Changing an existing field to a geometry field

Geometry fields are system fields that display the measurements of lines or polygons on a layer. Focus automatically calculates and updates these measurements as you modify the respective shapes. Three Geometry Field types are available:

When you create a new vector layer, Focus automatically creates Length, Area, and/or Perimeter fields in the Attribute Manager according to the selected layer type. You can modify some properties, but most remain unavailable.

  1. From the Edit menu in the Attribute Manager, click Table Definition.
  2. In the Table Definition window, enable the check box in the System column for the field that you want to change into a Geometry Field.
  3. In the Geometry Field Properties area, choose the type of field that you want from the Type list box.
  4. Choose a unit of measurement for the field from the Display units list box.
  5. Click OK.
Parent topic: Working with the Attribute Manager
Previous topic: Setting the field definitions
Next topic: Adding all appropriate geometry fields

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