Labeling

We can activate labeling by going to Layer Properties | Labels, selecting Show labels for this layer, and selecting the attribute field that we want to Label with. This is all we need to do to display labels with default settings. While default labels are great for a quick preview, we will usually want to customize labels if we create visualizations for reports or standalone maps.

Using Expressions (the button that is right beside the attribute drop-down list), we can format the label text to suit our needs. For example, the NAME field in our sample airports.shp file contains text in uppercase. To display the airport names in mixed case instead, we can set the title(NAME) expression, which will reformat the name text in title case. We can also use multiple fields to create a label, for example, combining the name and elevation in brackets using the concatenation operator (||), as follows:

title(NAME) || ' (' || "ELEV" || ')'

Note the use of simple quotation marks around text, such as ' (', and double quotation marks around field names, such as "ELEV". The dialog will look like what is shown in this screenshot:

The big preview area at the top of the dialog, titled Text/Buffer sample, shows a preview of the current settings. The background color can be adjusted to test readability on different backgrounds. Under the preview area, we find the different label settings, which will be described in detail in the following sections.

Customizing label text styles

In the Text section (shown in the previous screenshot), we can configure the text style. Besides changing Font, Style, Size, Color, and Transparency, we can also modify the Spacing between letters and words, as well as Blend mode, which works like the layer blending mode that we covered in Chapter 2, Viewing Spatial Data.

Note the column of buttons on the right-hand side of every setting. Clicking on these buttons allows us to create data-defined overrides, similar to those that we discussed at the beginning of the chapter when we talked about advanced vector styling. These data-defined overrides can be used, for example, to define different label colors or change the label size depending on an individual feature's attribute value or an expression.

Controlling label formatting

In the Formatting section, which is shown in the following screenshot, we can enable multiline labels by specifying a Wrap on character. Additionally, we can control Line height and Alignment. Besides the typical alignment options, the QGIS labeling engine also provides a Follow label placement option, which ensures that multiline labels are aligned towards the same side as the symbol the label belongs to:

Finally, the Formatted numbers option offers a shortcut to format numerical values to a certain number of Decimal places.

An alternative to wrapping text on a certain character is the wordwrap function, available in expressions. It wraps the input string to a certain maximum or minimum number of characters. The following screenshot shows an example of wrapping a longer piece of text to a maximum of 22 characters per line:

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

In the Buffer section, we can adjust the buffer Size, Color, and Transparency, as well as Pen join style and Blend mode. With transparency and blending, we can improve label readability without blocking out the underlying map too much, as shown in the following screenshot.

In the Background section, we can add a background shape in the form of a rectangle, square, circle, ellipsoid, or SVG. SVG backgrounds are great for creating effects such as highway shields, which we will discuss shortly.

Similarly, in the Shadow section, we can add a shadow to our labels. We can control everything from shadow direction to Color, Blur radius, Scale, and Transparency.

Controlling label placement

In the Placement section, we can configure which rules should be used to determine where the labels are placed. The available automatic label placement options depend on the layer geometry type.

Configuring point labels

For point layers, we can choose from the following:

The flexible Around point option tries to find the best position for labels by distributing them around the points without overlaps. As you can see in the following screenshot, some labels are put in the top-right corner of their point symbol while others appear at different positions on the left (for example, Anchorage Intl (129)) or right (for example, Big Lake (135)) side.
The Offset from point option forces all labels to a certain position; for example, all labels can be placed above their point symbol.

The following screenshot shows airport labels with a 50 percent transparent Buffer and Drop Shadow, placed using Around point. The Label distance is 1 mm.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Customizing label text styles

In the Text section (shown in the previous screenshot), we can configure the text style. Besides changing Font, Style, Size, Color, and Transparency, we can also modify the Spacing between letters and words, as well as Blend mode, which works like the layer blending mode that we covered in Chapter 2, Viewing Spatial Data.

Note the column of buttons on the right-hand side of every setting. Clicking on these buttons allows us to create data-defined overrides, similar to those that we discussed at the beginning of the chapter when we talked about advanced vector styling. These data-defined overrides can be used, for example, to define different label colors or change the label size depending on an individual feature's attribute value or an expression.

Controlling label formatting

In the Formatting section, which is shown in the following screenshot, we can enable multiline labels by specifying a Wrap on character. Additionally, we can control Line height and Alignment. Besides the typical alignment options, the QGIS labeling engine also provides a Follow label placement option, which ensures that multiline labels are aligned towards the same side as the symbol the label belongs to:

Finally, the Formatted numbers option offers a shortcut to format numerical values to a certain number of Decimal places.

An alternative to wrapping text on a certain character is the wordwrap function, available in expressions. It wraps the input string to a certain maximum or minimum number of characters. The following screenshot shows an example of wrapping a longer piece of text to a maximum of 22 characters per line:

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

In the Buffer section, we can adjust the buffer Size, Color, and Transparency, as well as Pen join style and Blend mode. With transparency and blending, we can improve label readability without blocking out the underlying map too much, as shown in the following screenshot.

In the Background section, we can add a background shape in the form of a rectangle, square, circle, ellipsoid, or SVG. SVG backgrounds are great for creating effects such as highway shields, which we will discuss shortly.

Similarly, in the Shadow section, we can add a shadow to our labels. We can control everything from shadow direction to Color, Blur radius, Scale, and Transparency.

Controlling label placement

In the Placement section, we can configure which rules should be used to determine where the labels are placed. The available automatic label placement options depend on the layer geometry type.

