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Map styling and configuration

Most of the settings which QGIS offers are directly supported by QField without any extra effort.

Style

All style settings from QGIS are directly supported by QField. This includes all renderer types like graduated, categorized, rule based, 2.5D as well as data defined symbology.

Display Expression

In QField, objects are identified with a name. The expression to generate this name can be defined by opening the attribute table in QGIS and switching to the form view. Choose the appropriate field or an expression in the list there. Starting from QGIS 3, this can be done directly from the Vector Layer Properties --> Display page.

The display expression is also used to search in layers.

Define display expression
The display expression will be used to represent features with an identification string throughout QField.

Read only, non-identifiable and searchable layers

Some layers in a project are just there for pure visual purpose. Such layers should not show up when a user taps somewhere to identify objects.

Some other layers serve as source of information and shouldn't be modified by the user. It is possible to protect layers from editing attributes or adding and deleting features.

It is also possible to configure which layers are searchable.

To configure identify, readonly and searchable behavior, go to the Project --> Project Properties --> Identify Layers page and activate the checkboxes to match your desired behavior.

Identify and readonly configuration
Configuration of layers that will not be identifiable, not modifiable and/or not searchable.

Snapping

While digitizing new features, new points can be snapped to existing geometries.

All configuration can be done in Project --> Snapping Settings (Settings --> Snapping Settings in QGIS 2.x).

Snapping Types

It is possible to snap new points

  • only to nodes of existing geomtries
  • only to segments of existing geomtries
  • to nodes and segments of existing geomtries

Snapping to layers

It is also possible to only snap to one or a few layers.

Snapping tolerance

The snapping tolerance can be specified in map units or pixels.

In almost any case, the units should be set to pixels. We made good experiences with a tolerance value of 20.

3D Coordinates

GPS devices are capable of measuring the altitude next to the current 2D position on the earth surface. This information can be saved.