AWhere, Inc.

These instructions are not for use within AWhere, these are instructions on how to edit a metafile image (for example, one that has been exported from AWhere), and then inserted into an external application (like MS Word or MS PowerPoint).  For more information about various ways to export a metafile image from AWhere, click here.   (Note: These instructions donot apply to Bitmap or JPG images – which you can also export from AWhere - you cannot edit a Bitmap or jpg image file, at least not in the manner described below.)

Instructions provided below describe how to edit a metafile pasted into Microsoft Word®, or Microsoft PowerPoint®.  Note that these are not the only external applications into which you can paste a metafile image, though instructions for how to edit a metafile's appearance in other external applications will likely be similar to the instructions for doing so in these two applications.  Also, the steps for editing a metafile may differ slightly between Office 97-2003 and Office 2007; you should take some time to play with the metafile editing tools in whatever application you are working with, to learn the individual nuances of each...there are some metafile editing 'tricks' that you will just need to learn on your own by trial and error.   

Using Microsoft Word®:

1. With a metafile image exported/copied from the AWhere interface (see the link above), open a MS Word document, and use the Edit menu to Paste the image file (currently saved to your computer's clipboard) into the Word document.  Alternatively, use Word's "Insert" menu to insert a metafile that you created and saved using the Map Graphics export tool in AWhere.
2. With the map image visible in the Word document, use your secondary mouse button to click on the map image.  From the menu that appears, select "Edit Picture”. 
3. If you now click around on the now editable image, you will notice that the image is now broken down into individual components.  You can see this because as you click on a given object in the image, it will be displayed with a set of small circles and squares around its perimeter.  This means that you can edit that selected object individually.   
4. With an individual image component selected, use the secondary mouse button to click on the component.  A menu of editing tools will appear.  Use these various tools, such as the "Font" and "Format AutoShape" options to edit the appearance of the component.  Also notice that if you click down on a selected component, and hold the mouse button down as you move the cursor, the image component can be moved around (yes, you can actually move a piece of the map from its correct geographic location).  
5. Also, if your map image included the Legend, you will see that you can also edit the various pieces of the legend, such as the labels, title, placement, etc.
6. When you have made your edits, be sure to save your Word document before closing in order to retain these edits.

Using Microsoft PowerPoint®:

1. You might get a map graphic into PowerPoint in one of several ways.  First, you may have used the ‘AWhere MS Power Point Add-In’ to generate one or more slides with map images on them.  Or, you might have used the same set of steps as described in step #1 in the ‘MS Word’ section above.  (For more on the AWhere MS PowerPoint Add-In, click here.)
2. With the map image visible on the PowerPoint slide, use your secondary mouse button to click on the map image.  From the menu that appears, select "Edit Picture”. 
3. Depending on what version of MS PowerPoint you have, you might be asked if you want to convert the picture to a MS Office drawing object, select Yes.
4. Once again, use your secondary mouse button to click on the map image on the PowerPoint slide.  From the menu that appears, select "Grouping > Ungroup".  Immediately, you will see that each image component has been highlighted individually (with small, white squares and circles around the perimeter of each).  Click somewhere outside of the extent of the map image so that they are all de-selected.   
5. You can now select each component individually and edit it.  With an individual image component selected, use the secondary mouse button to click on the component.  A menu of editing tools will appear.  Use these various tools, such as the "Font" and "Format AutoShape" options to edit the appearance of the component.  Also notice that if you click down on a selected component, and hold the mouse button down as you move the cursor, the image component can be moved around (yes, you can actually move a piece of the map from its correct geographic location).  
6. Also, if your map image included the Legend, you will see that you can also edit the various pieces of the legend, such as the labels, title, placement, etc.
7. Be sure to save your PowerPoint presentation before closing in order to retain these edits.