If you work with the same tables repeatedly, you know that opening each one individually every time you use it can be tedious. With MapInfo Pro's workspace feature, you can automate this process so you can get back to the business of creating maps and analyzing data sooner.
When you work with MapInfo Pro you generally use many different tables and windows. A Map window, for instance, is likely to be built of several layers. MapInfo Pro uses workspaces to save your work setup from session to session. Workspaces prevent you from having to reassemble all the pieces of your earlier setup from scratch. So, you do not have to reopen tables, re-create maps or layouts, resize windows, or do anything else just to duplicate what was on your desktop the last time you were using MapInfo Pro.
If you close a window or table and you have thematic maps, graphs, label settings or label edits, or cosmetic objects pending, MapInfo Pro will prompt you to save the session to a workspace.
To save your current work setup:
- On the HOME tab, in the File group, click Save Workspace, and select Save Workspace As from the drop-down list.
- In the Save Workspace dialog box, type a name for the workspace and select the directory location to save it to.
There are two MapInfo workspace formats, WOR and MWS. A .wor file is written using MapBasic and a .mws file is written using XML. The MWS format contains more information about the data sources than the WOR format does. Depending on the MapInfo product you are working with you may open and/or save to one or both formats.
- Click Save.
When you start your next session, you can open this workspace right from the Quick Start dialog box and continue where you left off.
You can change the directory path that MapInfo Pro uses for opening or saving workspaces as a directory preference: on the PRO tab, click Options, and Directories.
To change the directory path for opening/saving workspaces:
- On the PRO tab, click Options, and Directories.
- In the Directory Preferences dialog box, in the Initial Directories for File Dialogs list, highlight the Workspaces path and do one of the following:
- Click Modify.
- Double-click the path.
Using either method, the Choose Directory dialog box displays.
- Select the path you want to use, and click OK.
If you have edited a table (added, deleted, or modified items) you must explicitly save those changes first using Save Copy As or Save Workspace As commands on the HOME tab.