wiki:MapCacheOpenLayers

Configuring MS4W and MapCache for use in OpenLayers

This was spawned by an MS4W user asking how to setup OpenLayers for an MS4W MapCache's WMS service (thread), with the following incorrect Javascript code, which did not write tiles to MS4W's cache directory:

new ol.layer.Tile({
title: 'Chabahar',    
source: new ol.source.TileWMS({
url: 'http://localhost:100/cgi-bin/mapserv.exe?map=D:/WEB_GIS/code_test/wms/HTML5Application/public_html/chabahar.map&',
params: {
    'LAYERS': 'chabahar',
    'FORMAT': 'image/png',
    'TILED': true
},
serverType: 'mapserver'
})
                                        })  ,

See Step4 below for correct OpenLayers code but be sure to execute all Steps

Step 0: Install MS4W

  • install MS4W (if you haven't already done so)

Step 1: Initialize MapCache Module

  • follow all of the steps in MS4W's README to initialize the MapCache module
  • confirm that tiles are being generated inside the folder: /ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp/cache/

Step 2: Install MS4W's OpenLayers Package

  • if you haven't installed MS4W's OpenLayers package (we'll use its sample WMS mapfile), please install it:
    • save the OpenLayers zip locally from: http://ms4w.com/download.html#applications-packaged-for-ms4w
    • extract its contents to the root of your MS4W installation
    • restart Apache: as Administrator, execute: /ms4w/apache-restart.bat
    • on your Web browser's MS4W homepage, click on the "MapServer WMS Example" link, in the OpenLayers section
    • this example uses a local WMS service, it should display the world countries as below:

Default OpenLayers demo using sample WMS service from MS4W

Step 3: Configure mapcache.xml to use this WMS as a Source

  • add the following to your mapcache.xml file (and if necessary change the <url> and <map> paths):
    <source name="ms4wserver" type="wms">
      <http>
        <url>http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/mapserv.exe</url>
      </http>
      <getmap>
        <params>
          <map>C:/ms4w/apps/openlayers-3.15.1/examples/map/wms-server.map</map>
          <layers>countries</layers>
        </params>
      </getmap>
    </source> 
    
  • edit the existing <tileset> section of mapcache.xml, so that it includes:
    <tileset name="test">
      <source>ms4wserver</source>
      <cache>disk</cache>
      <grid>GoogleMapsCompatible</grid>
      <format>PNG</format>
      <metatile>5 5</metatile>
      <metabuffer>10</metabuffer>
      <expires>3600</expires>
    </tileset>
    
    • we use the "GoogleMapsCompatible" grid here, because OpenLayers assumes the EPSG:3857 projection.

Read more about the various Preconfigured Grids for MapCache

  • delete the existing cache folder: /ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp/cache/test
  • restart Apache: as Administrator, execute: /ms4w/apache-restart.bat
  • on your Web browser's MS4W homepage, click on the "Demo" link in the "MapCache URLs" section. Then click on the "wmts" link. A world countries map should appear, and if you expand the "+" button on the top right, it should list a layer named "test-GoogleMapsCompatible WMTS", as below: Sample WMTS service through MapCache, using 3857 projection
  • zoom in a few times, and check your cache folder (/ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp/cache/test), you will notice that tile images are saved there.

Step 4: Configure OpenLayers to use this WMS Service

We will use one of the existing OpenLayers examples' html and javascript, but you can adapt this for your own page.

  • copy the file /ms4w/apps/openlayers/examples/getfeatureinfo-tile.js and rename it to mapcache-getfeatureinfo-tile.js
  • copy the file /ms4w/apps/openlayers/examples/getfeatureinfo-tile.html and rename it to mapcache-getfeatureinfo-tile.html
  • edit the file /ms4w/apps/openlayers/examples/getfeatureinfo-tile.html and change the source on line#178 such as:
    <script src="loader.js?id=mapcache-getfeatureinfo-tile"></script>
    

Working page for the MapCache test (before adding our WMTS service)

  • delete the existing cache folder: /ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp/cache/test
  • edit the file /ms4w/apps/openlayers/examples/mapcache-getfeatureinfo-tile.html.js and change the wmsSource variable (at the top of the file) to:
var wmsSource = new ol.source.TileWMS({
  url: 'http://127.0.0.1/mapcache/',
  params: {
                'LAYERS': 'test',
                'VERSION': '1.1.1',
                'FORMAT': 'image/jpeg'
              },
  serverType: 'mapserver',
  crossOrigin: 'anonymous'
});

for the 'LAYERS' parameter we must use the name that we defined earlier as the <tileset> in our mapcache.xml file

OpenLayers using the MapCache WMTS service through MS4W

  • zoom in a few times, and check your cache folder (/ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp/cache/test), you will notice that tile images are saved there in a "GoogleMapsCompatible" subdirectory, as below:

MapCache generated tiles through OpenLayers 3

Getting Additional Help

  • feel free to ask your questions on the MS4W mailing list (subscribe)
  • for professional support, please contact GatewayGeo (the original author of this tutorial)
Last modified 4 years ago Last modified on 2020-12-02T10:25:44-04:00

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