Creating a map series using Atlas

In this recipe, we will use the Print Composer Atlas functionality to automatically create a PDF map book with a series of maps.

Getting ready

To follow this recipe, load zipcodes_wake.shp and geology.shp from our sample data. In the following screenshots, the zipcodes_wake layer was styled with a simple white border, while the geology layer is styled with random colors.

How to do it…

The Print Composer Atlas feature will create one map for each feature in the so-called Coverage layer. In this recipe, the zipcodes layer will serve as a Coverage layer, and we will create one map for each zipcode feature:

1. Click on the New Print Composer button or press Ctrl + P to get started. You will be prompted to set a title for the new composer. This can be left empty if you want QGIS to generate a title automatically.
2. Click on the Add new map button and drag open a rectangle on the composer page to create a map item for the main map.
3. To activate the Atlas functionality...