The Explorer window lets you control the layers on display for all maps open in MapInfo Pro.
Clicking on a map name in the Layers list, brings the map to the front of view in MapInfo Pro. This is also done by selecting the map name and pressing Enter.
Putting the Focus on to a Map
Double-clicking on a map name takes the focus to the map window. You can then use the arrow keys to pan the map. This is useful when you want to put the focus in the map window without click in the map window, because doing so might clear a table selection. You can also do this by selecting the map name and then pressing the Ctrl and Enter keys.
Rearrange the Order of Layers
To reorder the layers, select a layer (map) name and press the up or down arrow keys to reposition it in the list.
Select and Modify Many Layers at Once
Select multiple layers at once in the Layer list by using the Shift and Ctrl keys. Selecting a check box for one of these layers then selects the check boxes for all selected layers. This is useful when turning several layers off, because the map redraws only once instead of redrawing for each layer selection.
Modify multiple layers at once instead of having to modify layer properties one layer at a time. Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select multiple layers in the Layer list, and then right-click to open the Layer Properties dialog box. Changes apply to all selected layers making it easier to ensure consistency in your layer settings. You can also set the style override for all selected layers by clicking the style swatch for one of the layers, or set the labeling font for all the selected layers by right-clicking on one of the layers and then choosing Label Font.
You can only modify a selection of similar layers; if you select different types of layers, such as a raster layer and a pie theme, then the dialog box is not enabled.
Preview Style Changes before committing them
Style dialog boxes that are launched by clicking a style swatch for a layer in the Layers list include a Preview button. Use this Preview button to see what the map will look like with your style changes before committing the change. You can cancel the preview if you do not like what you see by clicking the Cancel button in the style dialog box.
Apply Display and Label Overrides for when zooming the Map
At different zoom levels information on the map may be difficult to view. Changing (overriding) the display style for specific zoom levels can help. As an example, to make the map easier to read, you may want roadways to display using a thick line when zoomed in to the map, but a very thin line when zoomed out of the map.
Right-clicking on a layer in the Layers list and clicking the Add Display Override option creates a display override for that layer. Right-clicking and clicking the Add Label Override option creates an override for labels for a layer. The first display override defaults to the zoom range of the layer. Adding subsequent display overrides splits the zoom range of the first display override. You can then customize the display style for the layer at each specific zoom level.
Reorder Layers
The Layers list has multi-select capabilities. To change the order of one or more contiguous layers, hold down the Shift key, select the layers, and drag them up or down. To change the order of one or more layers that are out of sequence, hold down the Ctrl key, select the layers, and drag them up or down.
When you begin to drag the layers, the cursor will change shape to represent the number of layers being dragged. If you are dragging one layer, the cursor becomes an arrow icon with a single layer icon attached to the top. If you are dragging multiple layers, the arrow icon will display multiple layer icons at the top. If you select layers that cannot be dragged or if you are attempting to insert layers where they cannot be inserted, the cursor becomes a circle with a line through it.
Use the Move Layers Up or Move Layers Down buttons to move one or more layers. You cannot reorder or remove the Cosmetic layer. It will always be the top layer.
Group Layers
Group layers to organize them, so that you can show or hide the entire group with a single click.
Quick View an Entire Layer
Right-click on a layer name and choose View Entire Layer to see the layer as a whole without going through a dialog box.
Rename Maps
You can give a descriptive title for your map by right-clicking on the Map name (at the top of the layer list) and choosing Rename Map.
Suspend or Resume Map Drawing
For those times when you want to make many quick changes, and you do not want the map to redraw after each change, you can toggle the Redraw button on the MAP tab to temporarily turn off map display.