SQL Developer

Hello List,

A new release of the GeoRaptor plugin is ready ! Version 20100524 is available for download on the project's sourceforge page : [http://sourceforge.net/projects/georaptor/] Update center : [Update Center|http://georaptor.sourceforge.net/install.xml]

GeoRaptor is a SQLDeveloper plugin to view Oracle Spatial data and assist in creating/validating Spatial data and indexes.

This current release (20100525) release includes these changes:
- GeoRaptor now handles Tables/Views and Materialized Views.
- Initiation of GeoRaptor functions can occur at the table or column level in the SQL Developer connection tree; (ie a GeoRaptor context menu has been added to the Columns of a table/view)
- The way the sdo_geometry structure attribute is displayed has been re-written to handle xD data with slightly improved colouration (more to come).
- There is now the ability to display an sdo_geometry attribute in a query result table as SDO_GEOMETRY/WKT/KML or GML2/GML3.
- The dropping of a spatial index (for tables/materialized views) can now be done via a new context menu option.
- The way the sdo_geometry data is displayed in the spatial view has been re-written. It will draw 2D, 3/4D (Z or M or both) data but only in 2D.
- The way sdo_geom_metadata is handled and updated has been overhauled. Tables with multiple geometries can be dealt with in the one metadata panel.
- Spatial indexing has been improved.
- There is a Suffix/Prefix (called Affix) Tools>GeoRaptor>Preferences preferences for controlling its placement.
- GeoRaptor can discover the layer_gtype parameter (from either all the data or from a sample).
- Setting the sdo_indx_dims parameter can be done via a pulldown; as also whether the index is geodetic (tick box)
- Setting the TABLESPACE parameters has also been added.
- GeoRaptor can now be told to position a new table/sdo_geometry object (Add to Spatial View) in the spatial view at the top of the layer tree or at the bottom (Tools>Preferences>GeoRaptor)
- The ability to move an existing layer in the spatial view to the the TOP or BOTTOM has been added via a right mouse click menu entry.
- Similarly, you can now tell GeoRaptor where to put the layer list in the view: in the RIGHT or LEFT panel.
- The position of the dividers in the spatial view now are trapped and saved.
- The geometry spatial validation routines have been modified to allow for tolerance or diminfo based validation. Multiple geometries per table are handled. The user can now select their own primary key (including multiple columns) they would like to use in the output report.
- GeoRaptor can now draw arrows at the midpoint of each segment in a linestring or just at the end.
- GeoRaptor can process (ie visualise) data as STRUCT or JGeometry (a user preference controls this).
- A comprehensive and flexible shapefile loading component has been added that handles multiple shapefiles, various attribute sets, changing of string attributes to numbers etc.


Enhancements:
- Code quality improvements are already being prepared.
- The next release already has ready to go enhancements to the shapefile loader.
- The ability to create (automatically) a single sdo_geom_metadata entry that covers all shapefiles in a shapefile set that is loaded into a single table.
- Similarly a basic spatial index can be built at the end of a load run.
- The ability to round the ordinate values read from each shapefile's X,Y, Z etc double precision ordinates. So, an shapefile X value of 234567.97456362839 can be written as 234567.975 if a decimal place rounding of 3 is chosen.
- More options or colouring SDO_GEOMETRY data in a resultset;
- Ability to colourize SDO_DIM_ARRAY, VERTEX_TYPE etc structures;
- Support the mapping (add to spatial view) of a SQL query resultset (viewed currently only by styling the sdo_geometry attribute).
- This will include the ability to select a subset of the resultset for visualisation, copying to clipboard, export (not just one at a time as in the current version). In fact, working with resultsets will become the main focus of how GeoRaptor will work in the future.
- Add a new Spatial node to SQL Developer that collects up all tables etc with spatial data in one node (like Tables/Views/Materialized Views etc) so we can initiate action from there minimising mouse movement and increasing end user productivity.
- Create a tool for discovering and removing stale sdo_geom_metadata records.
- Support projections in the map view;
- Support multiple independent map views (not just one);
- Support WMS layers within the map view;
- Provide spatial data export (shapefiles first);
- Support limited visualisation of external shapefile data before loading eg to view to display with existing Oracle data.
- Network topology visualisation and functionality;
- Export functionality

We encourage you to use GeoRaptor and discover its usefulness. We are spatial professionals who use SQL Developer every day in our business and consulting activities: we want the tool to make our lives easier and we hope they will do that for you too.

However, we don't know how you use GeoRaptor and SQL Developer so we would love to hear your wishes for the product and the sorts of improvements would help you in your work and use: [Feature Requests|https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=158162&atid=806731]

Like all software GeoRaptor is not perfect: the software contains bugs.
Please help us in recognizing and fixing those bugs by reporting them : [Bug tracker|https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=158162&atid=806728]

Now that we have a release out, we intend on making regular bug fix release and not just releases containing new functionality.

The GeoRaptor team

Edited by: Olaf I. on Jun 8, 2010 5:58 AM : a more comprehensive list of what's new !