Before we go much farther on our trip, let’s explore some useful map features by looking at your route framed in the PC*MILER map window:
1. The map window can be floated as a separate window – right click on the gray Map title bar and select Float. The window now appears with a dark border and can be resized and dragged to any position on your screen.
2. Select the Map tab > Legends menu to control which legends appear on the map. (Map legends, that is, not pictures of Elvis.) Check or uncheck a legend in this menu to display/hide it. Legends can be positioned anywhere on the map: place your cursor on a legend, hold down the left mouse button and drag it to another spot.
3. To define an area to zoom to, select the Map tab > Box Zoom then click and drag a rectangle around the area. Choose Drag Map to return to navigation by dragging, then hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor (now shaped like a hand) to move your view to a new location. You can also use the icons on the map to toggle these options.
4. To zoom your map view in or out, right click on the map to open the right mouse menu and choose Zoom In or Zoom Out; or use your mouse scroll wheel.
5. Another way to shift the map view is to use the hidden scroll bars. To activate a scroll bar, place your cursor near any edge of the map window. Click on the scroll bar to move the map incrementally in the direction of the arrow, or click and hold to pan the view quickly:
6. In the Route 1 window, double-click Sioux City on the stop list to zoom in on it. Each time you click on it, you zoom in another level. (Notice the zoom level in the title bar of the map window.)
7. When you zoom in closer, places of interest (POI) will appear. At closer zoom levels, you can place the cursor over any POI to see its name:
8. Right click the map and select Tooltips > Route Distance. With this feature turned on, place the cursor at any point on a generated route to see a tool tip that displays the distance at the point from the origin and destination.
9. Now right click the map again and select Features… . In the Map Features dialog, all the listed features can be displayed or hidden on the map. Features that are checked will be displayed.
10. We won’t change the default settings in the Map Features dialog. Click Cancel, then right mouse click on the title bar of the map window and select Dock to bring the Map window back to the main PC*MILER window.