ELS Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q. I installed ELS and then I opened the program to explore the functionality of the Admin and View modes.  Then, I closed the program without creating a new user account.  Now I can’t open ELS – the “Land Trust Alliance” login and “Land Trust Alliance” password do not work.  What do I do?

A. When you log in to use ELS for the very first time you must enter "Land Trust Alliance” for the login name and “Land Trust Alliance" for the password.  Next, you must create a new user account with your own login name and password.  If you do not do this -- when the program is closed, you can't use "Land Trust Alliance/Land Trust Alliance" to login again.

To create a new user account:

1. Click the Action button on your ELS toolbar.
2. Then click Login Management to create a new login name and password.

Be sure to specify your user privilege as Admin.  If you create accounts for other staff members be sure to specify Viewer as their user privilege. It is highly recommended that only one person be designated as the administrator for ELS.  This will prevent unwanted and/or erroneous changes to your property’s data.

If you do not create a user account after you open ELS for the first time, you will not be able to log in again.  If this happens, you must uninstall ELS, and then install ELS again.

Q.  How do I check the spelling of text that I’ve typed in?

A.  The spell check function works only for data that has been manually typed into the Type In and Notes boxes.  To use the spell checker, click once inside a Type In or Notes box, then click the Spell Checking icon in the toolbar.

Q.  What is a ‘link file’?

A. ELS has two modes – Administration and View.  The Administration mode allows the user to enter data in and link files to the various subject headings in ELS.  The View mode allows the user to view all the property information, print files and photos, and be reminded of monitoring dates. 

Throughout ELS, you will notice a Load Link File(s) button next to various data entry fields. In many of ELS’ data entry fields, data may be entered either by typing the data manually or by linking to existing files on your hard drive, using the Load Link File(s) button.

In the Administration mode you can create links to existing digital data files such as conservation easements/covenants, baseline documentation reports, maps, photographs, monitoring reports, scientific and financial information, other text documents, graphic files, e-mail correspondence, spreadsheets or audio and video files located on your hard drive.  When you switch to View mode, you will see a hyperlink beneath a Document type (subject heading).  When you click on that link, you can view and print the document that is linked to the subject heading.

Q. How do I “Load a Link File”?

A. To load a link file, click the Load Link File(s) button located next to the subject heading where you want to create a link (n.b.  If there is more than one choice, such as a radio button, make sure that you’ve selected the appropriate subject heading).

Next, Click the Add File(s) button in the pop up window. Navigate to your file using the Select file(s) window as you would use any other Windows program.

Double-click the file name (or click the file name once and then click the Open button) to select the desired file. Click the OK button in the Add/Remove File Link(s) pop-up box to complete the linking process. You will now see the pathway to the selected file displayed in the File List(s) window. You can link to additional or use a combination of typed data and linked files. ELS will accept a combination of typed data and one or more linked files anytime the Load Link File(s) button is visible.

Q.  How do I ‘type in’ data?

A. To type in information associated with a particular subject heading, simply click once inside the Type In or Notes box.

If you want to associate text with a particular file you must first highlight the file path name (ex.  C:\ELS\Properties\Adams Farm\Documents\A_Easement.doc), then click in the Type In or Notes box.  You must save that text by clicking the Save button.

Q.  Sometimes I can’t enter data in the "Type in" blocks. What’s wrong?

A.  Data can be entered into most of the "Type in" boxes simply by clicking inside the "Type in" box.

In certain tabs like "Maps and Photographs" the text is associated specifically with a particular document or image file. In these cases, first load a file and then click on the path name for that file so that it is highlighted. Then, you can click inside the "Type in" box and enter text that you want to associate with that particular file.

Note: you must click the pink "Save" button before moving to another document or tab.

Photo-points, Maps and Images

Q. What is a photo-point map?

A. ELS incorporates ESRI’s MapObjects^TM , which allows creation of photo-point maps that link to digital graphic files. This function enables you to use a map, aerial photograph or other image file as a photo-point map, linking points on the map to other image and data files.  Once you’ve plotted points on your map, where pictures were taken on the ground, you can link images to those points.  When you switch to the View mode, you will see your base image with the plotted photo points.  When you click on a photo-point, the image file(s) that you linked to will appear – showing you the picture(s) that were taken from that particular point on the ground.  This function allows stewardship monitors to compare photographs of certain areas within a property over a period of years.

Q. How do I create a photo-point and load an image file?

A.  Click the ▼ down arrow on the photo-point toolbar and click Draw Point from the list. Click the • button on the toolbar to turn the cursor into a point tool.

Use your mouse cursor to click on any point on the base image to indicate the location that a photograph was taken. In the Add/Remove File Link(s) box, type a label for the photo point you wish to create (e.g. “Point 1”) in the Label box. In the Description box, describe what the photograph is documenting. Click the Add File(s) button. Then, select the image file(s) in your Photos and Graphics folder in your property’s files and click the Open button.

