Use the query builder to create point groups by combining expressions.
The Query Builder tab of the Point Group Properties dialog box consolidates many of the options available on the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, and Exclude tabs, and allows you to define a complex point group by combining expressions.
For example, to use the basic method to create a point group that includes both the points with a raw description that begins with FLOW and the points in the point group named Flow Line, you would need to use two tabs, the Include tab and the Point Groups tab. You can create the same point group using only the Query Builder tab. The following illustrates the Query Builder tab with a query that specifies that any point that either has a raw description that begins with FLOW or is a member of the Flow Line point group is included in the point group:
The contents of the entire grid on the Query Builder tab is called a query. Each row in the query builder is an expression. You create a query by combining expressions using the set operators AND, OR, and NOT. For more information about building queries, see Understanding Point Group Queries.
When you first click the Query Builder tab, it displays a starting query that reflects the current contents of the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, and Exclude tabs. After you understand how to create a point group using the basic method, you can learn how to build queries by doing the following:
- Create a point group using the basic method.
- In the Point Group Properties dialog box, click the Query Builder tab.
- Examine the starting query, which is created from the information you specified on the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, and Exclude tabs.
- Make changes to the options on one of the above tabs, then return to the Query Builder tab and notice how the changes affected the query.
The Modify Query check box on the Query Builder tab determines which tabs in the Point Group Properties dialog box are active. When this check box is cleared, the Query Builder tab is inactive, and you can change the point group properties using the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, and Exclude tabs. When the check box is selected, the Query Builder tab is active, you can change the query, the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, and Exclude tabs are inactive.
In general, when you change the properties of a point group, you should set the state of the Modify Query check box once and leave it. Every time you select or clear the Modify Query check box, you can lose information on some tabs in the Point Group Properties dialog box. For example, if you change the query, and then clear the Modify Query check box to activate the other tabs in the dialog box, you lose the changes you made to the query.
To create a point group using the query builder
- Click Home tab
Create Ground Data panelPoints menuCreate Point Group
. - In the Point Group Properties dialog box, on the Information tab, enter a name, description, default styles, and a layer for the point group.
- Click the Query Builder tab.
- On the Query Builder tab, select Modify Query to activate the query builder.
A starting query is created based on the contents of the Point Groups, Raw Desc Matching, Include, and Exclude tabs, and those tabs become inactive. If you are creating a new point group, the starting query is empty.
- Each row in the query builder contains an expression. Do one of the following:
- To create a new expression, activate the first row in the grid by right-clicking it and clicking Insert Row.
- To modify an existing expression in the query or an existing empty row, activate the row containing the expression by clicking in it.
- To delete an expression, click in the row containing the expression and press Delete.
- Click in the Set Operator column and select a set operator from the list.
- Click in the “(“ column to turn the left parenthesis on or off for the expression.
- Click in the Property column and select a property.
- Click in the Operator column and select an operator.
- Click in the Value column and enter a value that is valid for the property you specified in Step 8.
- Click in the “)“ column to turn the right parenthesis on or off for the expression.
- Repeat Steps 5 through 11 to build the query.
- When you finish building the query, click Apply.
- To specify overrides for points in the point group, click the Overrides tab.
- To view the points in the point group’s point list, click the Point List tab.
- To view a summary of the point group’s properties, click the Summary tab.
- Click OK.