Configuring point labels

For point layers, we can choose from the following:

The flexible Around point option tries to find the best position for labels by distributing them around the points without overlaps. As you can see in the following screenshot, some labels are put in the top-right corner of their point symbol while others appear at different positions on the left (for example, Anchorage Intl (129)) or right (for example, Big Lake (135)) side.
The Offset from point option forces all labels to a certain position; for example, all labels can be placed above their point symbol.

The following screenshot shows airport labels with a 50 percent transparent Buffer and Drop Shadow, placed using Around point. The Label distance is 1 mm.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Controlling label formatting

In the Formatting section, which is shown in the following screenshot, we can enable multiline labels by specifying a Wrap on character. Additionally, we can control Line height and Alignment. Besides the typical alignment options, the QGIS labeling engine also provides a Follow label placement option, which ensures that multiline labels are aligned towards the same side as the symbol the label belongs to:

Finally, the Formatted numbers option offers a shortcut to format numerical values to a certain number of Decimal places.

An alternative to wrapping text on a certain character is the wordwrap function, available in expressions. It wraps the input string to a certain maximum or minimum number of characters. The following screenshot shows an example of wrapping a longer piece of text to a maximum of 22 characters per line:

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

In the Buffer section, we can adjust the buffer Size, Color, and Transparency, as well as Pen join style and Blend mode. With transparency and blending, we can improve label readability without blocking out the underlying map too much, as shown in the following screenshot.

In the Background section, we can add a background shape in the form of a rectangle, square, circle, ellipsoid, or SVG. SVG backgrounds are great for creating effects such as highway shields, which we will discuss shortly.

Similarly, in the Shadow section, we can add a shadow to our labels. We can control everything from shadow direction to Color, Blur radius, Scale, and Transparency.

Controlling label placement

In the Placement section, we can configure which rules should be used to determine where the labels are placed. The available automatic label placement options depend on the layer geometry type.

Configuring point labels

For point layers, we can choose from the following:

The flexible Around point option tries to find the best position for labels by distributing them around the points without overlaps. As you can see in the following screenshot, some labels are put in the top-right corner of their point symbol while others appear at different positions on the left (for example, Anchorage Intl (129)) or right (for example, Big Lake (135)) side.
The Offset from point option forces all labels to a certain position; for example, all labels can be placed above their point symbol.

The following screenshot shows airport labels with a 50 percent transparent Buffer and Drop Shadow, placed using Around point. The Label distance is 1 mm.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

In the Buffer section, we can adjust the buffer Size, Color, and Transparency, as well as Pen join style and Blend mode. With transparency and blending, we can improve label readability without blocking out the underlying map too much, as shown in the following screenshot.

In the Background section, we can add a background shape in the form of a rectangle, square, circle, ellipsoid, or SVG. SVG backgrounds are great for creating effects such as highway shields, which we will discuss shortly.

Similarly, in the Shadow section, we can add a shadow to our labels. We can control everything from shadow direction to Color, Blur radius, Scale, and Transparency.

Controlling label placement

In the Placement section, we can configure which rules should be used to determine where the labels are placed. The available automatic label placement options depend on the layer geometry type.

Configuring point labels

For point layers, we can choose from the following:

The flexible Around point option tries to find the best position for labels by distributing them around the points without overlaps. As you can see in the following screenshot, some labels are put in the top-right corner of their point symbol while others appear at different positions on the left (for example, Anchorage Intl (129)) or right (for example, Big Lake (135)) side.
The Offset from point option forces all labels to a certain position; for example, all labels can be placed above their point symbol.

The following screenshot shows airport labels with a 50 percent transparent Buffer and Drop Shadow, placed using Around point. The Label distance is 1 mm.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Controlling label placement

In the Placement section, we can configure which rules should be used to determine where the labels are placed. The available automatic label placement options depend on the layer geometry type.

Configuring point labels

For point layers, we can choose from the following:

The flexible Around point option tries to find the best position for labels by distributing them around the points without overlaps. As you can see in the following screenshot, some labels are put in the top-right corner of their point symbol while others appear at different positions on the left (for example, Anchorage Intl (129)) or right (for example, Big Lake (135)) side.
The Offset from point option forces all labels to a certain position; for example, all labels can be placed above their point symbol.

The following screenshot shows airport labels with a 50 percent transparent Buffer and Drop Shadow, placed using Around point. The Label distance is 1 mm.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Configuring point labels

For point layers, we can choose from the following:

The flexible Around point option tries to find the best position for labels by distributing them around the points without overlaps. As you can see in the following screenshot, some labels are put in the top-right corner of their point symbol while others appear at different positions on the left (for example, Anchorage Intl (129)) or right (for example, Big Lake (135)) side.
The Offset from point option forces all labels to a certain position; for example, all labels can be placed above their point symbol.

The following screenshot shows airport labels with a 50 percent transparent Buffer and Drop Shadow, placed using Around point. The Label distance is 1 mm.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Configuring line labels

For line layers, we can choose from the following placement options:

Parallel for straight labels that are rotated according to the line orientation
Curved for labels that follow the shape of the line
Horizontal for labels that keep a horizontal orientation, regardless of the line orientation

For further fine-tuning, we can define whether the label should be placed Above line, On line, or Below line, and how far above or below it should be placed using Label distance.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Configuring polygon labels

For polygon layers, the placement options are as follows:

Offset from centroid uses the polygon centroid as an anchor and works like Offset from point for point layers
Around centroid works in a manner similar to Around point
Horizontal places a horizontal label somewhere inside the polygon, independent of the centroid
Free fits a freely rotated label inside the polygon
Using perimeter places the label on the polygon's outline

