Golden Software: Didger Version 2 FAQ

Q1. How can I get the latest version of Didger?
A. Minor updates (e.g. version 2.01.12 to 2.01.13) may be downloaded for free if your serial number is registered. If you have already registered, send a message to didgersupport@goldensoftware.com with your serial number. Once your serial number is verified, we will send you download instructions. If you have not already registered your serial number, enter the requested information on the Register Software page including your e-mail address, and add a note in the Comments field to Attn: Didger Support indicating that you would like to download the latest version. Information about the latest version is listed on the Version History page.

Major upgrades (e.g. version 1 to version 2) cost US$89 plus shipping. Refer to the order form for more information.

Q2. Could you please provide me with a list of tablet and Wintab driver manufacturers?
A. Here is a current list of Tablet Manufacturers

GTCO/Calcomp / Summagraphics
Phone: 410-381-6688 (GTCO Corporate Headquarters)
Phone: 480-948-6540 (CalComp and Summagraphics Arizona Office)
Web Site: www.gtco.com

Genius
Phone: 909-423-2417
BBS: (909) 923-8454
Web Site: www.geniusnet.com.tw/

LASICO
Phone: 800-821-9656
(Wintab driver will be available in the near future)

Numonics
Phone: 800-523-6716

WACOM
Phone: 360-750-8882 (800-922-9348 U.S. only)
email: support@wacom.com
Web Site: www.wacom.com

Digitizer Technology
Phone: (425) 868-3246
email: sales@vtablet.com or support@vtablet.com
Web Site: www.vtablet.com

Digitizer Technology offers Windows 95/98 drivers for a variety of digitizing tablets. These drivers are Wintab compatible.

Q3. I have installed my digitizing tablet and the Wintab driver, but Didger does not work with the tablet.
A. Connectivity between the digitizing tablet and the Wintab driver often requires certain information that can only be obtained from the tablet manufacturer. If you have installed both the driver and tablet, but the puck on the tablet does not act as a mouse on your screen, you can be assured that the driver is not properly installed. Please contact your tablet manufacturer for proper settings for both the tablet and the driver. In our experience, tablet manufacturers can quickly and easily get you up and running with your digitizer connectivity.

Q4. What are the communication parameters needed by Didger for my digitizing tablet?
A. Didger does not require any specific communication parameters. Didger requires that you use a 32bit Wintab driver that can be obtained from your tablet manufacturer. Please consult our manufacturer list for contact information.

Q5. Does Didger support stream mode digitizing? Is it possible to trace a contour line by just keeping a button on the puck pressed while following the line with the crosshair?
A. Didger does support stream mode digitizing. When digitizing in stream mode, it is important to set the vertex tolerance setting. This setting sets the minimum spacing for vertices along a polygon or polyline. When you have set a vertex tolerance value and you are digitizing a polygon or polyline, no two adjacent vertices along the object can be closer together than the specified length.

Q6. I need to digitize some boundaries for MapViewer but I am unsure which file format to use during export. Can you suggest a format?
A. We suggest that you use the Atlas [.BNA] file format for exporting data from Didger to MapViewer.

Q7. Does Didger work with Windows 2000 and Windows XP?
A. All Golden Software products work with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. There have been no problems reported.

Q8. Do you sell digitizing tablets or know where can I purchase a digitizing tablet?
A. Please review our list of tablet manufacturers for contact information. We have also found that local CAD dealers in your area often carry a full range of digitizing tablets. Please consult your local yellow pages for phone numbers.

Q9. I cannot seem to select the objects on my map. I can select them from the data attribute view, but not the plot view. What am I doing wrong?
A. Make sure that you have the layer set to editable. In order to select the objects from the plot view, the layer on which the objects reside must be set to editable using the View | Layer Manager command.

