AGFSHAPE.TXT (8/12/96)

1.  AGFSHAPE.EXE is a DOS program that converts an Atlas Geo file (AGF)
into an ESRI shapefile.  The general procedure is to determine which
layer of the Atlas Geo file to translate and then convert that particular
layer to an ESRI shapefile.  Unlike Atlas Geo files, ESRI shapefiles
contain only one layer of spatial information.

2.  Although you can convert an Atlas Geo file that is in any projection,
we recommend that you always put the Atlas Geo file into the
Latitude/Longitude projection first.  Within Atlas GIS for Windows, go to
the Map pull down menu, select Change Projection and then LL.  When the
Atlas Geo file is in Latitude/Longitude, the shapefile coordinates will be
written in decimal degrees.  Decimal degrees are preferred for ESRI
shapefiles since ArcView can project them to other projections on the fly.
As a result, shapefiles are generally stored in decimal degrees.

3.  Within AGFSHAPE, there are two methods to view the layer information
of
an Atlas Geo file.  One method writes the information to the screen while
the other writes the information to a text file.

      Command Usage:  AGFSHAPE [agf_file] {output_file}

       [agf_file]     The name of the ATLAS Geo file that you want to
                      convert. You must have both an AGF and AIF file.
                      Do not include the suffix.

       {output_file}  Specifying an output file is optional.  If you
                      specify an output file, the layer information will
                      be written as a text file.  Otherwise, the layer
                      information will appear on the screen.  Specify
                      the TXT suffix.

      Example Usage:  AGFSHAPE C:\AGISW\DATA\WORLD LAYERS.TXT

      Example Results:

         Layer#  Name             Type    Count
              0  Countries        Region    238
              1  PotentialCntrys  Region      8
              2  Grid             Line       56
              3  Capitals         Point     196
              4  Cities           Point    1579

         &REM NAD-27 Latitude/Longitude, Scalar in Degrees of Latitude
         &REM LL
         PROJECTION GEOGRAPHIC
         UNITS DD
         PARAMETERS


       Note that there are 5 layers in this AGF file. They are
       numbered 0-4. The layer description, type and count of features
       are also included.

4.  Once you know the layer number that you wish to convert, execute the
conversion command.

      Command Usage:  AGFSHAPE [agf_file] [layer_number/layer_name]
[shape_file]


       [agf_file]     The name of the ATLAS Geo file that you want to
                      convert. You must have both an AGF and AIF file.
                      Do not include the suffix.

       [layer_number/layer_name] 
                      The layer number or name on the AGF file to convert.
                      Layer numbers range from 0-255. Layer names are case
                      insensitive (ROADS is the same as RoAdS)

       [shape_file]   The name of the shapefile to create.
                      Do not include the suffix.

      Example Usage:  AGFSHAPE C:\AGISW\DATA\WORLD 3 CAPITALS
                                     or
                      AGFSHAPE C:\AGISW\DATA\WORLD CAPITALS CAPITALS

    This command creates four files with the following suffixes:

      .shp - stores the feature geometry
      .shx - stores the index of the feature geometry
      .dbf - dBASE file that stores the feature attribute information
      .prj - ARC/INFO projection file (PRJ)

Notes:

1.  The first three files in the list above (.shp, .shx, .dbf) make up a
shapefile and should always be stored in the same directory.  The ARC/INFO
projection file (.prj) is not used by ArcView.  For more information on
all
the files that can be part of a shapefile, see the ArcView on-line help.

2.  The projection information of the AGF file is written to an ARC/INFO
projection file (PRJ) for most projections. There are a few exceptions
(GKn, IGNxxx, LLPARIS, OSGB, and OSNI).  The PRJ file will have the same
name as the shapefile (i.e. XXX.PRJ)  If ARC/INFO users later convert the
shapefile to a coverage, they should copy the PRJ file into the coverage
directory as PRJ so the coverage will have the correct projection
information.

3.  When creating a shapefile, the resultant DBF file will have the
following items:

    ID_      The ID of the feature.
    NAME1_   The primary name of the feature.
    NAME2_   The secondary name of the feature.

  For line and region layers.
    PARTS_   The number of lines or polygons that make up the feature.
    POINTS_  The number of points in the feature.
    LENGTH_  The length of the line or perimeter of the polygon.

  For region layers.
    AREA_    The area of the polygon.


*************************
*   Technical Support   *
*************************

1.  In the United States, telephone support for Atlas Geo file
translators is available from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific standard
time Monday through Friday by dialing (909) 793-3774. For users who
don't wish to call in, or can't reach Technical Support during our
normal operating hours, fax and E-mail support is available 24 hours a
day (faxes and E-mail received after 6:00 p.m. are handled the next
business day). Fax us at (909) 792-0960. Send E-mail to support@esri.com.

2.  Users outside the United States should contact their International
Distributor for information about operating hours, telephone, fax, and
E-mail support in their country.

3.  For additional support, discussion, and tips, try a few of our
24 Hour Support Services available on the Internet.  (For details go to
http://www.esri.com.)

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