Supported vector data

ArcPad supports the following vector data formats:

• ESRI shapefile
• ArcPad AXF file
• ArcPad Graphics layer
• ArcPad Photo layer
• ArcPad StreetMap file

Additional vector data formats can be supported via ArcPad extensions.

Shapefile

A shapefile does not consist of a single file but instead consists of a number of files. ArcPad supports the following files associated with shapefiles:

• Mandatory files:
  • filename.SHP
  • filename.SHX
  • filename.DBF
• Map projection metadata files (recommended but not mandatory that shapefiles have associated map projection files):
  • filename.PRJ
• Code page files:
  • filename.CPG
• Spatial index files:
  • filename.SBN
  • filename.SBX
• Attribute index files (a shapefile can have an attribute index defined for one or more fields):
  • filename.fieldname.ATX
• ArcPad files:
  • filename.APL (ArcPad layer file)
• Layer icon files (filename.ICO)
• Script files (only one script file can be associated with a shapefile):
  • filename.VBS (VBScript file)
  • filename.JS (JScript file)

The attributes associated with the features in the shapefile are stored in the shapefile’s DBF file.

The APL file can contain ArcPad symbology, label settings, form definitions, simple metadata, scripts, and script references. The simple metadata includes the title, description, author, and comments of the associated ArcPad layer file. Script references specify an associated VBScript or JScript file that contains scripts used by the layer file.

ArcPad AXF file

An ArcPad AXF file (filename.AXF), which uses Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition, is a single file that is made up of multiple components:

• Feature tables, which contain all the data for the feature class, including the geometry and attribute data
• Feature layers, which can be thought of as a representation of the feature data
• Data tables, which are tables that have no spatial component (for example, related tables).

The ArcPad AXF file can also store the following:

• Customization for each feature layer, including custom forms and scripts
• Projection metadata
• Spatial and attribute indexes, which are automatically maintained
• Layer icons
• Data rules, such as subtypes, coded value and range domains
• Data tables
• Relationships between feature tables and data tables

All data in ArcPad AXF files is stored using Unicode character encoding, eliminating the need to specify a code page for ArcPad AXF files.

ArcPad Graphics layer

An ArcPad Graphics layer (filename.APG) is a vector file format written in XML. The XML tags used by the ArcPad Graphics layer are described in the ArcPad Studio Help.

An ArcPad Graphics layer can store a variety of graphic elements, including points, lines, polygons, and text. ArcPad Graphics layers are designed for creating field sketches and notes, drawn directly on the ArcPad map. The ArcPad Data Manager for ArcGIS Desktop includes tools for exporting ArcGIS graphic elements to ArcPad graphics layers, and vice versa.

ArcPad Photo layer

An ArcPad Photo layer (filename.APH) is a file format written in XML. The XML tags used by the ArcPad Photo layer are described in the ArcPad Studio Help.

An ArcPad Photo layer specifies how georeferenced photos are to be displayed in ArcPad. These georeferenced photos contain GPS coordinates in the EXIF header of the photo JPEG image file. The photo layer does not contain a list of georeferenced photos to be displayed, but instead, ArcPad applies the photo layer information to all georeferenced photos that are stored in the same folder as the photo layer.

ArcPad StreetMap file

An ArcPad StreetMap file (filename.NAVMAP) does not consist of a single file but instead consists of a number of files. Each file corresponds to a different layer in the ArcPad StreetMap file, for example, cities, streets, highways, major roads, rivers, parks, counties, and states. Adding an ArcPad StreetMap file to ArcPad automatically adds all the layers referenced by the StreetMap file. The ArcPad StreetMap file is read-only and is supported only if the ArcPad StreetMap extension is installed.