Q10. When I’m importing a vector file with an underlying coordinate system, and I try to change to a new coordinate system in the import dialog box, my map doesn’t look right at all. What am I doing wrong?
A. Do not change the coordinate system of a vector file when importing. Didger reads the projection information from the file itself. Let Didger import the file with the existing projection system. Then, to change the projection, use the View | Change Projection command and select the projection and datum you wish to apply to your map.

Q11. I’m trying to create polygons by the locator ID method. I’ve marked all my polygons but when I apply the command, not all the polygons are created, only some of them. How can I get all the marked polygons to become "closed" polygons?
A. The endpoints of your lines are probably not within the snap tolerance value and therefore are not snapped to each other. They must be snapped for the operation to succeed. Increase the snap tolerance from the File | Project Settings | Tolerance tab so that the lines are snapped. Then perform the operation again.

Q12. How do I import a second vector file into Didger that has a different projection than the first file I imported? I want the projection system of the first file I imported.
A. Import the first file and accept the projection information displayed in the Define Import Options dialog box. Then use File | Import Vector to import the second file. Check the Apply Datum Conversion check box and click OK. The second file will be transformed to the projection of the first.

Q13. I am experiencing trouble with tablet digitizing. Once I’ve calibrated my tablet, Didger does not place the cursor in the correct position when I place my puck over the calibration points on the tablet.
A. The newest update of Didger includes a fix for this problem. Email your registered serial number to didgersupport@goldensoftware.com to obtain instructions for downloading the latest version.

Q14. When I import a vector file, the image appears very small. The project limits don’t seem to be set correctly.
A. The newest update of Didger includes a fix for this problem. Email your registered serial number to didgersupport@goldensoftware.com to obtain instructions for downloading the latest version.

Q15. When I use Create Surfer Basemap, I get an error message, "A problem was encountered creating the Surfer base map. Exception occurred. File contains no known objects." What is wrong?
A. The newest update of Didger includes a fix for this problem. Email your registered serial number to didgersupport@goldensoftware.com to obtain instructions for downloading the latest version.

Q16. I have a map that is larger than my tablet. Is it possible to digitize the objects into one project?
A. Follow the steps below for digitizing from a map larger than the tablet.

Divide the map into enough sections so that each will fit on the digitizing tablet. For each section, define between 3 and 256 calibration points.
Place the first section of the map on the tablet and go to File | New | Tablet Digitizing. Calibrate the tablet according to the instructions for calibration.
Digitize all the objects on that portion of the map. Save the work in a PJT file using File | SaveAs.
Go to View | Project Limits and change the X and Y limits to reflect the dimensions of the entire project area.
Move the map so the next section is on the tablet. Go to Digitize | Tablet Calibration and click the Next button to go to Step Two.
Clear the existing calibration points by clicking the Delete Point button. Type in the calibration points for this section of the map and complete the calibration of the tablet.
Digitize all objects on this section of the map and save the file.
Continue in this manner until you've completed the project.

Q17. How do I convert my Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) data to Latitude/Longitude data?
A. Didger 2 can convert data between 21 different coordinate systems, including UTM and Lat./Long. To use Didger to convert UTM data to Lat/Long data, please follow the steps below.

Import the data file using File | New | Import Data.
Select the appropriate delimiters so that your data are separated into the fields you wish.
Click the Import button and the Define Import Options dialog opens.
Set the Coordinate Space Type to Projected and change the Map Projection Category to UTM.
Then you will need to set the System to the zone in which your UTM coordinates are located and click OK. Your data will display in the plot window.
Next, go to View | Change Projection and change the Map Projection Category to World/Continental. The System should then report Unprojected Lat/Long.
Click OK and the data will appear in Lat/Long.
Go to File | Export and select DAT as the file type. Once exported your UTM data will be in Lat/Long.

Q18. I import my DXF file that is in State Plane coordinates and the units are feet. I digitize some points and when I export my project as a DXF file, the coordinates are not in feet. What are these units and how can I get them to be in feet?
A. Didger will export State Plane coordinates in meters. To export your map in State Plane and feet, follow the steps below.

