Maps

Using the Map Control in Articles

The Map object in Articles allows you to display geographical maps directly inside a report. You can highlight regions, colorize areas based on data, and visually represent values such as sales totals, population, or performance metrics.

The Map control supports:

World maps
Country maps
Regional/state maps
Custom shape maps (loaded from ESRI Shapefiles)
Data‑driven coloring and labeling

This makes it ideal for dashboards, analytics, and visually rich reporting.

Adding a Map to a Report

Open the Articles report designer.
In the Insert toolbar, choose Map.
Click on the report page or band to place the map.
The Map Editor will open automatically.

The Map Editor is where you configure the map source, appearance, and data bindings.

Choosing a Map Source

Articles supports several map formats:

Built‑in world and country maps
Regional maps (states, provinces, counties)
ESRI Shapefile (.shp) maps
Custom vector maps

To select a map:

Open the Map Editor
Choose Load Map
Select a built‑in map or load your own .shp file

Once loaded, the map appears in the preview area with all regions listed in the left panel.

Connecting the Map to Data

The Map control becomes powerful when connected to a dataset. Articles allows you to bind each map region to a field in your data source.

Steps to connect a map to data

Open the Map Editor
Select the Data tab
Choose a dataset from the dropdown
Select the field that identifies regions (e.g., StateCode, CountryName)
Select the field that contains the value you want to visualize (e.g., SalesTotal, Population)

Articles will automatically match map regions to dataset rows.

Region Matching

Each map region has an internal name (e.g., “FL” for Florida, “TX” for Texas).
Your dataset must contain a field with matching values.

If your dataset uses different naming conventions, you can:

Use SQL to alias fields
Use a calculated field
Use a lookup function to convert values

Example:

SELECT StateAbbrev AS RegionID, Sales AS Value
FROM SalesByState

Coloring Regions Based on Data

Articles can automatically color regions based on numeric values.

Coloring Modes

Solid color
Gradient scale (low → high)
Range‑based coloring (manual thresholds)

Example: Gradient Coloring

Open Map Editor
Go to Appearance
Choose Gradient
Set:
- Minimum color (e.g., light yellow)
- Maximum color (e.g., dark red)

Regions with higher values appear darker.

Displaying Labels

You can display text labels on each region.

Label Options

Region name
Region ID
Data value
Custom expression

Example: Show Sales Value

Open Map Editor
Go to Labels
Set Label Expression to:

[Value]

You can also format values:

'$' + FormatFloat('#,##0', [Value])

Example: Creating a Sales by State Map

This example shows how to build a U.S. sales map.

1. Add the Map

Insert → Map → Select USA States map.

2. Connect to Data

Dataset: SalesByState
Region field: StateCode
Value field: TotalSales

3. Apply Gradient Coloring

Min color: Light blue
Max color: Dark blue

4. Add Labels

Label expression:

'$' + FormatFloat('#,##0', [TotalSales])

Result

The report displays a U.S. map where each state is shaded based on sales volume, with labels showing formatted totals.

Working With Custom Maps

Articles supports ESRI Shapefiles (.shp).
To load a custom map:

Open Map Editor
Click Load Map
Select your .shp file
Articles will import all regions and boundaries

You can then bind the map to your dataset the same way as built‑in maps.

Tips and Best Practices

Ensure region names in your dataset match the map’s region IDs
Use gradient coloring for continuous values
Use range coloring for categories (e.g., low/medium/high)
Keep labels short to avoid clutter
Use custom maps for floor plans, seating charts, or territories

Articles Report Writer