Notes on QGIS Software Interface

Introduction to GUI

• GUI: Graphical User Interface
• Focus of the lecture: Software interface of QGIS

Seven Components of QGIS Interface

1. Menu Bar

   • Provides access to various functions via hierarchical menu
   • Contains 13 menus: Edit, View, Layer, Settings, Plugins, Vector, Raster, Database, Web, Mesh, Processing, and Help

2. Toolbar

   • Located below the Menu Bar
   • Accesses most functions in the Menu Bar plus additional tools
   • Each toolbar item has a pop-up function for easy understanding
   • Toolbars can be moved around based on user preference
   • Right-click context menu allows switching toolbars on/off
     • Example: Uncheck Attributes Toolbar to hide; check it again to show
     • Can also use Menu Bar: View > Toolbars to toggle visibility

3. Site Toolbar (Manage Layers Toolbar)

   • Default loaded as Site Toolbar in QGIS
   • Functions include adding/loading various layer types:
     • Add Vector Layer
     • Add Raster Layer
     • Add Mesh Layer
     • Add Delimited Text Layer
     • Add/ Edit Virtual Layer
     • Add PostGIS Layer
     • Add WMS/WMTS Layer
     • Add WCS Layer
     • Add WFS Layer
     • Create New Shapefile Layer

4. Panels

   • Two default types in QGIS:
     1. Layers Panel
        • Displays added layers (shapefile, vector, raster)
        • Can toggle visibility via right-click context menu or Menu Bar
     2. Browser Panel
        • Used to browse layers or project files
        • Drag-and-drop functionality to add layers/projects to interface

Additional Panels in QGIS

• Access additional panels via right-click context menu under panels
• Other panels include:
  • Advanced Digitizing Panel
  • Browser Panel 2
  • GPS Information Panel
  • Layer Order Panel
  • Layer Styling Panel
  • Log Message Panel
  • Overview Panel
  • Processing Toolbox Panel
  • Results Viewer Panel
  • Spatial Bookmarks Panel
  • Statistics Panel
  • Tile Scale Panel
  • Undo/Redo Panel

Conclusion

• Overview of QGIS interface components provides insights into its functionalities and user-friendly design.