We are thrilled to announce the release of MAPublisher version 11.7, the latest update to our MAPublisher extension for Adobe Illustrator. 

MAPublisher 11.7 introduces support for database connections in the Manage Data Links tool, compatibility with FME Form 2025, as well as other performance enhancements and bug fixes.

Here’s what you can expect with the latest MAPublisher 11.7 release:

Manage Data Links with database connections

Are you tired of re-importing your databases every time you make changes to them? Well we have great news for you! We are excited to report that with MAPublisher 11.7, the Manage Data Links tool now supports connections with database formats such as PostGIS databases and Esri Geodatabases!

Visual cues for out-of-date datasets

Linked databases can now be managed and updated using the Manage Data Links dialog box, which can be accessed from the MAP Views panel. Database formats such as MDB or GDB will display a yellow warning icon in the status column to notify you that the source database is out of date. Simply click the Update button in the bottom right corner of the dialog box to sync your data changes!

Linking your databases to MAPublisher is also a great way to quickly sync and update the data on your maps without having to re-style the data. MAP Themes are automatically applied to new data added to a previously styled MAP Layer. 

In the example below, a map showing campsites within Glacier National Park has campsite point data and contour line data stored in a PostGIS database.

Opening the Manage Data Links window is not the only way to update your linked databases. The MAP Views panel also features visual cues that warn users whether their datasets connected from linked databases are out of date or available to be updated. These will appear as yellow symbols for file-based databases such as GDB and MDB. 

Unlike file-based databases, which store data as files with detectable modification timestamps, PostGIS databases are server-based and do not provide a reliable way to track changes. As a result, MAPublisher cannot automatically detect updates in PostGIS datasets. Instead, PostGIS datasets will display a grey update icon next to them, allowing you to pull possible updates at any time. 

Clicking this icon will open a prompt where you can confirm which MAP Layers you would like to be updated.

After updating, you can see that new campsites and more detailed contour lines have been added to the map and styled accordingly. With a quick run of the LabelPro tool, the labels for the new campsites have been added and the map is fully updated in just a few minutes!

User interface improvements for databases

The Import dialog box for database formats now features a few upgrades to the user interface to make the import process clearer. The Select Tables window now has the option to select all or clear your selections at the bottom, and also shows the number of currently selected tables.

To learn more about the Manage Data Links tool, check out its support article.

Compatibility with FME Form 2025

MAPublisher FME Auto is a Windows-only powerful add-on that connects the GIS data processing environment of FME Form to the cartographic design and publishing environment of MAPublisher and Adobe Illustrator. MAPublisher 11.7 is the first version of MAPublisher to provide support for the recent FME Form 2025.0 update.

MAPublisher 11.7 is available now!

If you want to learn more about the new MAPublisher 11.7 features or have any questions, please check out our Support Centre. MAPublisher 11.7 is immediately available today. It is free to all current MAPublisher users with active maintenance subscriptions and available as an upgrade for non-maintenance users.

We are excited to announce the release of MAPublisher version 11.6, the latest update to our MAPublisher extension for Adobe Illustrator. 

MAPublisher 11.6 introduces waffle charts to the MAP Themes chart types, a Point Scaling option to the Add Calculated Data tool, and other performance enhancements and bug fixes.

Here’s what you can expect with the latest MAPublisher 11.6 release:

Waffle chart option added to MAP Themes

The MAP Themes panel welcomes a brand new chart type to MAPublisher 11.6: waffle charts! A waffle chart is a grid composed of equally sized cells, each coloured to depict different categories or segments. It is useful for comparing categories and displaying proportions. Waffle charts are typically used as an alternative to pie charts, making it easier to compare areas, visualize categories with small percentages, and generally make charts more readable.

To create waffle charts in MAPublisher 11.6, open the MAP Themes panel and create a Chart Theme as you usually would. When you open the Edit Chart Theme window, you will notice the brand new “Waffle chart” option in the Type drop-down menu.

As seen in the above image, configuring a waffle chart is very similar to configuring the other chart types with the usual option tabs such as Source Data, Chart Options, General Options, and Title available for customization. The Chart Options tab features a few new options specific to creating waffle charts, including a Calculate Default Scale button to help select a suitable value for the data represented in each cell.

To learn more about creating waffle charts in MAPublisher, check out the support page for Chart Themes.

