Maptaskr Shapes

Overview

Maptaskr Shapes are used to persist shapes drawn on the map and associate them with a Dataverse record. Each shape consists of two parts:

• GeoJSON representation — the editable geometry stored in WGS84 (latitude/longitude). This is what Maptaskr renders and allows users to modify on the map.
• Original uploaded file (optional) — if the shape originated from an uploaded file (e.g. Shapefile, KML, GeoJSON in a different projection), the original is preserved untouched in its native projection.

tip

For a list of what files we support Learn more

This separation ensures you always retain the source data at full precision while still providing a standardised format for display and editing.

What is saved where?

When you add a Maptaskr PCF map control to a Dataverse form, shapes drawn or uploaded on that map are saved against the current record. Each shape record stores:

Identifier	Purpose
Related Entity Type	The logical name of the entity the shape belongs to.
Related Entity ID	The unique ID of the specific record the shape belongs to.
Related Entity Field	The form field name used by the PCF map control — this ties the shape to a specific map instance on the form.

Because shapes are linked via the field name, you can add multiple maps to the same form (or across multiple forms) and each map will only load and edit its own shapes. There is no limit to how many map controls can be associated with a single record, as long as each one references its own dedicated field to store shape IDs.

Maptaskr Core Shapes table

Column Name	Logical Name	Data Type	Usage
CentroidLatitude	mtrcore_CentroidLatitude	Decimal	Centroid Latitude of the GeoJSON File
CentroidLongitude	mtrcore_CentroidLongitude	Decimal	Centroid Longitude of the GeoJSON File
GeoJSON File	mtrcore_GeoJSONFile	Single line of text	The "attachment/note" Id containing the Base64 encoded GeoJSON file.
GeoModel File	mtrcore_GeoModelFile	Single line of text	Unused at present.
MaxLatitude	mtrcore_MaxLatitude	Decimal	The Max Latitude of the GeoJSON File (used for extent testing)
MaxLongitude	mtrcore_MaxLongitude	Decimal	The Max Longitude of the GeoJSON File (used for extent testing)
MinLatitude	mtrcore_MinLatitude	Decimal	The Min Latitude of the GeoJSON File (used for extent testing)
MinLongitude	mtrcore_MinLongitude	Decimal	The Min Longitude of the GeoJSON File (used for extent testing)
Name	mtrcore_Name	Single line of text	The Name of the Shape (usually consistent with the Map Shape name)
OrigModel File	mtrcore_OrigModelFile	Single line of text	Unused at present.
OrigShape File	mtrcore_OrigShapeFile	Single line of text	The "attachment/note" Id containing the Base64 encoded original uploaded shape file (in whatever format was uploaded).
Predefined Id	mtrcore_PredefinedId	Single line of text	The Map Shape ID — used to link it to a preconfigured shape definition.
Related Entity Field Name	mtrcore_RelatedEntityFieldName	Single line of text	The name of the Field used by the Map PCF that this shape was created in. This map will be the only map to load the shape for editing purposes.
Related Entity ID	mtrcore_RelatedEntityID	Single line of text	The ID of the related entity this shape belongs to.
Related Entity Type	mtrcore_RelatedEntityType	Single line of text	The Type of the related entity this shape belongs to.
Uploaded By	mtrcore_UploadedBy	Single line of text	Unused at present.

This is supplemented by the following standard fields:

Column Name	Logical Name	Data Type	Usage
Created By	createdby	Lookup	User who created the shape
Created By (Delegate)	createdonbehalfby	Lookup	Delegate service user who created the shape (if created by a service account)
Created On	createdon	Date and Time	Date and time the shape was created
Modified By	modifiedby	Lookup	User who modified the shape last
Modified By (Delegate)	modifiedonbehalfby	Lookup	Delegate service user who modified the shape last (if modified by a service account)
Modified On	modifiedon	Date and Time	Date and time the shape was last modified

Tip

• The OrigShape file saved will NOT be altered with the GeoJSON editing facilities.
• Disable editing facilities, and use the file contained within this field if you want to ensure absolute precision when accepting shape files.
• Any modified GeoJSON will be in the WGS84 coordinate space, and may introduce precision errors if not handled correctly.

Base64 Attachments

Shape geometry is not stored directly on the Maptaskr Core Shapes record. Instead, the actual file content is saved as a Base64-encoded attachment (Dataverse Note / annotation), and the shape record holds a reference (the annotation ID) in the relevant field.