Import your DXF that is in State Plane and the coordinates are feet.
Digitize your data.
Export as a DXF file (this will be in meters).
Go to File | New | Import Vector, choose your newly exported DXF file and click Open.
Under the Define Import Options dialog box, choose Cartesian Coordinates
Your DXF file will import. Go to Tools | Coordinate Conversion
Choose Math operation and for the X and Y Axis Operation, choose to Multiply by 3.2808 and click OK.
Your DXF is now in feet. Go to File | Export and export your DXF.

Q19. I digitize my map and set the display and calibration units as Lat/Long, but when I export my map the units are in meters!
A. Didger will only export Lat/Long coordinates if your projection is Unprojected Lat/Long. If your map is in any other projection, it will export in meters regardless of your display and calibration units.

Q20. I am having a problem printing ("Out of global memory" error, only a portion of the map prints, etc.).
A. You may be able to work around the problem by changing some of the printer settings. Different printer drivers have different settings, but here is a list of the most common remedies:

Turn off print spooling.
Change the print mode to "raster" or "bitmap" to reduce the printer memory requirements.
Change the printer driver to use the computer's memory instead of the printer's memory.
PostScript drivers often require more memory than non-PostScript drivers for the same printer. Change drivers if possible and test the print results.
Check for other compatible printer drivers in your printer documentation. For example, the HP LaserJet 4 driver could be used with the LaserJet 5 printer.
Enable the Page Protect mode if available.
Verify the version of your printer driver and possibly update it. For example, the HP DesignJet 750C driver version 4.33 requires 80% less memory than version 4.11
Turn off View | Auto Redraw to free up additional memory.
Resample the bitmaps in a graphics program (Corel Draw, Paint Shop Pro, PhotoShop) to reduce the number of pixels and color depth in the bitmaps.

If the remedies above do not help, please contact technical support with the exact nature of the problem, your operating system (i.e. Windows 98), the printer model, and the print driver version number.

Q21. How can I digitize a graph that has a non-linear X axis, but has intervals of linearity?
A. Didger 2 was not designed to easily handle non-linear axes. You have two options when it comes to digitizing non-linear axes:

You can digitize it into one PJT file. You will have to digitize a section with a linear portion of the X axis, then change the project limits (to reflect the entire project), move the map, recalibrate the tablet, and digitize another section that has a linear portion of the X axis. This file will make a linear X axis, ranging across the entire X axis min/max values, and your digitized objects will be spread across it.

You can digitize the profile into a number of PJT files - each one containing a section of the profile that has a linear X axis.

Q22. How can I resample my well log in a raster project? The option is grayed out.
A. The Tools | Resample Polylines command is not available with raster projects. If you have a raster project, export the polyline(s) to a vector file format (like DXF), then import the vector file back into Didger to do the resampling.

Using Windows 98
Opening Didger by double clicking on a PJT file.
Closing Didger without closing the project window first.

To avoid the error message in the future you can either open the PJT files by going to File | Open, or you can close the project window and then close the Didger window.

Q24. I had Didger 2.01 and exported DXF files to use in another program. I updated to Didger 2.05. Now, why is it that when I export as a DXF file and try to import into my other program, it gives me the error that there was nothing to import?
A. Didger 2.01 exported AutoCAD 13 DXF files and Didger 2.05, by default, exports AutoCAD 14 DXF files. There is a setting in Didger 2.05 you can switch so that it exports AutoCAD 13 DXF files. This setting is located in the Didger.ini file located in your Didger directory.

Open Didger.ini in Notepad or WordPad. Scroll down to the section with the header [Options, GSODXF], about 2/3 the way down. Under that heading there is an option that says FileCompatibility = 14. Change the 14 to a 13. Save the file and close it. Reopen Didger and it will now export AutoCAD 13 DXF files.

