QGIS3 - Simple automation of QGIS output - turn values on/off & print out dozens of maps

Question

I need to make a series of maps of a single location and make a single map for each value in the layer.

I have a layout I've created with borders, texts, north arrow, and everything, with the map, and an overview map on it.

My current workflow is:

• Select value 1.
• Go to print composer
• Output to image
• Go back to map
• turn off value 1
• turn on value 2
• go to print composer
• output to image...

So on and so forth for 34 images. It seems like something that would be easy to do with automation, but I have looked at tutorials for atlas, and the timecontrol export, but haven't seen anything that does this with layouts and that turns on and off values.

I have been able to make the atlas work with separate layers, but I don't know how to copy the color and symbology over so it match up from the values to the layers, without doing it 1 by 1, defeating the whole purpose of saving time & automation.

Can you give it a tutorial link or video or point me in the right direction?

Answer 1

You can bend the atlas function to make it change the style based on an attribute of your atlas layer.

First create a theme for each of your styling option (the little eye in your layers panel). Name the different themes by really simple name. I suggest style1, style2, style3..

Then create a polygon layer for your atlas definition. You will have at least two text fields "title" and "style_name". Then create a polygon on the region you want to do your map and then duplicate it or copy paste it until you get the same number of polygon as you have styles.

Use the attribute table or field calculation to give the name of each of your style to one feature. Then on the print layout activate atlas, with this layer as atlas cover. You can set your atlas page name to your title field. Select your map item in the layout and set the "follow map theme" option to your atlas field name (button at rigth) in this documentation. Use the button to give life to your atlas and check if every page is fine. You can add a text box on every page for title depending on your atlas layer field... And then export the atlas.

Another solution would be in your style setting to depend on atlas feature attribute but it would not be suited for complex styling definition.