Vector Attribute Table Editing

iXGIS provides comprehensive attribute table editing capabilities. You can configure fields, manage records, and maintain values in the current active data table.

The attribute table supports basic editing, such as modifying cells and adding or deleting records; advanced data operations, such as batch calculation and conditional updates; and field management, such as adding or deleting fields and setting data types. These tools support workflows from simple data entry to complex table structure maintenance. All edits are applied to the currently selected data table and follow database permission settings and integrity rules, such as foreign key constraints and non-null restrictions, to help keep data accurate and consistent.

Functional Areas

Attribute table editing is organized into five areas:

• Columns: Configure and manage columns, also called fields, in the attribute table.
• Rows: Add, delete, edit, and query rows, also called records.
• Relationships: Create associations between the attribute table and other data.
• Tools: Use advanced tools for data processing.
• Export: Export the edited attribute table to a specified format.

Attribute Table

An attribute table contains rows and columns. Columns are also called fields and describe properties of geographic features, such as length or area. Rows are also called records and represent geographic features, such as roads or buildings. The iXGIS attribute table pane includes these main parts:

• Fields or columns
• Records or rows
• Filter record builder
• Display mode

User Guide

Columns (Fields)

You can perform the following operations on columns, also called fields, in an attribute table:

• Add: Add a field to the attribute table. Integer, single-precision floating-point, double-precision floating-point, text, and date types are supported.

• Delete: Delete a field from the attribute table. Only one column can be deleted at a time.

• Format column: Set display or storage rules for a field in the table. The field must be numeric. Formatting helps the field meet specific standards or usage requirements. This mainly includes:

  • Data type formatting: Define the data type stored by the field to keep data standardized.
  • Display format adjustment: Control how field values are displayed without changing the stored values.

• Ascending/Descending: Sort a field.

• Advanced sort: Sort by multiple fields. The first field has the highest sort priority.

• In the attribute table interface, you can also perform these column operations:

  • Process a column, including sorting, calculating, copying, and deleting.

  • Selectively show columns and hide fields that are not needed.

Rows (Records)

You can perform the following operations on rows, also called records, in an attribute table:

• Select all: Select all records in the attribute table, corresponding to all features on the map.

• Invert selection: Reverse the current selection. Selected records become unselected, and unselected records become selected.

• Clear: Clear all selected records. The corresponding features on the map are also no longer highlighted.

• Zoom to: Automatically adjust the map view so all features corresponding to the selected records are fully visible. If multiple records are selected, iXGIS calculates the minimum bounding rectangle (MBR) of those features as the zoom extent and keeps a reasonable margin around the map edges.

• Pan to: Move the map view center to the selected feature location without changing the current zoom level. If multiple features are selected, the view moves to their geometric center.

• Flash: Highlight selected features with a flashing effect in the map view. After flashing, features return to their original display state and do not remain highlighted. Multiple features flash in sequence.

• Paste: Paste clipboard content into the target field or record.

  • Paste: Paste clipboard content to the target location once.
  • Paste multiple times: Reuse the same clipboard content for repeated paste operations without copying again.
  • Paste to: Paste clipboard content to another layer.

• Copy: Copy the selected rows or records to the system clipboard. Copying supports one or more cell values and can also copy all attribute values of an entire row.

• Cut: Cut selected field values, or cells, to the clipboard. The original data is cleared.

• Delete: Remove the selected rows. The corresponding features on the map are also removed.

• In the attribute table interface, you can also operate on rows by selecting one or more rows and using the context menu to access the available row actions.

Relationships

Relationships describe logical connections between different attribute tables. They are mainly created through joins and relates.

• Join: Join the contents of one table to another table based on a common attribute field. The input table is updated to include fields from the joined table.

• Relate: Relate a layer to another layer or table based on field values. The input table is not updated. Instead, a dynamic query link is created between tables, and related data is loaded temporarily when accessed.

Tools

Tools provide common batch processing and auxiliary analysis operations for attribute tables, including Calculate Geometry, Field Calculation, Create Chart, Find/Replace, and Go to Row Number.

attention

Some tools batch write or replace field values. Test expressions or replacement rules on a small number of records before applying them to the full table. Back up important result data first.

Calculate Geometry

Calculate Geometry automatically calculates feature geometry attributes and writes the results to attribute table fields. Common calculated values include:

• Point features: Coordinates, such as X and Y, and Z/M when required.
• Line features: Length, calculated as planar or geodesic depending on tool options.
• Polygon features: Area and perimeter or boundary length, which may also support planar or geodesic calculation.

During calculation, you can usually choose output units and a coordinate reference. If length or area precision matters, first confirm whether the data coordinate system is appropriate. A geographic coordinate system uses degrees, while a projected coordinate system usually uses meters.

The following geographic functions are available for point, line, and polygon features:

Point Features (Point/MultiPoint, Coordinates)

Keyword	Meaning	Notes
POINT_X	X coordinate of each point feature.	Applies to point features.
POINT_Y	Y coordinate of each point feature.	Applies to point features.
EXTENT_MIN_X	Minimum X coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MIN_Y	Minimum Y coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MAX_X	Maximum X coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MAX_Y	Maximum Y coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.

