How To: Change the size of the text on coordinate reference grid on a base map

Problem/Symptom:
User would like to change the size of the text on a coordinate reference grid that is drawn on a map via the base map function. For example, the text is too big or too small, and you want to edit the size of such text.

Environment:
This resolutions applies to all versions of Oasis Montaj and Target, but in particular applies to the menu options available in v7.0.

Resolution:

The size of the text around the coordinate reference box can be modified, but only through the control file (and not through the base map dialog boxes).

1. Go to Map Tools > New Map > New Map from X,Y to create a new map.

2. Proceed to draw a base map using Map Tools > Base Map > Draw Base Map. Change the settings to how you would like your base map drawn.

3. Once you've drawn the base map, browse to the project directory (where the GPF is saved), and find the file _basemap.con.

4. Open this simple text file in a text editor (e.g. notepad). It contains all of the information on the base map (in text format). Everytime you create a base map, this file will be changed according to base map that you created (i.e. updated with changes you make to the base map). If you delete this file, it will be re-created upon re-creation of the base map.

5. However, some parameters are not editable in the base map dialog, but all parameters are editable in the _basemap.con file. In the _basemap.con file, you can edit such features as the text around the coordinate reference box. Please refer to the parameters below (to edit the text size):

DATT refgrid
ANOY ,,,,,,0.1,,-1,-1,,,0.05,,1
cg=kt50,0.18
DATT refgrid
ANOX ,,,,,,0.1,,-1,,,,0.05,,1
cg=kt50,0.18

And note the line cg=kt50,0.18.

6. You then can edit the height, width and spacing (after cg=kt50), as shown below:

DATT refgrid
ANOY ,,,,,,0.1,,-1,-1,,,0.05,,1
cg=kt50,0.3,0.3,0.3
DATT refgrid
ANOX ,,,,,,0.1,,-1,,,,0.05,,1
cg=kt50, 0.3,0.3,0.3

This numbers represent the text size in millimetres.

7. Save this file (making sure it is a *.CON file). You can overwrite the existing _basemap.con, or create a new *.con file.

8. To plot this new base map, go to Map Tools > Base Map > MAPPLOT Control File > From Control File.

9. In here, load the _basemap.con (or other *.con) file, and make sure to draw to the current map.