The following screenshot shows lake labels (lakes.shp) using the Multiple lines feature wrapping on the empty space character, Center Alignment, a Letter spacing of 2, and positioning using the Free option:

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Placing labels manually

Besides automatic label placement, we also have the option to use data-defined placement to position labels exactly where we want them to be. In the labeling toolbar, we find tools for moving and rotating labels by hand. They are active and available only for layers that have set up data-defined placement for at least X and Y coordinates:

To start using the tools, we can simply add three new columns, label_x, label_y, and label_rot to, for example, the airports.shp file. We don't have to enter any values in the attribute table right now. The labeling engine will check for values, and if it finds the attribute fields empty, it will simply place the labels automatically.
Then, we can specify these columns in the label Placement section. Configure the data-defined overrides by clicking on the buttons beside Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, and Rotation, as shown in the following screenshot:
By specifying data-defined placement, the labeling toolbar's tools are now available (note that the editing mode has to be turned on), and we can use the Move label and Rotate label tools to manipulate the labels on the map. The changes are written back to the attribute table.
Try moving some labels, especially where they are placed closely together, and watch how the automatically placed labels adapt to your changes.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Controlling label rendering

In the Rendering section, we can define Scale-based visibility limits to display labels only at certain scales and Pixel size-based visibility to hide labels for small features. Here, we can also tell the labeling engine to Show all labels for this layer (including colliding labels), which are normally hidden by default.

The following example shows labels with road shields. You can download a blank road shield SVG from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Blank_shield.svg. Note how only Interstates are labeled. This can be achieved using the Data defined Show label setting in the Rendering section with the following expression:

"level" = 'Interstate'

The labels are positioned using the Horizontal option (in the Placement section). Additionally, Merge connected lines to avoid duplicate labels and Suppress labeling of features smaller than are activated; for example, 5 mm helps avoid clutter by not labeling pieces of road that are shorter than 5 mm in the current scale.

To set up the road shield, go to the Background section and select the blank shield SVG from the folder you downloaded it in. To make sure that the label fits nicely inside the shield, we additionally specify the Size type field as a buffer with a Size of 1 mm. This makes the shield a little bigger than the label it contains.

If you click on Apply now, you will notice that the labels are not centered perfectly inside the shields. To fix this, we apply a small Offset in the Y direction to the shield position, as shown in the following screenshot. Additionally, it is recommended that you deactivate any label buffers as they tend to block out parts of the shield, and we don't need them anyway.

Designing print maps

In QGIS, print maps are designed in the print composer. A QGIS project can contain multiple composers, so it makes sense to pick descriptive names. Composers are saved automatically whenever we save the project. To see a list of all the compositions available in a project, go to Project | Composer Manager.

We can open a new composer by going to Project | New Print Composer or using Ctrl + P. The composer window consists of the following:

A preview area for the map composition displaying a blank page when a new composer is created
Panels for configuring Composition, Item properties, and Atlas generation, as well as a Command history panel for quick undo and redo actions
Toolbars to manage, save, and export compositions; navigate in the preview area; as well as add and arrange different composer items

Once you have designed your print map the way you want it, you can save the template to a composer template .qpt file by going to Composer | Save as template and reuse it in other projects by going to Composer | Add Items from Template.

Creating a basic map

In this example, we will create a basic map with a scalebar, a north arrow, some explanatory text, and a legend.

When we start the print composer, we first see the Composition panel on the right-hand side. This panel gives us access to paper options such as size, orientation, and number of pages. It is also the place to configure snapping behavior and output resolution.

First, we add a map item to the paper using the Add new map button, or by going to Layout | Add Map and drawing the map rectangle on the paper. Click on the paper, keep the mouse button pressed down, and drag the rectangle open. We can move and resize the map using the mouse and the Select/Move item tools. Alternatively, it is possible to configure all the map settings in the Item properties panel.

The Item properties panel's content depends on the currently selected composition item. If a map item is selected, we can adjust the map's Scale and Extents as well as the Position and size tool of the map item itself. At a Scale of 10,000,000 (with the CRS set to EPSG:2964), we can more or less fit a map of Alaska on an A4-size paper, as shown in the following screenshot. To move the area that is displayed within the map item and change the map scale, we can use the Move item content tool.

Adding a scalebar

After the map looks like what we want it to, we can add a scalebar using the Add new scalebar button or by going to Layout | Add Scalebar and clicking on the map. The Item properties panel now displays the scalebar's properties, which are similar to what you can see in the next screenshot. Since we can add multiple map items to one composition, it is important to specify which map the scale belongs to. The second main property is the scalebar style, which allows us to choose between different scalebar types, or a Numeric type for a simple textual representation, such as 1:10,000,000. Using the Units properties, we can convert the map units in feet or meters to something more manageable, such as miles or kilometers. The Segments properties control the number of segments and the size of a single segment in the scalebar. Further, the properties control the scalebar's color, font, background, and so on.

Adding a North arrow image

North arrows can be added to a composition using the Add Image button or by going to Layout | Add image and clicking on the paper. To use one of the SVGs that are part of the QGIS installation, open the Search directories section in the Item properties panel. It might take a while for QGIS to load the previews of the images in the SVG folder. You can pick a North arrow from the list of images or select your own image by clicking on the button next to the Image source input. More map decorations, such as arrows or rectangle, triangle, and ellipse shapes can be added using the appropriate toolbar buttons: Add Arrow, Add Rectangle, and so on.

