View, edit, and save base map attributes in Surfer

The Attribute Table contains all the attributes for all the objects in a base layer. Some of the things you can do in the Surfer attribute table are to view, copy, save, join, and add object attributes, helping make sure you are presenting your data to your stakeholders precisely how you want to. 

• View attributes for all objects in a Surfer base layer
• Copy attributes from the Attribute Table in Surfer
• Save attributes from the Attribute Table in Surfer
• Join attributes to your vector objects in Surfer
• Add an attribute (like ZLEVEL) to all objects in a Surfer base layer

View attributes for all objects in a Surfer base layer

You can view and edit all the attributes for all objects in a base layer at once via the Attribute Table. Select the Base layer containing the objects of interest and click Map Tools | Layer Tools | Open Attribute Table. 

The Attribute Table is modal and can be up on the screen at the same time you perform other tasks in Surfer.  If you have multiple base layers in your map, you can open an Attribute Table for each layer if you wish.  Changes made in the Attribute Table are immediately applied to the objects in the map (and vice versa), which you can see if you select an object and view the Info page in the Properties window.

Attributes Table window dialog.

Copy attributes from the Attribute Table in Surfer

You can easily copy the attributes for a base layer in the Attribute table for use in other applications, such as Microsoft Excel.

To copy the attributes:

1. Select the rows you want to copy in the Attribute Table by
   • Clicking the first row, holding SHIFT, and clicking the last row to bulk-select a group of adjacent rows. 
     OR
   • Clicking the first row, holding CTRL, and clicking another row to select multiple non-adjacent rows. 
2. Press CTRL+C on the keyboard or click the Copy button in the toolbar.
3. Now you can paste into whichever program you desire.

Example of copying attributes in the Attributes Table dialog.

Save attributes from the Attribute Table in Surfer

You can easily save the attributes for a base layer in the Attribute table for use in other applications, such as Microsoft Excel.

To save the attributes:

1. Open the Attribute Table and click the Save button.
2. In the Save as dialog, choose a Save as type (such as XLS or, DAT), name the file and click Save.

Example of saving attributes in the Attributes Table dialog

Join attributes to your vector objects in Surfer

Link new attribute data to vector objects using attribute field names, also known as a Join. Once your vector objects have new attributes associated with them, you can create thematic maps from these objects using Base Symbology - you can even use the new Pie Map symbology feature!

To do so:

1. Create a Base(vector) map which contains vector objects you wish to join new attributes to.
2. In the Contents window, right-click on the Base(vector) layer and select Join Attributes from the context menu.
3. In the Join Attributes dialog, in the Join File section, select the data file containing the new attributes you wish to import. 
4. In the Join Attributes section:
   1. Set the Join File Attribute field to the attribute name you wish to join by in the data file.  
   2. Set the Base Layer Attribute field to the attribute name you wish to join by in the existing Base(vector) layer.
5. Click OK to import and join the new attributes to the vector objects.

Join Attributes Dialog

Add an attribute (like ZLEVEL) to all objects in a Surfer base layer

You can add an attribute to all objects in a base layer at once using the Attribute Table.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Select the Base layer in the Contents window.
2. Click Map Tools | Layer Tools | Open Attribute Table.
3. In the Attribute Table, click the Add Field button ().
4. Enter a name (e.g. "ZLEVEL").
5. Select Numeric for Attribute type and click OK.
6. The attribute has been added to all objects in the Base layer, but does not contain any values yet.
7. You can populate/view/edit the contents of the column either in the Attribute Table, or you can select an item and click the Info tab in the Properties window to edit or view the new attribute.

Attribute Table Dialog

Additional base map attributes resources

For more in-depth information about these topics please click the links below.

• Surfer Help > Editing > Attribute Table
• Surfer Help > Options, Defaults, and Customizations > Default Setting Syntax > Formats for Attribute Values
• Surfer Help > New Attribute Name Dialog
• Surfer Help > Join Attributes Dialog

Updated January 2024.