Line Features (LineString/MultiLineString, Coordinates and Measurements)

Keyword	Meaning	Notes
LINE_START_X	X coordinate of the start point of each line feature.	Applies to line features.
LINE_START_Y	Y coordinate of the start point of each line feature.	Applies to line features.
LINE_END_X	X coordinate of the end point of each line feature.	Applies to line features.
LINE_END_Y	Y coordinate of the end point of each line feature.	Applies to line features.
LENGTH	Length of each line feature.	Applies to line features.
EXTENT_MIN_X	Minimum X coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MIN_Y	Minimum Y coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MAX_X	Maximum X coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MAX_Y	Maximum Y coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.

Polygon Features (Polygon/MultiPolygon, Coordinates and Measurements)

Keyword	Meaning	Notes
AREA	Area of each polygon feature.	Applies to polygon features.
PERIMETER_LENGTH_GEODESIC	Shape-preserving geodesic perimeter or boundary length of each polygon feature.	Applies to polygon features.
EXTENT_MIN_X	Minimum X coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MIN_Y	Minimum Y coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MAX_X	Maximum X coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.
EXTENT_MAX_Y	Maximum Y coordinate of each feature extent.	Bounding rectangle extent.

Field Calculation

Field Calculation uses expressions to calculate field values in batches and write the results to a specified field. It supports mathematical operations, comparison and logical operations, conditional assignment, and common function calls.

AI can help draft formulas for this type of calculation. In practice, describe your requirement in natural language first, such as "add a population density field" or "generate a risk level field based on slope and rainfall," then review the AI-generated expression before running it.

To help AI generate the expression correctly, specify these items directly:

• Target field name
• Field names used in the calculation
• Classification thresholds or conditions
• How null values and zero values should be handled

Example:

Add a density field. Calculate population density by dividing Population by AREA. If the area is 0 or population is null, output nan.

AI may generate:

density = where(logical_or(isnan(Population), AREA == 0), nan, Population / AREA)

For a classification scenario, you can describe it like this:

Add a risk_level field: output 'High' when slope is greater than 25 and rain is greater than 100; output 'Medium' when slope is greater than 15 or rain is greater than 60; otherwise output 'Low'.

AI may generate:

high_risk = logical_and(slope > 25, rain > 100)
mid_risk = logical_or(slope > 15, rain > 60)
risk_level = where(high_risk, 'High', where(mid_risk, 'Medium', 'Low'))

Before running the calculation, check that field names match exactly, condition boundaries are correct, and null value handling meets your expectations.

Common expression example:

new_field = field1 + field2

For conditional assignment, use where(cond, x, y) and element-wise logical operators & | ~. Use parentheses to make precedence explicit:

mask = (population > 1000) & (area < 50)
new_field = where(mask, 1, 0)

Field Calculation is intended for expression-based calculations on attribute fields, such as numeric and text fields. To calculate geometry-derived fields, such as area, length, and coordinates, use Calculate Geometry.

For more complete expression documentation, see:

• Field calculation (Vector calculator)
• Raster calculator, whose expressions and common functions also apply to field calculation
• Field calculation
• Use AI to write raster calculator and field calculator formulas

Functions support categories such as mathematics, trigonometry, reduction, bitwise operations, comparison, and floating-point checks.

Field calculation will remain consistent with the Geoprocessing Toolbox. At this stage, using the field calculator in the Geoprocessing Toolbox is the recommended approach.

Create Chart

Create Chart quickly generates statistical charts from attribute fields, making it easier to inspect data distribution, comparisons, and trends.

The X field supports both numeric and character fields. The Y field supports numeric fields only.

Find/Replace

Find/Replace searches for specific content in an attribute table and modifies it in batches. It is useful for data cleaning, attribute updates, and text correction. Use Find first to confirm the matched range before running Replace.

Text matching types include:

• Any part

  Meaning: The search term matches if it appears anywhere in a field value.

  Example: Searching for "road" matches:

  • "Main Road"
  • "Roadside"
  • "Crossroad"

  Characteristics: This is the broadest matching mode and is suitable for fuzzy search.

• Entire field

  Meaning: The field content must exactly match the search term.

  Example: Searching for "road" matches only:

  • "road"
  • It does not match "Main Road" or "roads".

  Characteristics: This is the most precise matching mode and is suitable for finding a specific value.

• Start of field

  Meaning: The field content must start with the search term.

  Example: Searching for "road" matches:

  • "Road 123"
  • "Roadside"
  • It does not match "Main Road".

  Characteristics: This is suitable for finding data with a specific prefix.

Go to Row Number

Go to Row Number locates a specified row or record for quick navigation. It is especially useful when there are many records or when you need to verify a specific record.

Export

Export saves maps, layers, and tables in different formats locally or shares them with other users. It is suitable for data backup, result output, and cross-platform use.

Export Features

Export Features converts vector layers, including points, lines, and polygons, to other GIS data formats for data sharing, format conversion, or backup.

Options:

• Export selection: Export only features currently selected in the attribute table, or export all features directly.
• Coordinate system: Use the original coordinate system of the data or the project coordinate system.
• File type: Shapefile, PGV, and GPV formats are supported.

Export Table

Export Table exports attribute table data to external table formats, such as Excel and CSV, for data analysis, sharing, or use with other software.

Supported export formats:

• CSV comma-separated values file (.csv)
• Excel file (.xlsx)
• PostGIS table (.pgt)
• dBASE database file (.dbf)