Adding a legend

Legends are another vital map element. We can use the Add new legend button or go to Layout | Add legend to add a default legend with entries for all currently visible map layers. Legend entries can be reorganized (sorted or added to groups), edited, and removed from the legend items' properties. Using the Wrap text on option, we can split long labels on multiple rows. The following screenshot shows the context menu that allows us to change the style (Hidden, Group, or Subgroup) of an entry. The corresponding font, size, and color are configurable in the Fonts section.

Additionally, the legend in this example is divided into three Columns, as you can see in the bottom-right section of the following screenshot. By default, QGIS tries to keep all entries of one layer in a single column, but we can override this behavior by enabling Split layers.

Adding explanatory text to the map

To add text to the map, we can use the Add new label button or go to Layout | Add label. Simple labels display all text using the same font. By enabling Render as HTML, we can create more elaborate labels with headers, lists, different colors, and highlights in bold or italics using normal HTML notation. Here is an example:

<h1>Alaska</h1>
<p>The name <i>"Alaska"</i> means "the mainland".</p>
<ul><li>one list entry</li><li>another entry</li></ul>
<p style="font-size:70%;">[% format_date( $now ,'yyyy-mm-dd')%]</p>

Labels can also contain expressions such as these:

[% $now %]: This expression inserts the current timestamp, which can be formatted using the format_date function, as shown in the following screenshot
[% $page %] of [% $numpages %]: This expression can be used to insert page numbers in compositions with multiple pages

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Creating a basic map

In this example, we will create a basic map with a scalebar, a north arrow, some explanatory text, and a legend.

When we start the print composer, we first see the Composition panel on the right-hand side. This panel gives us access to paper options such as size, orientation, and number of pages. It is also the place to configure snapping behavior and output resolution.

First, we add a map item to the paper using the Add new map button, or by going to Layout | Add Map and drawing the map rectangle on the paper. Click on the paper, keep the mouse button pressed down, and drag the rectangle open. We can move and resize the map using the mouse and the Select/Move item tools. Alternatively, it is possible to configure all the map settings in the Item properties panel.

The Item properties panel's content depends on the currently selected composition item. If a map item is selected, we can adjust the map's Scale and Extents as well as the Position and size tool of the map item itself. At a Scale of 10,000,000 (with the CRS set to EPSG:2964), we can more or less fit a map of Alaska on an A4-size paper, as shown in the following screenshot. To move the area that is displayed within the map item and change the map scale, we can use the Move item content tool.

Adding a scalebar

After the map looks like what we want it to, we can add a scalebar using the Add new scalebar button or by going to Layout | Add Scalebar and clicking on the map. The Item properties panel now displays the scalebar's properties, which are similar to what you can see in the next screenshot. Since we can add multiple map items to one composition, it is important to specify which map the scale belongs to. The second main property is the scalebar style, which allows us to choose between different scalebar types, or a Numeric type for a simple textual representation, such as 1:10,000,000. Using the Units properties, we can convert the map units in feet or meters to something more manageable, such as miles or kilometers. The Segments properties control the number of segments and the size of a single segment in the scalebar. Further, the properties control the scalebar's color, font, background, and so on.

Adding a North arrow image

North arrows can be added to a composition using the Add Image button or by going to Layout | Add image and clicking on the paper. To use one of the SVGs that are part of the QGIS installation, open the Search directories section in the Item properties panel. It might take a while for QGIS to load the previews of the images in the SVG folder. You can pick a North arrow from the list of images or select your own image by clicking on the button next to the Image source input. More map decorations, such as arrows or rectangle, triangle, and ellipse shapes can be added using the appropriate toolbar buttons: Add Arrow, Add Rectangle, and so on.

Adding a legend

Legends are another vital map element. We can use the Add new legend button or go to Layout | Add legend to add a default legend with entries for all currently visible map layers. Legend entries can be reorganized (sorted or added to groups), edited, and removed from the legend items' properties. Using the Wrap text on option, we can split long labels on multiple rows. The following screenshot shows the context menu that allows us to change the style (Hidden, Group, or Subgroup) of an entry. The corresponding font, size, and color are configurable in the Fonts section.

Additionally, the legend in this example is divided into three Columns, as you can see in the bottom-right section of the following screenshot. By default, QGIS tries to keep all entries of one layer in a single column, but we can override this behavior by enabling Split layers.

Adding explanatory text to the map

To add text to the map, we can use the Add new label button or go to Layout | Add label. Simple labels display all text using the same font. By enabling Render as HTML, we can create more elaborate labels with headers, lists, different colors, and highlights in bold or italics using normal HTML notation. Here is an example:

<h1>Alaska</h1>
<p>The name <i>"Alaska"</i> means "the mainland".</p>
<ul><li>one list entry</li><li>another entry</li></ul>
<p style="font-size:70%;">[% format_date( $now ,'yyyy-mm-dd')%]</p>

Labels can also contain expressions such as these:

[% $now %]: This expression inserts the current timestamp, which can be formatted using the format_date function, as shown in the following screenshot
[% $page %] of [% $numpages %]: This expression can be used to insert page numbers in compositions with multiple pages

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Adding a scalebar

After the map looks like what we want it to, we can add a scalebar using the Add new scalebar button or by going to Layout | Add Scalebar and clicking on the map. The Item properties panel now displays the scalebar's properties, which are similar to what you can see in the next screenshot. Since we can add multiple map items to one composition, it is important to specify which map the scale belongs to. The second main property is the scalebar style, which allows us to choose between different scalebar types, or a Numeric type for a simple textual representation, such as 1:10,000,000. Using the Units properties, we can convert the map units in feet or meters to something more manageable, such as miles or kilometers. The Segments properties control the number of segments and the size of a single segment in the scalebar. Further, the properties control the scalebar's color, font, background, and so on.

