3.10.2. MarkersSymbolizer

The MarkersSymbolizer is similar to the PointSymbolizer, but has two advantages when used on a line or polygon: it can be drawn multiple times along a line automatically, and it’s orientation is rotated according to the current direction of the line instead of always being upright.

Table 25. MarkersSymbolizer Attributes
Attribute Type Default Description

file

file path

none

base

string

none

name of a <FileSource> to find the input file in

opacity

float

1.0

Marker opacity for both fill and stroke

fill-opacity

float

1.0

Marker fill opacity

stroke-opacity

float

1.0

Marker stroke opacity (only for internal markers)

stroke-width

float

0.5

Marker stroke width (only for internal markers)

marker-type

string

none

One of builtin types "ellipse" or "arrow", deprecated, use file="shape://ellipse" or shape://arrow instead.

multi-policy

string

each

Where to put marker on multi part polygons: each, whole, largest

width

float

10

Marker symbol width in pixels

height

float

10

Marker symbol height in pixels

placement

string

point

Marker placement strategy: one of point, line, interior, vertex-first, vertex-last
Known Problems

TODO: incomplete

Warning

The internal marker URIs like shape://arrow can’t be used in combination with base=…​ as currently the base filesource also gets added in front of these special "files".

https://github.com/mapnik/mapnik/issues/4183[(Mapnik issue #4183)
See also:
MarkersSymbolizer Examples
Example 22. MarkersSymbolizer file
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <FileSource name="symbols">./symbols</FileSource>

  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <MarkersSymbolizer allow-overlap="true" base="symbols" file="[file]"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="20">[file]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
wkt,file
"POINT(0 0)",""
"POINT(1 0)","dot.svg"
"POINT(2 0)","bug.svg"
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
file
Example 23. MarkersSymbolizer opacity
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <FileSource name="symbols">./symbols</FileSource>

  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <MarkersSymbolizer base="symbols" file="dot.svg" opacity="[opacity]"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="20">[opacity]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
opacity,wkt
0.0,"POINT(  0 0)"
0.1,"POINT( 1 0)"
0.2,"POINT( 2 0)"
0.3,"POINT( 3 0)"
0.4,"POINT( 4 0)"
0.5,"POINT( 5 0)"
0.6,"POINT( 6 0)"
0.7,"POINT( 7 0)"
0.8,"POINT( 8 0)"
0.9,"POINT( 9 0)"
1.0,"POINT(10 0)"
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
opacity
Example 24. MarkersSymbolizer stroke opacity
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <MarkersSymbolizer file="shape://ellipse" fill-opacity="0" stroke-width="1" stroke="red" stroke-opacity="[opacity]"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="20">[opacity]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
opacity,wkt
0.0,"POINT( 0 0)"
0.1,"POINT( 1 0)"
0.2,"POINT( 2 0)"
0.3,"POINT( 3 0)"
0.4,"POINT( 4 0)"
0.5,"POINT( 5 0)"
0.6,"POINT( 6 0)"
0.7,"POINT( 7 0)"
0.8,"POINT( 8 0)"
0.9,"POINT( 9 0)"
1.0,"POINT(10 0)"
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
stroke opacity
Example 25. MarkersSymbolizer stroke width
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <FileSource name="symbols">./symbols</FileSource>

