Vector Tiles, add a tool to export the data

[bojanv55]

Feature description

I imported Vector Tile layer, and I can see feature when I select it in the right pane, but I cannot export it. Is it possible at all to export currently visible features from the map, since I can see that QGIS can read those? As you can see place_label is visible and has all the needed data - but not how can I export it from the QGIS.

Additional context

No response

[gioman]

@bojanv55 is this a question or a feature request?

[bojanv55]

@gioman I guess both. Since I'm no QGIS expert - maybe there is already some way to do feature export (eg from python console or smth)? Otherwise it would be feature req.

[gioman]

@gioman I guess both. Since I'm no QGIS expert - maybe there is already some way to do feature export (eg from python console or smth)? Otherwise it would be feature req.

@bojanv55 can you post/share your datasource?

[bojanv55]

Just the standard mapbox vector tiles connection:

[gioman]

Just the standard mapbox vector tiles connection:

@bojanv55 can I try that without a key?

[bojanv55]

It's free to register https://account.mapbox.com/

And then just export the link from https://studio.mapbox.com/

[gioman]

@bojanv55 not a vector tiles expert here, but I don't think you can just "save as" a vector tile layer as you would do with other datasources. I don't even know if this is technically possible, so don't know if this even is meaningful as feature request.

[bojanv55]

@gioman It is possible, since I can go to one of the features and do CTRL+C. but it is not that easy to go feature by feature and do this, since I cannot select all at once. And I'm definitely sure that there is some easier way to select an export it from python console inside of QGIS.

[gioman]

@gioman It is possible, since I can go to one of the features and do CTRL+C. but it is not that easy to go feature by feature and do this, since I cannot select all at once. And I'm definitely sure that there is some easier way to select an export it from python console inside of QGIS.

@bojanv55 you can do that also with some WMS services, but you don't have access to the table of attributes and the geometries as you would in a normal vector.

[bojanv55]

@gioman

[pathmapper]

@gioman is right, you can not

just "save as" a vector tile layer as you would do with other datasources

because the features come from tiled vector data, so you would have to deal with split or duplicated data, even for point features.

The following quote from https://docs.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/api/map/#map#queryrenderedfeatures gives some examples:

Because features come from tiled vector data or GeoJSON data that is converted to tiles internally, feature geometries may be split or duplicated across tile boundaries and, as a result, features may appear multiple times in query results. For example, suppose there is a highway running through the bounding rectangle of a query. The results of the query will be those parts of the highway that lie within the map tiles covering the bounding rectangle, even if the highway extends into other tiles, and the portion of the highway within each map tile will be returned as a separate feature. Similarly, a point feature near a tile boundary may appear in multiple tiles due to tile buffering.

[bojanv55]

@pathmapper that is correct. Just wanted to find a way to export all. Then I will handle duplicated data outside of QGIS.

Tried to access it something like this, but do not know where the features are stored at:

layer = qgis.utils.iface.activeLayer()
print(dir(layer))