Adding a North arrow image

North arrows can be added to a composition using the Add Image button or by going to Layout | Add image and clicking on the paper. To use one of the SVGs that are part of the QGIS installation, open the Search directories section in the Item properties panel. It might take a while for QGIS to load the previews of the images in the SVG folder. You can pick a North arrow from the list of images or select your own image by clicking on the button next to the Image source input. More map decorations, such as arrows or rectangle, triangle, and ellipse shapes can be added using the appropriate toolbar buttons: Add Arrow, Add Rectangle, and so on.

Adding a legend

Legends are another vital map element. We can use the Add new legend button or go to Layout | Add legend to add a default legend with entries for all currently visible map layers. Legend entries can be reorganized (sorted or added to groups), edited, and removed from the legend items' properties. Using the Wrap text on option, we can split long labels on multiple rows. The following screenshot shows the context menu that allows us to change the style (Hidden, Group, or Subgroup) of an entry. The corresponding font, size, and color are configurable in the Fonts section.

Additionally, the legend in this example is divided into three Columns, as you can see in the bottom-right section of the following screenshot. By default, QGIS tries to keep all entries of one layer in a single column, but we can override this behavior by enabling Split layers.

Adding explanatory text to the map

To add text to the map, we can use the Add new label button or go to Layout | Add label. Simple labels display all text using the same font. By enabling Render as HTML, we can create more elaborate labels with headers, lists, different colors, and highlights in bold or italics using normal HTML notation. Here is an example:

<h1>Alaska</h1>
<p>The name <i>"Alaska"</i> means "the mainland".</p>
<ul><li>one list entry</li><li>another entry</li></ul>
<p style="font-size:70%;">[% format_date( $now ,'yyyy-mm-dd')%]</p>

Labels can also contain expressions such as these:

[% $now %]: This expression inserts the current timestamp, which can be formatted using the format_date function, as shown in the following screenshot
[% $page %] of [% $numpages %]: This expression can be used to insert page numbers in compositions with multiple pages

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Adding a North arrow image

North arrows can be added to a composition using the Add Image button or by going to Layout | Add image and clicking on the paper. To use one of the SVGs that are part of the QGIS installation, open the Search directories section in the Item properties panel. It might take a while for QGIS to load the previews of the images in the SVG folder. You can pick a North arrow from the list of images or select your own image by clicking on the button next to the Image source input. More map decorations, such as arrows or rectangle, triangle, and ellipse shapes can be added using the appropriate toolbar buttons: Add Arrow, Add Rectangle, and so on.

Adding a legend

Legends are another vital map element. We can use the Add new legend button or go to Layout | Add legend to add a default legend with entries for all currently visible map layers. Legend entries can be reorganized (sorted or added to groups), edited, and removed from the legend items' properties. Using the Wrap text on option, we can split long labels on multiple rows. The following screenshot shows the context menu that allows us to change the style (Hidden, Group, or Subgroup) of an entry. The corresponding font, size, and color are configurable in the Fonts section.

Additionally, the legend in this example is divided into three Columns, as you can see in the bottom-right section of the following screenshot. By default, QGIS tries to keep all entries of one layer in a single column, but we can override this behavior by enabling Split layers.

Adding explanatory text to the map

To add text to the map, we can use the Add new label button or go to Layout | Add label. Simple labels display all text using the same font. By enabling Render as HTML, we can create more elaborate labels with headers, lists, different colors, and highlights in bold or italics using normal HTML notation. Here is an example:

<h1>Alaska</h1>
<p>The name <i>"Alaska"</i> means "the mainland".</p>
<ul><li>one list entry</li><li>another entry</li></ul>
<p style="font-size:70%;">[% format_date( $now ,'yyyy-mm-dd')%]</p>

Labels can also contain expressions such as these:

[% $now %]: This expression inserts the current timestamp, which can be formatted using the format_date function, as shown in the following screenshot
[% $page %] of [% $numpages %]: This expression can be used to insert page numbers in compositions with multiple pages

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Adding a legend

Legends are another vital map element. We can use the Add new legend button or go to Layout | Add legend to add a default legend with entries for all currently visible map layers. Legend entries can be reorganized (sorted or added to groups), edited, and removed from the legend items' properties. Using the Wrap text on option, we can split long labels on multiple rows. The following screenshot shows the context menu that allows us to change the style (Hidden, Group, or Subgroup) of an entry. The corresponding font, size, and color are configurable in the Fonts section.

Additionally, the legend in this example is divided into three Columns, as you can see in the bottom-right section of the following screenshot. By default, QGIS tries to keep all entries of one layer in a single column, but we can override this behavior by enabling Split layers.

Adding explanatory text to the map

To add text to the map, we can use the Add new label button or go to Layout | Add label. Simple labels display all text using the same font. By enabling Render as HTML, we can create more elaborate labels with headers, lists, different colors, and highlights in bold or italics using normal HTML notation. Here is an example:

<h1>Alaska</h1>
<p>The name <i>"Alaska"</i> means "the mainland".</p>
<ul><li>one list entry</li><li>another entry</li></ul>
<p style="font-size:70%;">[% format_date( $now ,'yyyy-mm-dd')%]</p>

Labels can also contain expressions such as these:

[% $now %]: This expression inserts the current timestamp, which can be formatted using the format_date function, as shown in the following screenshot
[% $page %] of [% $numpages %]: This expression can be used to insert page numbers in compositions with multiple pages

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Adding explanatory text to the map

To add text to the map, we can use the Add new label button or go to Layout | Add label. Simple labels display all text using the same font. By enabling Render as HTML, we can create more elaborate labels with headers, lists, different colors, and highlights in bold or italics using normal HTML notation. Here is an example:

