Syntax

   FACTORY_DEF * AmalgamatorFactory
   [FACTORY_NAME <factory name>]
   [INPUT AREAS FEATURE_TYPE <feature type>
      [<attribute name> <attribute value>]*
      [<feature function>]*]*
   [GROUP_BY [<attribute name>]+]*
   [FLUSH_WHEN_GROUPS_CHANGE (Yes|No)]
   [AMALG_MODE (SELF|BINARY|SELF_AND_BINARY)]
   [DISSOLVE_INPUT <bool>]
   MAX_SEGMENT_LENGTH <float>
   MAX_SEPARATION_DISTANCE <float>
   MIN_HOLE_AREA <float>
   [LIST_NAME <string>]
   [LIST_ATTRS_TO_INCLUDE [<attrNameToIncludeInList>]* ]
   [LIST_ATTRS_TO_INCLUDE_MODE (ALL|SELECTED)]
   [ID_ATTR <string>]
   [OUTPUT (AMALGAMATED|UNTOUCHED|INVALID|HOLES|TRIANGLES) 
      FEATURE_TYPE <feature type>
      [<attribute name> <attribute value>]*
      [<feature function>]*]* 

Overview

   The AmalgamatoryFactory joins nearby features into a single, amalgamated feature.
   Features are connected in the amalgam via triangle polygons, two features will 
   be considered to be part of the same amalgam if they are connected by multiple triangles, 
   and each side of the connecting triangles has a length less than the Maximum Separation 
   Distance parameter. The geometry of the connected features, and the connecting triangles 
   will be dissolved together to form a single polygon or donut geometry. If a donut is formed, 
   a donut hole with a size less than the specified minimum hole area will be removed from the 
   donut. If the input geometry is a donut, the original holes from that donut will be
   added to any resulting amalgam that the input feature becomes a part of.
  
   

Input Tags

   The AmalgamatorFactory supports the following input tag.
   
   AREAS
   
      All input features.
      
Clauses

   The AmalgamatorFactory supports the following clauses.
   
   GROUP_BY 
   
      Which attributes to group referenceres/definitions by.

   FLUSH_WHEN_GROUPS_CHANGE

      If the GROUP_BY clause is specified, this clause (when set to Yes) will cause
      the factory to process and output the current group immediately when an
      attribute that does not belong to the current group is encountered.

   AMALG_MODE

      Allows two graphical details on the same geometry to connect together.
      There are a number of options provided to accommodate the two conceptual models,
      Self Amalgamation, which amalgamates a polygonal geometry against itself,
      Binary Amalgamation(default), amalgamates different polygonal geometries, and
      Self, Binary Amalgamation, this mode combines the Self Amalgamation and the Binary Amalgamation.

   MAX_SEGMENT_LENGTH 
   
      A geometry will be densified so that it does not contain line segments 
      exceeding this length. This length is equivalent to the maximum triangle width
      in the triangles that form amalgam connectors between input polygons. 
   
   MAX_SEPARATION_DISTANCE
   
      The maximum distance between two features that can be considered for 
      amalgamation. This distance is equivalent to the maximum triangle length
      (length of triangle is currently == length of longest side of triangle)
      in the triangles that form amalgam connectors between input polygons.

   MIN_HOLE_AREA
   
      The minimum size each generated hole must be for it to be retained.

   LIST_NAME 
   
      The name of a list attribute that will contain all the original attributes 
      of the features that are amalgamated.

      The optional LIST_ATTRS_TO_INCLUDE_MODE will specify if ALL attributes should be added to
      a list, or if only the SELECTED attributes (specified with the LIST_ATTRS_TO_INCLUDE clause)
      should be added to the list.  If this value is not specified, it defaults to ALL.

   ID_ATTR 
   
      The name of an id attribute that will be added to all output AMALGAMATED, 
      TRIANGLE, and HOLE features. The id value added to the HOLE and TRIANGLE 
      features will match the id of the AMALGAMATED feature that they are 
      associated with.         

Output Tags

   The AmalgamatorFactory supports the following output tags.
   
   AMALGAMATED
   
      Amalgams that were created from the input features.

   UNTOUCHED
   
      Input features that we not used to create amalgams.

   INVALID
   
      Input features that we not used to create amalgams because their geometry 
      was considered invalid.
      
   HOLES
   
      Holes that were created as part of the amalgamation process that meet the 
      minumum hole size threshold.

   TRIANGLES
   
      Triangle-shaped polygons that were used to connect input features to form 
      an amalgam.