Two attachments may exist per shape:

Field	Attachment content
mtrcore_GeoJSONFile	Base64-encoded GeoJSON (WGS84). This is the editable representation used by the map.
mtrcore_OrigShapeFile	Base64-encoded original uploaded file in its native format and projection. Preserved as-is.

Example: GeoJSON attachment (decoded)

Maptaskr uses an extended version of the Mapbox simplestyle-spec to store per-feature styling directly in GeoJSON properties. These properties control how the shape is rendered on the map.

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Polygon",
        "coordinates": [
          [
            [144.9631, -37.8136],
            [144.9641, -37.8136],
            [144.9641, -37.8126],
            [144.9631, -37.8126],
            [144.9631, -37.8136]
          ]
        ]
      },
      "properties": {
        "title": "Sample Area",
        "fill": "#0078d4",
        "fill-opacity": 0.5,
        "stroke": "#FFFFFF",
        "stroke-opacity": 1,
        "stroke-width": 2,
        "stroke-type": "Solid",
        "text-color": "#000000",
        "text-opacity": 1,
        "text-shadow": "#FFFFFF",
        "text-shadow-opacity": 1,
        "font-size": 14
      }
    }
  ]
}

simplestyle-spec property reference

Property	Type	Default	Description
fill	String	#0078d4	Fill colour (hex). Applies to polygons and point circles.
fill-opacity	Number	1	Fill opacity (0 – 1).
stroke	String	#FFFFFF	Stroke/border colour (hex). Applies to lines and polygon edges.
stroke-opacity	Number	1	Stroke opacity (0 – 1).
stroke-width	Number	1	Stroke width in pixels (max 64).
stroke-type	String	Solid	Stroke dash style. One of Solid or Dashed.
text-color	String	#000000	Label text colour (hex).
text-opacity	Number	1	Label text opacity (0 – 1).
text-shadow	String	#FFFFFF	Text halo/shadow colour (hex) for readability against the map.
text-shadow-opacity	Number	1	Text shadow opacity (0 – 1).
font-size	Number	14	Label font size in pixels.
title	String	—	Text displayed as a label on the feature.

Using Saved Shapes as Layers

When a Dataverse record has a saved shape, you can use that record as a Dataverse layer and apply a shape style to render the geometry on the map.

How it works

1. The Dataverse layer loads records from the target entity.
2. A shape style is applied to the layer, telling Maptaskr which field contains the shape references.
3. Maptaskr fetches the GeoJSON attachments and renders the geometries on the map.

The shape style can be configured to reference any of the form fields that contain shape IDs. You can use saved shape styles from the configuration, or override the style per-layer for a more consistent visual approach across different map instances.

Important

Any Dataverse record with a shape must have a latitude/longitude field to allow it to be rendered as a layer and to have its shapes loaded. If you don't otherwise need a coordinate field, you can set it to the shape's centroid on save and then hide it when creating the Dataverse layer configuration.

Adding a shape style to a Dataverse layer

1. Open the Layer Configuration for your Dataverse layer.

2. Navigate to the Shape Style section.

3. Select the form field that contains the shape IDs you wish to render.

4. Choose a style preset from the saved styles, or configure a custom style (fill colour, stroke, opacity, etc.).

5. Save the layer configuration.

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Best Practice for Shape Persistence

• Persist shapes only for as long as you need them. If shapes are transient or used only during a workflow stage, consider cleaning them up when no longer relevant. Orphaned shape records increase storage usage and may slow layer queries over time.

• Offload to an Enterprise GIS for long-term storage. If your organisation has access to a system such as ArcGIS, consider building a process that validates uploaded shapes and publishes them as authoritative features in that system. Once published, the Dataverse shape record can be removed to free storage, and the record can instead render the official GIS layer. This also makes the geometry accessible to other platforms and teams outside of Dynamics 365.

• Preserve the original file when precision matters. If your workflow requires sub-metre accuracy or specific coordinate systems, always reference the OrigShape file rather than the WGS84 GeoJSON, which may have reprojection artefacts.

• Separate maps by field name. When multiple maps exist on a form, ensure each PCF control references a distinct field. This guarantees shapes are scoped correctly and avoids accidental cross-map edits.

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References

• GeoJSON Specification (RFC 7946)
• Mapbox simplestyle-spec