<h1>Alaska</h1>
<p>The name <i>"Alaska"</i> means "the mainland".</p>
<ul><li>one list entry</li><li>another entry</li></ul>
<p style="font-size:70%;">[% format_date( $now ,'yyyy-mm-dd')%]</p>

Labels can also contain expressions such as these:

[% $now %]: This expression inserts the current timestamp, which can be formatted using the format_date function, as shown in the following screenshot
[% $page %] of [% $numpages %]: This expression can be used to insert page numbers in compositions with multiple pages

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Adding map grids and frames

Other common features of maps are grids and frames. Every map item can have one or more grids. Click on the + button in the Grids section to add a grid. The Interval and Offset values have to be specified in map units. We can choose between the following Grid types:

A normal Solid grid with customizable lines
Crosses at specified intervals with customizable styles
Customizable Markers at specified intervals
Frame and annotation only will hide the grid while still displaying the frame and coordinate annotations

For Grid frame, we can select from the following Frame styles:

Zebra, with customizable line and fill colors, as shown in the following screenshot
Interior ticks, Exterior ticks, or Interior and exterior ticks for tick marks pointing inside the map, outside it, or in both directions
Line border for a simple line frame

Using Draw coordinates, we can label the grid with the corresponding coordinates. The labels can be aligned horizontally or vertically and placed inside or outside the frame, as shown here:

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Creating overview maps

Maps that show an area close up are often accompanied by a second map that tells the reader where the area is located in a larger context. To create such an overview map, we add a second map item and an overview by clicking on the + button in the Overviews section. By setting the Map frame, we can define which detail map's extent should be highlighted. By clicking on the + button again, we can add more map frames to the overview map. The following screenshot shows an example with two detail maps both of which are added to an overview map. To distinguish between the two maps, the overview highlights are color-coded (by changing the overview Frame style) to match the colors of the frames of the detail maps.

Tip

Every map item in a composition can display a different combination of layers. Generally, map items in a composer are synced with the map in the main QGIS window. So, if we turn a layer off in the main window, it is removed from the print composer map as well. However, we can stop this automatic synchronization by enabling Lock layers for a map item in the map item's properties.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

To insert additional details into the map, the composer also offers the possibility of adding an attribute table to the composition using the Add attribute table button or by going to Layout | Add attribute table. By enabling Show only features visible within a map, we can filter the table and display only the relevant results. Additional filter expressions can be set using the Filter with option. Sorting (by name for example, as shown in the following screenshot) and renaming of columns is possible via the Attributes button. To customize the header row with bold and centered text, go to the Fonts and text styling section and change the Table heading settings.

Even more advanced content can be added using the Add html frame button. We can point the item's URL reference to any HTML page on our local machines or online, and the content (text and images as displayed in a web browser) will be displayed on the composer page.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

With the print composer's Atlas feature, we can create a series of maps using one print composition. The tool will create one output (which can be image files, PDFs, or multiple pages in one PDF) for every feature in the so-called Coverage layer.

Atlas can control and update multiple map items within one composition. To enable Atlas for a map item, we have to enable the Controlled by atlas option in the Item properties of the map item. When we use the Fixed scale option in the Controlled by atlas section, all maps will be rendered using the same scale. If we need a more flexible output, we can switch to the Margin around feature option instead, which zooms to every Coverage layer feature and renders it in addition to the specified margin surrounding area.

To finish the configuration, we switch to the Atlas generation panel. As mentioned before, Atlas will create one map for every feature in the layer configured in the Coverage layer dropdown. Features in the coverage layer can be displayed like regular features or hidden by enabling Hidden coverage layer. Adding an expression to the Feature filtering option or enabling the Sort by option makes it possible to further fine-tune the results. The Output field can be one image or PDF for each coverage layer feature, or you can create a multipage PDF by enabling Single file export when possible before going to Composer | Export as PDF.

Once these configurations are finished, we can preview the map series by enabling the Preview Atlas button, which you can see in the top-left corner of the following screenshot. The arrow buttons next to the preview button are used to navigate between the Atlas maps.

Presenting your maps online

Besides print maps, web maps are another popular way of publishing maps. In this section, we will use different QGIS plugins to create different types of web map.

Exporting a web map

To create web maps from within QGIS, we can use the qgis2web plugin, which we have to install using the Plugin Manager. Once it is installed, go to Web | qgis2web | Create web map to start it. qgis2web supports the two most popular open source web mapping libraries: OpenLayers 3, and Leaflet.

The following screenshot shows an example of our airports dataset. In this example, we are using the Leaflet library (as configured in the bottom-left corner of the following screenshot) because at the time of writing this book, only Leaflet supports SVG markers:

In the top-left corner, you can configure which layers from your project should be displayed on the web map, as well as the Info popup content, which is displayed when the user clicks on or hovers over a feature (depending on the Show popups on hover setting).
In the bottom-right corner, you can pick a background map for your web map. Pick one and click on the Update preview button to see the result.
In the bottom-left corner, you can further configure the web map. All available settings are documented in the Help tab, so the content is not reproduced here. Again, don't forget to click on the Update preview button when you make changes.

When you are happy with the configuration, click on the Export button. This will save the web map at the location specified as the Export folder and open the resulting web map in your web browser. You can copy the contents in the Export folder to a web server to publish the map.

