Magnacarto is a new open-ource tool that makes it easier to create map styles for MapServer and Mapnik. It uses CartoCSS - a styling language similar to CSS - to create both Mapfiles for Mapserver and XML-files for Mapnik. CartoCSS provides powerful functions: You can create base-styles and extend them for specific map scales or attributes. This avoids unnecessary repetition for similar map objects. CartoCSS styles are typically just 1/5th to 1/10th of the length of comparable mapfiles. With variables, expressions and color functions (darken, lighten, mix, etc) it's possible to create new design variations by changing only a few lines of the style. Magnacarto comes with a modern web interface that shows the final map design with MapServer and Mapnik. Live-refresh and multiple map windows makes it easy to directly verify any changes made to the map style. Additionally, there is a command line tools to automate the conversion of CartoCSS to Mapfiles and XML. The presentation briefly talks about the history of CartoCSS and Magnacarto. It shows important functions, how they are used in practice and it discusses the power and limitations of CartoCSS. It will also show new and upcoming features and possible extensions (SLD). |