Q25. I have a file that is a raster project that was not calibrated. I export it as a GSB, BNA, DXF, MIF, SHP, or BLN, and in each case, some lines are missing and some lines are reversed in the resulting file.
A. Programming has determined that the problem is related to the calibration, or in this case, lack thereof. You will need to create some sort of basic calibration. Since you are not concerned with coordinates, you can use any numbers you like to calibrate, as long as they make sense physically. For example, they can represent the bottom left, bottom right, top right corners of a "square". Once you have calibrated the image, you can export to any format without the errors of missing lines and reversed lines.

Q26. What datum does Didger 2 use for the UTM coordinate system?
A. The UTM coordinate system in Didger 2 uses NAD27 datum.

Q27. Why isn't a GSR file created when exporting from a projected raster project to a vector file using Didger 2.05?
A. To export a projected raster project to a vector file in Didger 2.05, select all the digitized objects and go to File | Export. In the Export dialog box, check the check box in the lower left next to Selected Objects Only and export as normal.

The GSR files are created when using Didger 2.01 or Didger 2.04.

Q28. Why are my data values exported incorrectly to a DAT file when my axis is either descending or logarithmic?
A. Exporting to a DAT file was a problem in earlier versions of Didger 2 (versions 2.00 and 2.01) when calibrated coordinates increase from right to left on the X axis, increase downwards on the Y axis, or one of the axes was logarithmic in scale. This problem was fixed in an update to Didger 2.

Q29. I export a multi-layer DXF file from Didger 2. When I import the DXF file back into Didger, why does Didger import all the information into only one layer?
A. Didger 2 supports exporting a DXF with multiple layers, but does not support importing a DXF with multiple layers. Didger will import everything into one layer.

Q30. How can I export the Data Attributes table to a data file?
A. The ability to export the Data Attributes Table was incorporated in an update to Didger 2. In Didger 2, bring up the Data Attributes table and activate that window. Then go to File | Export Data Table.

Q31. How can I nudge an item over?
A. To nudge an item with the cursor, click on an object and hold down the mouse button. Press the arrow keys several times (more than 10) to move the object.

Q32. How can I get rid of the bitmap in my raster project, and just be left with the vector overlay?
A. Currently, there is no way to convert a raster project into a vector project. This means there is no way to get rid of the bitmap. You need to export the information as a vector file (MIF, DXF) to "delete" the bitmap.

If you just don't want the bitmap to show beneath the digitized objects, you can go to Image | Show Bitmap. The bitmap will still be there, but it will not be shown.

Q33. How can I import a vector file, a data file, or another bitmap on top of an existing bitmap in the plot window?
A. There is not a way in Didger 2 to import a data file, a vector file, or another raster image into an existing raster project.

If you would like to import two bitmaps into the same window, we suggest using another application to merge the two bitmaps into one bitmap, then import the single combined bitmap.

Q34. When exporting to a SHP file, how can I export the Z values in numeric form?
A. In an update to Didger 2, The Primary ID is exported as both the ID0 attribute and the ZLEVEL. The ZLEVEL is exported in numeric format so you can use it in ArcView.

Q35. When I am digitizing a line on-screen and then mess up, how can I reverse the line a little and then go on (so I don't have to stop and then redigitize the line all over again)?
A. In Didger 2, if you are digitizing a line, and then decide you want to redigitize the last little bit, simply right-click repeatedly (with the left mouse button still held down) until your line is back where you want it to be, then continue digitizing in the normal fashion. Each time you right-click, the digitized line will back up to the next vertice on the polyline.

Q36. Where do I find my serial number?
A. The serial number is on the registration card glued inside the cover of your reference manual. Please complete the registration card and return to Golden Software or register online at our web site. With this information, we will be able to mail you announcements of upgrades and newsletters. Newer versions of our products will also allow you to find your serial number by going to the Help menu and selecting "About Didger." The box will show the serial number, as shown below.

Q37. Is Technical Support free?
A. Yes, Technical Support is free to all users for as long as you own the product. You must register your product in order to receive technical support. You can reach technical support by phone, fax, or email.

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