<QgsVectorTileLayer: 'karta'>

['Actions', 'AllStyleCategories', 'AnnotationLayer', 'AttributeTable', 'CustomProperties', 'Diagrams', 'Elevation', 'Fields', 'FlagDontResolveLayers', 'FlagReadExtentFromXml', 'FlagTrustLayerMetadata', 'Forms', 'GeometryOptions', 'Identifiable', 'Labeling', 'LayerConfiguration', 'LayerFlag', 'LayerFlags', 'LayerType', 'Legend', 'MapTips', 'MeshLayer', 'Metadata', 'Notes', 'PluginLayer', 'PointCloudLayer', 'Private', 'PropertyType', 'RasterLayer', 'ReadFlag', 'ReadFlags', 'Relations', 'Removable', 'Rendering', 'Searchable', 'Style', 'StyleCategories', 'StyleCategory', 'Symbology', 'Symbology3D', 'Temporal', 'VectorLayer', 'VectorTileLayer', '__class__', '__delattr__', '__dict__', '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', '__getattr__', '__getattribute__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__init__', '__init_subclass__', '__le__', '__lt__', '__module__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__setattr__', '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', '__weakref__', 'abstract', 'accept', 'appendError', 'attribution', 'attributionUrl', 'autoRefreshInterval', 'autoRefreshIntervalChanged', 'beforeResolveReferences', 'blendMode', 'blendModeChanged', 'blockSignals', 'childEvent', 'children', 'clone', 'configChanged', 'connectNotify', 'createMapRenderer', 'crs', 'crsChanged', 'customEvent', 'customProperties', 'customProperty', 'customPropertyChanged', 'customPropertyKeys', 'dataChanged', 'dataProvider', 'dataSourceChanged', 'dataUrl', 'dataUrlFormat', 'decodedSource', 'deleteLater', 'dependencies', 'dependenciesChanged', 'destroyed', 'disconnect', 'disconnectNotify', 'dumpObjectInfo', 'dumpObjectTree', 'dynamicPropertyNames', 'elevationProperties', 'emitStyleChanged', 'encodedSource', 'error', 'event', 'eventFilter', 'exportNamedMetadata', 'exportNamedStyle', 'exportSldStyle', 'extensionPropertyType', 'extent', 'findChild', 'findChildren', 'flags', 'flagsChanged', 'formatLayerName', 'generateId', 'hasAutoRefreshEnabled', 'hasDependencyCycle', 'hasScaleBasedVisibility', 'htmlMetadata', 'id', 'importNamedMetadata', 'importNamedStyle', 'inherits', 'installEventFilter', 'invalidateWgs84Extent', 'isEditable', 'isInScaleRange', 'isRefreshOnNotifyEnabled', 'isSignalConnected', 'isSpatial', 'isTemporary', 'isTileBorderRenderingEnabled', 'isValid', 'isValidChanged', 'isWidgetType', 'isWindowType', 'keywordList', 'killTimer', 'labeling', 'legend', 'legendChanged', 'legendUrl', 'legendUrlFormat', 'loadDefaultMetadata', 'loadDefaultStyle', 'loadNamedMetadata', 'loadNamedMetadataFromDatabase', 'loadNamedStyle', 'loadNamedStyleFromDatabase', 'loadSldStyle', 'maximumScale', 'metaObject', 'metadata', 'metadataChanged', 'metadataUri', 'metadataUrl', 'metadataUrlFormat', 'metadataUrlType', 'minimumScale', 'moveToThread', 'name', 'nameChanged', 'objectName', 'objectNameChanged', 'opacity', 'opacityChanged', 'originalXmlProperties', 'parent', 'project', 'property', 'providerType', 'publicSource', 'pyqtConfigure', 'readCommonStyle', 'readCustomProperties', 'readLayerXml', 'readOnly', 'readSld', 'readStyle', 'readStyleManager', 'readSymbology', 'readXml', 'recalculateExtents', 'receivers', 'refreshOnNotifyMessage', 'reload', 'removeCustomProperty', 'removeEventFilter', 'renderer', 'renderer3D', 'renderer3DChanged', 'rendererChanged', 'repaintRequested', 'request3DUpdate', 'resolveReferences', 'saveDefaultMetadata', 'saveDefaultStyle', 'saveNamedMetadata', 'saveNamedStyle', 'saveSldStyle', 'sender', 'senderSignalIndex', 'setAbstract', 'setAttribution', 'setAttributionUrl', 'setAutoRefreshEnabled', 'setAutoRefreshInterval', 'setBlendMode', 'setCrs', 'setCustomProperties', 'setCustomProperty', 'setDataSource', 'setDataUrl', 'setDataUrlFormat', 'setDependencies', 'setError', 'setExtent', 'setFlags', 'setKeywordList', 'setLabeling', 'setLayerOrder', 'setLegend', 'setLegendUrl', 'setLegendUrlFormat', 'setMaximumScale', 'setMetadata', 'setMetadataUrl', 'setMetadataUrlFormat', 'setMetadataUrlType', 'setMinimumScale', 'setName', 'setObjectName', 'setOpacity', 'setOriginalXmlProperties', 'setParent', 'setProperty', 'setProviderType', 'setRefreshOnNofifyMessage', 'setRefreshOnNotifyEnabled', 'setRenderer', 'setRenderer3D', 'setScaleBasedVisibility', 'setShortName', 'setSubLayerVisibility', 'setTileBorderRenderingEnabled', 'setTitle', 'setTransformContext', 'setValid', 'shortName', 'signalsBlocked', 'source', 'sourceMaxZoom', 'sourceMinZoom', 'sourcePath', 'sourceType', 'startTimer', 'staticMetaObject', 'statusChanged', 'styleChanged', 'styleLoaded', 'styleManager', 'styleURI', 'subLayers', 'temporalProperties', 'thread', 'timerEvent', 'timestamp', 'title', 'tr', 'transformContext', 'trigger3DUpdate', 'triggerRepaint', 'type', 'undoStack', 'undoStackStyles', 'wgs84Extent', 'willBeDeleted', 'writeCommonStyle', 'writeCustomProperties', 'writeLayerXml', 'writeStyle', 'writeStyleManager', 'writeSymbology', 'writeXml']

[gioman]

Tried to access it something like this, but do not know where the features are stored at:

@bojanv55 this should be asked in the developers mailing list.