WMS Decorations

WMS Decorations provide a framework for visually annotating images from WMS with absolute, rather than spatial, positioning. Examples of decorations include compasses, legends, and watermarks.

Configuration

To use decorations in a GetMap request, the administrator must first configure a decoration layout. These layouts are stored in a subdirectory called layouts in the GeoServer data directory as XML files, one file per layout. Each layout file must have the extension .xml. Once a layout foo.xml is defined, users can request it by adding &format_options=layout:foo to the request parameters.

Layout files follow a very simple XML structure; a root node named layout containing any number of decoration elements. The order of the decoration elements is the order they are drawn so, in case they are overlapping, the first one will appear under the others.

Each decoration element has several attributes:

Attribute	Meaning
type	the type of decoration to use (see Decoration Types)
affinity	the region of the map image to which the decoration is anchored
offset	how far from the anchor point the decoration is drawn
size	the maximum size to render the decoration. Note that some decorations may dynamically resize themselves.

Each decoration element may also contain an arbitrary number of option elements providing a parameter name and value:

<option name="foo" value="bar"/>

Option interpretation depends on the type of decoration in use.

Decoration Types

While GeoServer allows for decorations to be added via extension, there is a core set of decorations included in the default installation. These decorations include:

The image decoration (type="image") overlays a static image file onto the document. If height and width are specified, the image will be scaled to fit, otherwise the image is displayed at full size.

Option Name	Meaning
url	provides the URL or file path to the image to draw (relative to the GeoServer data directory)
opacity	a number from 0 to 100 indicating how opaque the image should be.

The scaleratio decoration (type="scaleratio") overlays a text description of the map's scale ratio onto the document.

Option Name	Meaning
bgcolor	the background color for the text. supports RGB or RGBA colors specified as hex values.
fgcolor	the color for the text and border. follows the color specification from bgcolor.
format	the number format pattern, specified using Java own DecimalFormat syntax
formatLanguage	the language used to drive number formatting (applies only if also format is used), using a valid Java Locale

The scaleline decoration (type="scaleline") overlays a graphic showing the scale of the map in world units.

Option Name	Meaning
bgcolor	the background color, as used in scaleratio
fgcolor	the foreground color, as used in scaleratio
fontsize	the size of the font to use
transparent	if set to true, the background and border won't be painted (false by default)
measurement-system	can be set to "metric" to only show metric units, "imperial" to only show imperial units, or "both" to show both of them (default)

The legend decoration (type="legend") overlays a graphic containing legends for the layers in the map.

Option Name

Meaning

legend_options

the list of legend_options used as in GetLegendGraphic

opacity

the legend opacity with a value between 0 and 1

The text decoration (type="text") overlays a parametric, single line text message on top of the map. The parameter values can be fed via the env request parameter, just like SLD environment parameters.

Option Name	Meaning
message	the message to be displayed, as plain text or Freemarker template that can use the env map contents to expand variables
font-family	the name of the font used to display the message, e.g., Arial, defaults to Serif
font-size	the size of the font to use (can have decimals), defaults to 12
font-italic	it true the font will be italic, defaults to false
font-bold	if true the font will be bold, defaults to false
font-color	the color of the message, in #RRGGBB or #RRGGBBAA format, defaults to black
halo-radius	the radius of a halo around the message, can have decimals, defaults to 0
halo-color	the halo fill color, in #RRGGBB or #RRGGBBAA format, defaults to white

Example

A layout configuration file might look like this:

<layout>
    <decoration type="image" affinity="bottom,right" offset="6,6" size="80,31">
        <option name="url" value="pbGS_80x31glow.png"/>
    </decoration>

    <decoration type="scaleline" affinity="bottom,left" offset="36,6"/>

    <decoration type="legend" affinity="top,left" offset="6,6" size="auto"/>
</layout>

Used against the states layer from the default GeoServer data, this layout produces an image like the following.

The default states layer, drawn with the decoration layout above.

Expressions in decoration attributes and options

Each decoration can have options to control its appearance, as well as attributes controlling its positioning. Option and attribute values are normally static strings specified in the decoration layout.

However, it's also possible to make them dynamic using (E)CQL expressions, using the ${cql expression} syntax. The expression can use functions, and in particular it can access env variables provided though the request.

For example, this decoration layout:

<layout>
    <decoration type="scaleline" affinity="${env('sla', 'bottom,left')}">
       <option name="bgcolor" value="${env('bg', '#AAAAAA')}"/>
    </decoration>
</layout>

Would generate a scale line with:

• A light gray background, with a GetMap request that does not contain the bg env variable.
• A red background, if the request includes a env section like &env=bg:FF0000.
• A scaleline positioned on the top right, if the request includes a env section like &env=sla:top,right.

All options allow usage of expressions, with one notable exception: the message option in the text decoration. This one option cannot use expressions, as it would allow expansion, and evaluation, of user provided FreeMarker templates. The template can contain control structures, loops and other active elements, as such, allowing its value to be provided via WMS requests is deemed too risky.