Creating map tiles

Another popular way to share maps on the Web is map tiles. These are basically just collections of images. These image tiles are typically 256 × 256 pixels and are placed side by side in order to create an illusion of a very large, seamless map image. Each tile has a z coordinate that describes its zoom level and x and y coordinates that describe its position within a square grid for that zoom level. On zoom level 0 (z0), the whole world fits in one tile. From there on, each consecutive zoom level is related to the previous one by a power of 4. This means z0 contains 1 tile, z1 contains 4 tiles, and z2 contains 16 tiles, and so on.

In QGIS, we can use the QTiles plugin, which has to be installed using the Plugin Manager, to create map tiles for our project. Once it is installed, you can go to Plugins | QTiles to start it. The following screenshot shows the plugin dialog where we can configure the Output location, the Extent of the map that we want to export as tiles, as well as the Zoom levels we want to create tiles for.

When you click on OK, the plugin will create a .zip file containing all tiles. Using map tiles in web mapping libraries is out of the scope of this book. Please refer to the documentation of your web mapping library for instructions on how to embed the tiles. If you are using Leaflet, for example, you can refer to https://switch2osm.org/using-tiles/getting-started-with-leaflet for detailed instructions.

Exporting a 3D web map

To create stunning 3D web maps, we need the Qgis2threejs plugin, which we can install using the Plugin Manager.

For example, we can use our srtm_05_01.tif elevation dataset to create a 3D view of that part of Alaska. The following screenshot shows the configuration of DEM Layer in the Qgis2threejs dialog. By selecting Display type as Map canvas image, we furthermore define that the current map image (which is shown on the right-hand side of the dialog) will be draped over the 3D surface:

Besides creating a 3D surface, this plugin can also label features. For example, we can add our airports and label them with their names, as shown in the next screenshot. By setting Label height to Height from point, we let the plugin determine automatically where to place the label, but of course, you can manually override this by changing to Fixed value or one of the feature attributes.

If you click on Run now, the plugin will create the export and open the 3D map in your web browser. On the first try, it is quite likely that the surface looks too flat. Luckily, this can be changed easily by adjusting the Vertical exaggeration setting in the World section of the plugin configuration. The following example was created with a Vertical exaggeration of 10:

Qgis2threejs exports all files to the location specified in the Output HTML file path. You can copy the contents in that folder on a web server to publish the map.

Exporting a web map

To create web maps from within QGIS, we can use the qgis2web plugin, which we have to install using the Plugin Manager. Once it is installed, go to Web | qgis2web | Create web map to start it. qgis2web supports the two most popular open source web mapping libraries: OpenLayers 3, and Leaflet.

The following screenshot shows an example of our airports dataset. In this example, we are using the Leaflet library (as configured in the bottom-left corner of the following screenshot) because at the time of writing this book, only Leaflet supports SVG markers:

In the top-left corner, you can configure which layers from your project should be displayed on the web map, as well as the Info popup content, which is displayed when the user clicks on or hovers over a feature (depending on the Show popups on hover setting).
In the bottom-right corner, you can pick a background map for your web map. Pick one and click on the Update preview button to see the result.
In the bottom-left corner, you can further configure the web map. All available settings are documented in the Help tab, so the content is not reproduced here. Again, don't forget to click on the Update preview button when you make changes.

When you are happy with the configuration, click on the Export button. This will save the web map at the location specified as the Export folder and open the resulting web map in your web browser. You can copy the contents in the Export folder to a web server to publish the map.

Creating map tiles

Another popular way to share maps on the Web is map tiles. These are basically just collections of images. These image tiles are typically 256 × 256 pixels and are placed side by side in order to create an illusion of a very large, seamless map image. Each tile has a z coordinate that describes its zoom level and x and y coordinates that describe its position within a square grid for that zoom level. On zoom level 0 (z0), the whole world fits in one tile. From there on, each consecutive zoom level is related to the previous one by a power of 4. This means z0 contains 1 tile, z1 contains 4 tiles, and z2 contains 16 tiles, and so on.

In QGIS, we can use the QTiles plugin, which has to be installed using the Plugin Manager, to create map tiles for our project. Once it is installed, you can go to Plugins | QTiles to start it. The following screenshot shows the plugin dialog where we can configure the Output location, the Extent of the map that we want to export as tiles, as well as the Zoom levels we want to create tiles for.

When you click on OK, the plugin will create a .zip file containing all tiles. Using map tiles in web mapping libraries is out of the scope of this book. Please refer to the documentation of your web mapping library for instructions on how to embed the tiles. If you are using Leaflet, for example, you can refer to https://switch2osm.org/using-tiles/getting-started-with-leaflet for detailed instructions.

Exporting a 3D web map

To create stunning 3D web maps, we need the Qgis2threejs plugin, which we can install using the Plugin Manager.

For example, we can use our srtm_05_01.tif elevation dataset to create a 3D view of that part of Alaska. The following screenshot shows the configuration of DEM Layer in the Qgis2threejs dialog. By selecting Display type as Map canvas image, we furthermore define that the current map image (which is shown on the right-hand side of the dialog) will be draped over the 3D surface:

Besides creating a 3D surface, this plugin can also label features. For example, we can add our airports and label them with their names, as shown in the next screenshot. By setting Label height to Height from point, we let the plugin determine automatically where to place the label, but of course, you can manually override this by changing to Fixed value or one of the feature attributes.

If you click on Run now, the plugin will create the export and open the 3D map in your web browser. On the first try, it is quite likely that the surface looks too flat. Luckily, this can be changed easily by adjusting the Vertical exaggeration setting in the World section of the plugin configuration. The following example was created with a Vertical exaggeration of 10:

Qgis2threejs exports all files to the location specified in the Output HTML file path. You can copy the contents in that folder on a web server to publish the map.

