Editor / Viewer Common Questions

For Editor evaluators and Viewer users:

• Editor trial version for 10-day evaluation period.
• Help file topics documenting each menu item of the default user interface available online (or open from Help menu).
• Video tutorials available online.
• Searchable online knowledge base with answers on hundreds of topics.
• E-mail technical support during Editor evaluation period.
• Dozens of Pascal and Basic source code scripts providing additional features or tutorial examples how to customize the Editor or implement new features.
• Built-in Editor object API documented online at: API Documentation

For Editor licensed users (with active maintenance), additionally:

• Frequent product updates providing software bug fixes and improvements. (Report bugs to support).
• Product upgrades introducing new features and functionality.
• E-mail technical support.
• Online Question and Answer resource.
• Consideration of new feature requests.
• Fee based product training, workshops, telephone support, consulting, etc. available from TatukGIS VAR partners.

The TatukGIS Developer Kernel (DK) is a comprehensive GIS development component (SDK) supporting the leading development platforms and enabling custom GIS development for most operating systems. The TatukGIS Editor is a seasoned, ready-to-use, general purpose Windows desktop GIS application that is highly customizable and extendable via its built-in scripting IDE. The Editor is developed and compiled from the DK, so the two products share many features and performance characteristics. The Editor scripting IDE exposes, within the Editor, the DK's full object-oriented API for geospatial development. In many situations, either product could be used to develop essentially the same custom application or solution.

The relative advantages and disadvantages of the Editor versus the DK for custom GIS development are presented in knowledge base item KB10868.

The TatukGIS Editor and free TatukGIS Viewer products are highly similar, reflecting the same source code. A feature-by-feature comparison of the Editor and free Viewer is presented at Editor/Viewer Features.

The Editor includes five main areas of functionality not supported in the free Viewer.

• Creating and editing map data, including import and export, format translation, topological error review...
• Built-in scripting environment for creating and running plug-ins to customize or extend Editor features.
• 3D map visualization including DTM's and draping, 3D vectors, light/shadow control, texturing, fly over, etc.
• Raster analysis functionality.
• Layer rectification to correct distortions and transform a layer to a coordinate system.

The Editor is a professional desktop GIS program requiring purchase of a license, which includes 12 months of upgrades and support maintenance. The Viewer is licensed as freeware.

The free Viewer is useful for creating and saving custom map projects from existing data, distributing GIS data and projects to users, and evaluating the TatukGIS technology.

The free TatukGIS Viewer may be redistributed to others (such as with map data or a map project) under the following rules:

• Only the most recent product version may be redistributed.
• Redistribution must be with the full, original setup procedure.
• Redistribution must be done on a free-of-charge basis.
• If packaged with map data sold to others, users of the redistributed product must be informed that the TatukGIS Viewer is an unsupported, free product and any user support (which is likely to be data specific) is the responsibility of the map data vendor (not TatukGIS).

The free Viewer (unlike the TatukGIS Editor) cannot be customized or extended because:

• The Viewer does not support plug-ins (customization scripts).
• The license forbids making modifications to the Viewer.

The TatukGIS Editor supports a number of SQL database map layer formats, including advanced spatial databases such as PostGIS, Oracle Spatial/Locator, Oracle GeoRaster, Microsoft SQL Server Spatial, ESRI ArcSDE and ArcSDE Raster, IBM DB2 Spatial Extender, and others. The support includes a SQL database connection wizard.

Supported database layer formats and compatible database engines are presented in knowledge base item KB10639. Guidance on connecting to supported database layers is presented in KB10765 and the documentation wiki.