen and brush types.

ELLIPSE x1 y1 x2 y2
[ PEN (width, pattern, color)]
[ BRUSH (pattern, forecolor, backcolor)]

Pen Styles

The Pen clause specifies the width, pattern, and color of a linear object, such as a line, polyline arc, or the border of a region. The Pen clause has the following syntax:

PEN (width, pattern, color)

Width is a number from 1 to 7. 1-7 is the width in screen pixels. 11-2047 are values that will be converted to points:
penwidth = (number of points * 10) + 10
0 is only valid when the pen pattern is 1 for invisible lines.
Color is an integer, representing a 24-bit RGB color value.
Pattern is an integer from 1 to 118; pattern number 1 is invisible. The pattern number corresponds to a pen number in the pen file. The pen file can be modified using a pen editor.
Valid pen numbers are from 1 to maximum number of pens in the pen file, which should not exceed 127. If a pen style is interleaved, 128 will be added to the pen number. Interleaved styles are in the range 129-255. Because the pen file can be modified, and interleaved can be specified, the pen pattern can be a number between 1-255.
The following table lists the available line styles by default:

Brush Styles

Brush specifies the pattern, foreground color, and background color of a filled object, such as a circle or region. The Brush clause has the following syntax:

Brush (pattern, forecolor [, backcolor ])

The forecolor and backcolor arguments are both integers, representing 24-bit RGB color values.
Pattern is a number from 1 to 71. Note: Pattern number 1 is "no fill," and pattern number 2 is a solid fill. Pattern numbers 9-11 are reserved. The following table illustrates the available styles:
Tip: To specify a transparent fill style, use pattern number three or larger, and omit the backcolor argument. For example: Brush( 5, 255 )

Symbol Styles

The Symbol clause specifies the appearance of a Point object. There are three different forms of the Symbol clause, described below.
Symbol Clause-MapInfo 3.0 Syntax
The Symbol clause specifies the appearance of a Point object. There are three different forms of the Symbol clause. To specify a symbol style using "Old MapInfo Symbols" (the symbols that were used in earlier versions of MapInfo), use the following syntax:

SYMBOL (shape, color, size)

The shape argument is an integer value, 31 or larger; 31 represents a blank symbol (i.e. the object will not be visible). The standard set of symbols includes symbols 32 through 67, inclusive, but the user can customize the symbol set by using the Symbol application.
The color argument is an integer representing a 24-bit RGB color value.
The size argument is an integer from 1 to 48, representing a point size.
The following table lists the default symbols provided with MapInfo:

Symbol Clause-TrueType Font Syntax
To specify a symbol style based on a character from a TrueType font, use the following syntax:

SYMBOL (shape, color, size, fontname, fontstyle, rotation)

The fontname argument is a text string that identifies the name of a font (e.g. "Wingdings").
The fontstyle argument is an integer that controls settings such as Bold. The following table lists the values you can use as fontstyle.

fontstyle value

Effect on Symbol style

0

Plain text

1

Bold text

16

Black border around symbol

32

Drop shadow

256

White border around symbol

To specify two or more style attributes, add the values from the left column. For example, to specify Bold and Drop Shadow, use 33.
The rotation argument is a floating-point number, representing a rotation angle, in degrees.
Symbol clause - Custom Bitmap File Syntax
To specify a symbol style based on a character from a TrueType font, use the following syntax:

SYMBOL (filename, color, size, customstyle)

The filename argument is a text string that identifies a bitmap file (e.g. "Arrow.BMP") in the CustSymb directory.
The customstyle argument is an integer that controls whether color and background attributes are used. The following table lists the values you can use as customstyle:

customstyle value

Effect on Symbol style

0

Both the Show Background setting and the Apply Color setting are off; symbol appears in default state. White pixels in the bitmap appear transparent, allowing whatever is behind the symbol to show through.

1

The Show Background settings is on; white pixels in the image are opaque.

2

The Apply Color setting is on; non-white colors in the image are replaced with the Symbol's color value.

3

Both Show Background and Apply Color settings are on.

Font Styles

The Font clause specifies the appearance (typeface, color, etc.) of text objects. The Font clause has the following syntax:

FONT ("fontname", style, size, forecolor [, backcolor] )

Fontname in double quotation marks is the typeface to be displayed. Style is the text attribute of the typeface as shown in the following table. Size must be 0 in a MIF file, because each text object on a Map is attached to the map itself (thus the text size chagnes as you zoom in or out). Forecolor is an integer representing a 24-bit RGB color. The background color is optional; if you include it, MapInfo fills the area behind the text with the color you specify.

style value

Effect on Font Appearance

0

Plain

1

Bold

2

Italic

4

Underline

16

Outline (only supported on the Macintosh)

32

Shadow

256

Halo

512

All Caps

1024

Expanded

To specify two or more style attributes, add the values from the left column. For example, to specify Bold and All Caps, use 513.

Colors

Colors are often defined in relative concentrations of red, green, and blue. Each color is a number from 0 to 255, inclusive; the RGB value of a color is calculated by the following formula:

(red * 65536) + (green * 256) + blue

These are some often used colors and their values:

Red: 16711680
Green: 65280
Blue: 255
Cyan: 65535
Magenta: 16711935
Yellow: 16776960

Black: 0

MID File
The MID file contains data, one record of data per row, delimited by the character specified in the delimiter statement. The default delimiter is Tab. Each row in the MID file is associated with a corresponding object in the MIF file; first row with first object, second row with second object.
If delimiter character is included as part of the data in a field, enclose the field in quotation marks.
The MID file is an optional file. When there is no MID file, all fields are blank.

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