Add Calculated Data now features a point scaling option

The Add Calculated Data tool—found in the Data Creation section of the MAP Toolbar—gains a new calculation option in MAPublisher 11.6. When the selected Layer is a point layer, the brand new “Point Scaling” option will become available in the Calculation drop-down menu.

The Point Scaling option adds a field to your attributes containing a calculation for point scaling sourced from an existing numeric attribute. The “Automatically Apply Point Scaling to Layer” checkbox allows you to immediately resize your points according to the selected scaling settings upon clicking “OK” to close the window instead of creating a new attribute. There are four Scale Methods to choose from, each calculating the scale slightly differently depending on which factors are important to you. For example, selecting the Flannery method applies a correction factor to account for natural human bias that causes us to underestimate the size of larger symbols. In contrast, choosing the Exponential method increases the size of symbols exponentially relative to their data values to emphasize differences, especially among larger values.

MAPublisher 11.6 is available now!

If you want to learn more about the new MAPublisher 11.6 features or have any questions, please check out our Support Centre. MAPublisher 11.6 is immediately available today. It is free to all current MAPublisher users with active maintenance subscriptions and available as an upgrade for non-maintenance users.

We are excited to announce the release of MAPublisher version 11.5, the latest update to our MAPublisher extension for Adobe Illustrator. 

MAPublisher v11.5 introduces several compatibility upgrades, support for importing vector basemaps from custom tile sources, new functionality for using the Join Table feature with existing MAP Layers, a new Split Line path utility, and other performance improvements and bug fixes.

Here’s what you can expect with the latest MAPublisher v11.5 release:

Compatibility upgrades

We’ve been hard at work this fall, and we’re delighted to share that MAPublisher 11.5 is fully compatible with Adobe Illustrator 2025 (version 29), which was released this October. MAPublisher 11.5 also supports the newly launched macOS Sequoia (version 15) and FME Form 2024 (version 2024.1).

Import Vector Basemaps from custom tile sources

We’ve heard your requests and are thrilled to announce that MAPublisher now supports importing Vector Basemaps from PBF file-based custom tile sources like Mapbox, Esri, and OpenStreetMap! You can access this feature under the “Service” option within the Import Vector Basemaps dialog box. You can add your service by clicking the green plus/+ button next to the drop-down list. This will open up a new window called “Edit Tile Service” where you can give your service a name, provide its URL, set a preferred style if desired, and select whether or not you wish to import unstyled art.

You might also notice that the Configure Vector Basemaps option has moved from the Vector Basemaps button on the MAP Toolbar to its own dedicated button, “MAP Basemap Styling,” located under Thematic Tools.

Visit our Vector Basemaps support page for​​ more detailed information on importing vector basemaps from custom tile sources, including URL formatting!

Join Table now supports tables from existing MAP Layers

The Join Table tool—available from the MAP Attributes panel—has also been enhanced with new functionality in MAPublisher 11.5. The “Source type” option now lets you select either an external file or the new “MAP Layer” option, enabling you to join tables directly from an existing MAP Layer. This layer can be sourced from within your active document or any other currently open document in Illustrator.

Split Line action added to Path Utilities

Split Line is a new option added to the Action menu of the Path Utilities tool. This action splits a selection of lines into two separate segments at a specified length. This length can be measured from either end of the line and can be set as either relative (i.e. as a percentage of the total line length) or absolute (i.e. at a specified distance in selected units).

The Split Line action is an ideal solution for tapering only the endpoints of lines, such as at river mouths. This circumvents the limitation of Illustrator’s native Stroke properties, which automatically taper paths evenly from start to end. With this utility, you also have the option to store the output in a New Layer, allowing for easy selection and batch styling of all end segments.

Other performance improvements

Lastly, you can expect to see improved performance in the following areas:

Improved order of operations on import

In MAPublisher 11.5, we have fixed an issue where data was being simplified before any spatial filtering was applied. Now, the spatial filter is applied first, and art is only simplified if the remaining data exceeds Illustrator’s limit of 32,000 points per path.

Attribute table and projection performance improvements

You should also look for smoother and quicker software performance when working with files containing a large number of features and attributes. These enhancements can be seen in multiple areas, including coordinate system reprojection, applying stylesheets, deleting art, moving art between layers, and splitting layers!

MAPublisher 11.5 is Available Now!

If you would like to learn more about the new MAPublisher v11.5 features or have any questions, please check out our Support Centre.

MAPublisher v11.5 is immediately available today, free of charge to all current MAPublisher users with active maintenance subscriptions and as an upgrade for non-maintenance users. Download here.