  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <MarkersSymbolizer base="symbols" file="dot.svg" opacity="[opacity]"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="20">[opacity]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
opacity,wkt
0.0,"POINT(  0 0)"
0.1,"POINT( 1 0)"
0.2,"POINT( 2 0)"
0.3,"POINT( 3 0)"
0.4,"POINT( 4 0)"
0.5,"POINT( 5 0)"
0.6,"POINT( 6 0)"
0.7,"POINT( 7 0)"
0.8,"POINT( 8 0)"
0.9,"POINT( 9 0)"
1.0,"POINT(10 0)"
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
stroke width
Example 26. MarkersSymbolizer fill opacity
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <MarkersSymbolizer file="shape://arrow" fill="blue" stroke-width="1" stroke="red" fill-opacity="[opacity]"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="20">[opacity]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
opacity,wkt
0.0,"POINT( 0 0)"
0.1,"POINT( 1 0)"
0.2,"POINT( 2 0)"
0.3,"POINT( 3 0)"
0.4,"POINT( 4 0)"
0.5,"POINT( 5 0)"
0.6,"POINT( 6 0)"
0.7,"POINT( 7 0)"
0.8,"POINT( 8 0)"
0.9,"POINT( 9 0)"
1.0,"POINT(10 0)"
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
fill opacity
Example 27. MarkersSymbolizer placement
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <FileSource name="symbols">./symbols</FileSource>

  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <LineSymbolizer stroke="black"/>
      <MarkersSymbolizer allow-overlap="true" base="symbols" file="bug.svg" placement="[placement]" width="10" height="10" fill="red"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="50">[placement]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
wkt,placement
"POLYGON(( 1  1,  6  1,  6  5,  5  5,  5  2,  2  2,  2  5,  1  5,  1  1))",point
"POLYGON((11  1, 16  1, 16  5, 15  5, 15  2, 12  2, 12  5, 11  5, 11  1))",interior
"POLYGON((21  1, 26  1, 26  5, 25  5, 25  2, 22  2, 22  5, 21  5, 21  1))",line
"LINESTRING(31  1, 36  1, 36  5, 35  5, 35  2, 32  2, 32  5)",vertex-first
"LINESTRING(41  1, 46  1, 46  5, 45  5, 45  2, 42  2, 42  5)",vertex-last
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
placement
Example 28. MarkersSymbolizer width and height
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <FileSource name="symbols">./symbols</FileSource>

  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <MarkersSymbolizer allow-overlap="true" base="symbols" file="bug.svg" width="[width]" height="[height]"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="20">[width]</TextSymbolizer>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="30">[height]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
wkt,width,height
"POINT(0 0)",32,32
"POINT(1 0)",16,32
"POINT(2 0)",32,16
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
width height
Example 29. MarkersSymbolizer multi policy
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Map background-color="white">
  <Style name="style">
    <Rule>
      <PolygonSymbolizer fill="lightgray"/>
      <LineSymbolizer stroke="black"/>
      <MarkersSymbolizer allow-overlap="true" file="shape://ellipse" multi-policy="[placement]" width="10" height="10" fill="red"/>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer">
    <StyleName>style</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
wkt,placement
"MULTIPOLYGON((( 30  20, 60  20, 60  70, 30  70, 30  20)),(( 90  10, 110  10, 110  30, 90  30, 90  10)),(( 90  50, 120  50, 120  80, 90  80, 90  50)))",each
"MULTIPOLYGON(((130  20,160  20,160  70,130  70,130  20)),((190  10, 210  10, 210  30,190  30,190  10)),((190  50, 220  50, 220  80,190  80,190  50)))",whole
"MULTIPOLYGON(((230  20,260  20,260  70,230  70,230  20)),((290  10, 310  10, 310  30,290  30,290  10)),((290  50, 320  50, 320  80,290  80,290  50)))",largest
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

  <Style name="style2">
    <Rule>
      <LineSymbolizer stroke="blue" stroke-width="2"/>
      <TextSymbolizer face-name="DejaVu Sans Book" allow-overlap="true" dy="60">[placement]</TextSymbolizer>
    </Rule>
  </Style>

  <Layer name="layer2">
    <StyleName>style2</StyleName>
    <Datasource>
      <Parameter name="type">csv</Parameter>
      <Parameter name="inline">
wkt,placement
"POLYGON(( 27 5, 123 5, 123 85,  27 85,  27 15))",each
"POLYGON((127 5, 223 5, 223 85, 127 85, 127 15))",whole
"POLYGON((227 5, 323 5, 323 85, 227 85, 227 15))",largest
      </Parameter>
    </Datasource>
  </Layer>

</Map>
multi policy

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