What is EverName?

EverNameTM, an advanced cartographic label placement software is an add-on to the MapInfo Professional, a popular desktop mapping system. Once installed on your computer it will appear to the user as an essential part of your MapInfo Professional software. EverNameTM system is tightly integrated with MapInfo Professional, it uses the same tables and map layers so there is no need in special data conversion. It provides a flexible and easy-to-use user interface for the optimized labeling of the point-like and polygon-like features on the map. EverNameTM optimizes label positions based on user-defined rules, label priority, text size and is able to produce output with minimum number of overlaps between labels. EverNameTM works with MapInfo Professional version 4.1 and higher.

EverName software features:

• 100% integration with MapInfo Professional®
• 100% automated label placement under complete user control
• Sophisticated algorithm for resolving name placement conflicts
• Label priority by attribute / rank
• Attribute-controlled variable label sizes
• Rich controls for map elements selection for the labeling
• User-controlled preferability of possible label positions
• Automatic label size reduction
• Delete or keep overlapping labels
• Marking deleted labels
• Labels map objects directly or uses existing labels
• Supports different text styles and colors
• Optimization report

Label Placement

Accurate and aesthetic placement of text labels is an essential component of the professional well-designed map. Traditionally, poorly placed names are common for computer - generated maps. Computer-generated maps have been noted for overlapping text, low density of labels, lost of important labels and overall poor label positioning - all properties that cartographers and casual users strive to avoid. Despite great improvements in the other areas of the GIS and computer cartography, automated names placement remains a problem, especially for the users of the popular desktop GIS systems. EverNameTM is a simple yet sophisticated solution both for professional and beginner. It allows you quickly label map features and produce professionally looking maps. EverNameTM supports label placement only for point and polygon-like features. You can use EverNameTM to label polygons (variety of choices available for choosing the position of the anchor point), rectangles, circles, ellipses and even text elements. The output of the software is a set of MapInfo’s text objects – not labels. This allows “text labels” to be saved as a separate layer and also provides scale dependent display capabilities. When you zoom in or zoom out the size of the text objects also changes.

Samples

Sample maps generated with EverName

Software user interface

Multi-layer Labeling

EverName software can label only one layer at the time. Allowing multiple layers will greatly increase complexity of the user-interface and make it hard to use. There is a simple workaround for labeling multiple layers at the same time. Consider the following example. We want to simultaneously label WORLD layer (using “Country” field as label text) and WORLDCAP layer (using “Capital” field as label text). First, merge these 2 layers into single one with only one database field that will contain text for labels. This can be easily done by issuing the following commands in MapBasic window:

Select Country from WORLD into T1
Select Capital from WORLDCAP into T2
Insert Into T1(COL1) Select COL1 From T2

If you want to display the result, issue an additional command:

Add Map Layer T1

After these 3 commands, you have a new layer T1 that contains graphical objects from WORLD and WORLDCAP, but with only one column that can be used for labeling. Now use EverName to label layer T1. You can discard T1 after you done.

Trial and Commercial Versions

The Commercial version of EverName ($99 for a single-user license) comes pre-authorized to the copy of MapInfo Professional that you have installed on your computer. It will not run with other copies of MapInfo Professional. Every copy of MapInfo Professional has a unique product identification ("Product ID") that you must provide us at the time of a EverName purchase. You can get this product ID number by opening an “About” dialog located on the main menu of MapInfo Professional (“Help / About”). EverName checks the product ID of MapInfo Professional every time you start the program to prevent unauthorized distribution of the software. The Trial version does not require any authorization and runs with any copy of MapInfo Professional.

Installing EverName

The EverName installation program asks the user for an authorization code and if none is provided installs EverName in trial mode. The trial version allows you to evaluate the features and functionality of EverNameTM, but limits the number of labels that can be processed. There are no restrictions for distributing or using a trial version. After evaluating the trial version, you can upgrade it to the commercial version by purchasing the commercial license ($99). You can then convert your trial version into the commercial version by supplying a correct authorization code. There are no separate files and executables.

Trial Version Limitations

The trial version of EverName has a preset limit on the maximum number of the labels it can process. This limit is set high enough to allow you to evaluate the software, but prevents using it for professional projects. The current limit is set to 200 map objects / labels. EverNameTM software is distributed with number of data sets suitable for the evaluation purposes.

Download Trial Version of EverName

Click here to download a trial version of EverName add-on for MapInfo Professional

Software available for Window95/98/2000/XP/NT only.
EverName software requires MapInfo Professional ® software installed on your PC.