Creating map tiles

Another popular way to share maps on the Web is map tiles. These are basically just collections of images. These image tiles are typically 256 × 256 pixels and are placed side by side in order to create an illusion of a very large, seamless map image. Each tile has a z coordinate that describes its zoom level and x and y coordinates that describe its position within a square grid for that zoom level. On zoom level 0 (z0), the whole world fits in one tile. From there on, each consecutive zoom level is related to the previous one by a power of 4. This means z0 contains 1 tile, z1 contains 4 tiles, and z2 contains 16 tiles, and so on.

In QGIS, we can use the QTiles plugin, which has to be installed using the Plugin Manager, to create map tiles for our project. Once it is installed, you can go to Plugins | QTiles to start it. The following screenshot shows the plugin dialog where we can configure the Output location, the Extent of the map that we want to export as tiles, as well as the Zoom levels we want to create tiles for.

When you click on OK, the plugin will create a .zip file containing all tiles. Using map tiles in web mapping libraries is out of the scope of this book. Please refer to the documentation of your web mapping library for instructions on how to embed the tiles. If you are using Leaflet, for example, you can refer to https://switch2osm.org/using-tiles/getting-started-with-leaflet for detailed instructions.

Exporting a 3D web map

To create stunning 3D web maps, we need the Qgis2threejs plugin, which we can install using the Plugin Manager.

For example, we can use our srtm_05_01.tif elevation dataset to create a 3D view of that part of Alaska. The following screenshot shows the configuration of DEM Layer in the Qgis2threejs dialog. By selecting Display type as Map canvas image, we furthermore define that the current map image (which is shown on the right-hand side of the dialog) will be draped over the 3D surface:

Besides creating a 3D surface, this plugin can also label features. For example, we can add our airports and label them with their names, as shown in the next screenshot. By setting Label height to Height from point, we let the plugin determine automatically where to place the label, but of course, you can manually override this by changing to Fixed value or one of the feature attributes.

If you click on Run now, the plugin will create the export and open the 3D map in your web browser. On the first try, it is quite likely that the surface looks too flat. Luckily, this can be changed easily by adjusting the Vertical exaggeration setting in the World section of the plugin configuration. The following example was created with a Vertical exaggeration of 10:

Qgis2threejs exports all files to the location specified in the Output HTML file path. You can copy the contents in that folder on a web server to publish the map.

Exporting a 3D web map

To create stunning 3D web maps, we need the Qgis2threejs plugin, which we can install using the Plugin Manager.

For example, we can use our srtm_05_01.tif elevation dataset to create a 3D view of that part of Alaska. The following screenshot shows the configuration of DEM Layer in the Qgis2threejs dialog. By selecting Display type as Map canvas image, we furthermore define that the current map image (which is shown on the right-hand side of the dialog) will be draped over the 3D surface:

Besides creating a 3D surface, this plugin can also label features. For example, we can add our airports and label them with their names, as shown in the next screenshot. By setting Label height to Height from point, we let the plugin determine automatically where to place the label, but of course, you can manually override this by changing to Fixed value or one of the feature attributes.

If you click on Run now, the plugin will create the export and open the 3D map in your web browser. On the first try, it is quite likely that the surface looks too flat. Luckily, this can be changed easily by adjusting the Vertical exaggeration setting in the World section of the plugin configuration. The following example was created with a Vertical exaggeration of 10:

Qgis2threejs exports all files to the location specified in the Output HTML file path. You can copy the contents in that folder on a web server to publish the map.

Summary

In this chapter, we took a closer look at how we can create more complex maps using advanced vector layer styles, such as categorized or rule-based styles. We also covered the automatic and manual feature labeling options available in QGIS. This chapter also showed you how to create printable maps using the print composer and introduced the Atlas functionality for creating map books. Finally, we created web maps, which we can publish online.

Congratulations! In the chapters so far, you have learned how to install and use QGIS to create, edit, and analyze spatial data and how to present it in an effective manner. In the following and final chapter, we will take a look at expanding QGIS functionality using Python.

You're reading from QGIS:Becoming a GIS Power User Master data management, visualization, and spatial analysis techniques in QGIS and become a GIS power user

Table of Contents (6) Chapters

Chapter 5. Creating Great Maps

Note

Advanced vector styling

Creating a graduated style

Note

Creating and using color ramps

Using categorized styles for nominal data

Creating a rule-based style for road layers

Note

Tip

Creating data-defined symbology

Tip

Tip

Creating a dynamic heatmap style

Creating a 2.5D style

Adding live layer effects

Working with different styles

Labeling

Customizing label text styles

Controlling label formatting

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

Controlling label placement

Configuring point labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Placing labels manually

Controlling label rendering

Customizing label text styles

Controlling label formatting

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

Controlling label placement

Configuring point labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Placing labels manually

Controlling label rendering

Controlling label formatting

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

Controlling label placement

Configuring point labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Placing labels manually

Controlling label rendering

Configuring label buffers, background, and shadows

Controlling label placement

Configuring point labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Placing labels manually

Controlling label rendering

Controlling label placement

Configuring point labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Placing labels manually

Controlling label rendering

Configuring point labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Configuring line labels

Configuring polygon labels

Configuring polygon labels

Placing labels manually

Controlling label rendering

Controlling label rendering

Designing print maps

Creating a basic map

Adding a scalebar

Adding a North arrow image

Adding a legend

Adding explanatory text to the map

Adding map grids and frames

Creating overview maps

Tip

Adding more details with attribute tables and HTML frames

Creating a map series using the Atlas feature

Creating a basic map