Main Components¶
Here is a list of the main components of OrbisGIS. Except for the map, all these components are considered by OrbisGIS as plugins. So they can be:
- made visible or not (just close the component to hide it),
- resized (using the cursor of your mouse),
- moved (drag & drop the component to a new place in the UI),
- (un)docked (pretty useful if you have a dual screen),
- (un)installed (thanks the plugin manager).

To load a component, check the list in the “Windows” menu (in red in the illustration above) or the “Tools” menu (for the SQL Console).
Geocatalog¶
The Geocatalog ( ) is the place where datasources are managed. Through a right-click in the blank area, the user can:
Map¶
The map ( ) is the place where geographic informations (vector or raster) are displayed. The user can navigate into the map (using zoom or pan tools), select and get informations on objects.
TOC¶
TOC ( ) stands for “Table Of Content”. This component allows the user to:
- Make visible or not the layer with the checkbox (on the left),
- Change the layer name –> make a double-click on the layer. Then change the name and press “Entrer”,
- Change the order of layers –> drag & drop the layer upward or downward,
- Add WMS layers (
),
- Add a layer group (
).
Moreover, several features are available via a right-click:
- Show attributes (
): show the attributes’s table,
- Zoom to the layer (
): Extended zoom on the layer,
- Import a style (
), *
- Create a thematic analysis (
), *
- Edit (
), delete (
) or export (
) an existing style, *
- Remove the layer (
): Remove the layer from the TOC,
- Start edition (
): To edit a layer (e.g: add a field, delete an object, …).
* see Cartography.
DB Tree¶
The DB Tree ( ) is a tree representation of all the layers loaded in OrbisGIS. Layers (tables) are listed into their respectives folder (schema).

Specific options allows the user to:
Output console¶
The output ( ) console is the place where all messages (informations, warnings or errors) are displayed.
Logs can be copy and paste into a text editor.
SQL console¶
The SQL console ( ) is the place where the user can process data thanks to SQL scripts. To know more about this component, read “SQL Console”.