What this book covers

Chapter 1, Web Mapping Basics, introduces OpenLayers to the reader and describes the basics of how to create a map, how to manage the layers stack, how to work with controls, and how to add OpenLayers within your project.

Chapter 2, Adding Raster Layers, is centered on working and understanding the main raster layers. OpenLayers offers the opportunity to work with main service providers, such as Google or Bing, plus integrating with open source ones, such as OpenStreetMap, or working with WMS servers.

Chapter 3, Working with Vector Layers, explores the power of vector layers and explains how we can load data from different sources using different formats and how we can create features, markers, and popups.

Chapter 4, Working with Events, describes the importance of events and how we can react when they are triggered by the OpenLayers components, such as map or layers, each time a layer is added to the map, a layer is loaded, a feature is added, and so on.

Chapter 5, Adding Controls, explains how to manage controls and describes the most commonly used and important controls the OpenLayers offers to the users: adding or editing features, measuring distances, getting information about features, and so on.

Chapter 6, Theming, describes how OpenLayers is designed to control the appearance of its components. This chapter shows how we can change the position or the controls' look and introduces the basics of creating a complete new theme.

Chapter 7, Styling Features, is completely oriented to show how we can control the features' appearance: the different ways we have to style features, the concept of renderers, styling depending on feature attributes, and so on.

Chapter 8, Beyond the Basics, explores some advanced topics of OpenLayers: work with projections, request remote data, create new controls, and so on. It collects some recipes that show the possibilities OpenLayers offers to developers.