Interface Overview

Quick guide to FilterMate's main interface components and workflows.

Opening FilterMate

1. Menu: Vector → FilterMate

2. Toolbar: Click FilterMate icon

   

3. Keyboard: Configure in QGIS settings

Main Tabs

FilterMate organizes features into 3 main tabs:

🎯 FILTERING Tab

Purpose: Create filtered subsets of your data

Key Components:

• Reference Layer:

  

  Choose a source layer for spatial filtering / Sync active layer with plugin

• Layer Selector:

  

  Choose which layers to filter (multi-selection supported)

• Combination settings:

  

  Combine multiple filters with AND/OR operators

• Spatial Predicates:

  

  Select geometric relationships (Intersects, Contains, Within, etc.)

• Buffer Settings:

  

  Add proximity zones (distance, unit, type)

• Buffer Type Settings:

  

  Choose buffer geometry type (planar, geodesic, ellipsoidal)

Use Cases:

• Find features matching criteria (e.g., population > 100,000)
• Select geometries within/near other features
• Create temporary subsets for analysis

See: Filtering Basics, Geometric Filtering, Buffer Operations

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🔍 EXPLORING Tab

Purpose: Visualize and interact with features from the current active QGIS layer

Key Components:

• Action Buttons: 6 interactive buttons

  • Identify:

    

    Highlight features on map

  • Zoom:

    

    Center map on features

  • Select:

    

    Enable interactive selection mode

  • Track:

    

    Sync selections between widgets and map

  • Link:

    

    Share configuration across widgets

  • Reset parameters:

    

    Restore layer defaults parameters

• Selection Widgets:

  • Single Selection: Pick one feature (dropdown)
  • Multiple Selection: Select many features (checkboxes)
  • Custom Selection: Use expressions to filter widget

Important: EXPLORING always works on QGIS's current active layer only. To change layer, update it in QGIS Layer Panel.

Use Cases:

• Browse features interactively
• Identify and zoom to specific features
• View attribute details
• Manual feature selection

EXPLORING vs FILTERING

• EXPLORING: Temporary visualization of current layer (no data modification)
• FILTERING: Permanent filtered subsets on selected layers (can be multiple)

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📤 EXPORTING Tab

Purpose: Export layers (filtered or unfiltered) to various formats

Key Components:

• Layer Selector:

  

  Choose layers to export

• CRS Transformation:

  

  Reproject to different coordinate system

• Style Export:

  

  Save QGIS styles (QML, SLD, ArcGIS)

• Format:

  

  GPKG, Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, CSV, PostGIS, Spatialite

• Batch Mode: Export each layer to separate file

• Output Folder:

  

  Select destination directory

• ZIP Compression:

  

  Package outputs for delivery

Use Cases:

• Share filtered data with colleagues
• Archive analysis snapshots
• Convert between formats
• Prepare data for web mapping

See: Export Features

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⚙️ CONFIGURATION Tab

Purpose: Customize FilterMate behavior and appearance

Key Components:

• JSON Tree View: Edit full configuration
• Theme Selector: Choose UI theme (default/dark/light/auto)
• Advanced Options: Plugin settings
• Feedback Level: Control message verbosity (Minimal/Normal/Verbose)

See: Configuration

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Action Buttons (Top Bar)

Always visible regardless of active tab:

Button	Icon	Action	Shortcut
FILTER		Apply configured filters	F5
UNDO		Revert last filter	Ctrl+Z
REDO		Reapply undone filter	Ctrl+Y
RESET		Clear all filters	Ctrl+Shift+C
EXPORT		Quick export	Ctrl+E
ABOUT		Plugin information	-

Intelligent Undo/Redo (v2.3.0)

Context-Aware Undo/Redo

The Undo/Redo buttons automatically adapt based on your current configuration:

• Source Layer Only: When "Layers to Filter" is unchecked, undo affects only the source layer
• Global Mode: When "Layers to Filter" is checked with remote layers selected, undo restores ALL affected layers simultaneously

Button States:

• Enabled (clickable): History available
• Disabled (grayed out): No history in that direction

See: Filter History & Undo/Redo for detailed documentation.

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Backend Indicators

Visual badges show data source type:

• PostgreSQL ⚡: Best performance (more than 50k features)
• Spatialite 📦: Good performance (less than 50k features)
• OGR/Shapefile 📄: Basic compatibility

Backend detected automatically based on layer type.

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Quick Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+F: Focus expression builder
• F5: Execute filter
• Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y: Undo / Redo
• Tab: Navigate between fields
• Ctrl+Tab: Switch between tabs

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Learn More

• Getting Started: Quick Start Guide
• Detailed Usage: Filtering Basics, Geometric Filtering
• Export Options: Export Features
• Advanced: Configuration, Performance Tuning

Interface Layout

Layer Selector

Features

• 📋 Multi-selection: Filter multiple layers at once
• 🔍 Search: Quick layer filtering
• 🎨 Icons: Geometry type indicators
  • 🔵 Point layers
  • 🟢 Line layers
  • 🟪 Polygon layers

Usage

☑ Layer 1 (Polygon) — PostgreSQL ⚡
☑ Layer 2 (Point) — Spatialite
☐ Layer 3 (Line) — Shapefile

Backend Indicators:

• ⚡ PostgreSQL (high performance)
• 📦 Spatialite (medium performance)
• 📄 OGR (universal compatibility)

Further Reading

For detailed guides on each feature:

• Filtering Basics - Complete guide to attribute filtering and QGIS expressions
• Geometric Filtering - Spatial predicates, buffer operations, and geometric workflows
• Buffer Operations - Buffer configuration, types, and distance settings
• Export Features - Export formats, CRS transformation, and batch operations
• Filter History - History management, undo/redo, and favorites

For getting started:

• Quick Start Guide - 5-minute introduction
• Your First Filter - Step-by-step tutorial

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Icon Usage Guidelines

Accessibility

• All icons have been designed with high contrast ratios
• Theme-aware icons automatically adapt to light/dark modes
• Icons are sized appropriately for 16px, 24px, and 32px displays

Consistency

• Each icon represents a specific, consistent action across the interface
• Workflow icons (selection_1-7, zoom_1-5, etc.) show process progression
• Light/dark variants maintain visual consistency across themes

Context

• Icons appear in buttons, status indicators, and documentation
• Hover tooltips provide additional context for all interactive icons
• Sequential icons guide users through multi-step operations

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Interface Customization

You can customize the appearance of FilterMate icons and themes in the CONFIGURATION tab. See Configuration Guide for details on:

• Switching between light/dark/auto themes
• Adjusting icon sizes (if supported by theme)
• Creating custom theme configurations

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