The file name is displayed in the Add File(s) view window. Instead of viewing file names, you can view thumbnail images, a list or details of your photo-point files by clicking the Show Large Icon, Small Icon, or Show Detail button. Click the OK button to complete linking to this photo-point. You will now see a point displayed on your base image and the number 1 next to a camera image in the Photo-points view window. To finish and move to the Documents section, click the Next button and then Yes to save your work.

Note: You can link one or more images or data files to a single photo-point. For instance, photographs taken from the same point in different years can all be linked to the same photo-point enabling you to view changes to that part of the property. An image or data from a spreadsheet might be used to document algae levels in a wetland, etc.

Q. How do I create a Polygon?

A. The polygon tool can be used to draw property boundaries, plant communities, residential building envelopes, etc.  This tool is only available for the photo-point maps. 

To create a polygon, click the ▼ down arrow on the photo-point toolbar and click Draw Polygon from the drop down list. Then, click the Draw Polygon button on the toolbar to turn your cursor into a polygon tool.

Your cursor becomes a ! drawing pencil. Use your mouse as a drawing tool like you would in a graphics program. Click with your left mouse button on a boundary corner, and drag the line to the next corner, releasing the mouse button at the corner. Continue this process until you have outlined the entire area you will work within and your cursor is back at the starting point. Double-click to complete the polygon. You should now see an area of the base map outlined in green. You may delete or change the polygon by clicking the —button on the photo point toolbar and clicking anywhere in the polygon to select it. You will see a ¢ red square at each of the polygon’s corners. Click the delete key on your keyboard to delete the polygon.  You can also change the shape of your polygon. When you click on any ¢ corner square, that point will change to a ¢ square.  To move this point, hold the Shift key down on your keyboard and drag (using the mouse) the square to the new location.

For a visual overview of how to use the Photo-point map function, watch the video on the disk that accompanies your ELS software package.

Q.  Photos don't show up when I click on photo-points. Am I just not waiting long enough?

A.  Photopoints will not show up in the "Admin View". To view your photopoints, go to the "Viewer mode" by clicking on the monitor icon in the upper-left hand corner of the screen. Navigate to the "Maps/Photos" tab and select your photopoint map. From here, you should be able to click on your photopoint and view the photo(s) you've linked to that particular point.

Q.  Images (jpg, tiff, etc) are too large to view all at once in the window. It would be nice to be able to "zoom out". Do I just need to reduce the size of the images?
A.  You can only zoom in/out on the Photopoint map base images. If your image is too large to view in the Admin/Viewer modes, you must resize the image before loading.

This is a known problem with viewing non-photopoint maps. However, when you print the image, it will automatically resize to fit on an 8.5” x 11” page. You can keep an original, large image and also make it viewable. Store the original image in the "Monitoring and Stewardship" tab, and then create a smaller, viewable image for use in the Maps and Photos tab. You can cross-reference the two maps using the type-in descriptions for each file. That way you can keep the large originals, categorize them, and make other notes, and still use a resized copy for the photopoint map.

Q.  Can I use a PDF as a base image for a map?

A.  You cannot use a PDF as a base image for any of the maps.  All base images must be standard image formats such as .jpg, .tiff, and .png. You can however, use a PDF as a photopoint for a photopoint map. 

Reports

Q.  Can I query the database in order to print out reports (such as all landowners in a specific county, all landowners with encroachments, etc)? 

A.  You can query the database for reports.  However, you can only generate specific reports within ELS.

The reports function generates the following:

• List all contact data (this is an Excel spreadsheet)
• List all of a property’s documents (this is a list of files, with pathways)
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• List all the documents in order by Date
• List all essential documents for a property (there are preset "essential" documents, but you can change these and designate others while in ELS)
• List total acreage in CE and in Fee by Property
• List total acreage in CE and in Fee by Zip code

Q.  How do I generate a report?

A.  Go to the “Action” tab in the ELS menu bar.  Scroll to “Generate Report”.  (You can also click on the icon next to the spell check icon, to access the "Generate Report" function, or use Ctrl R.)

You can generate reports for the information listed in each check box.  Click on a check box for the report you want to create.  Then, click “Create a Report”.  Then, click “Display a Report”.

One of the more interesting reports is a list of the "key" documents for a property (we have pre-designated these key documents according to our most recent "Assessing Your Organization" document.) In the "Documents" data entry screen you can select a document type and edit its properties to make it a key document or not, and you can also create a new type of document and assign it properties.

Documents

Q. It would be great to have templates for the different types of documents. Is that available?

A. Yes. Land Trust Alliance does provide many sample documents. These are all in digital format on our password protected Web site we built especially for Land Trust Alliance Member land trusts. You can do a full-text search, browse, or look through appendices assigned to each of the 15 standards that make up our Standard and Practices Guidebook.

If you don’t currently have access, go to www.LTAnet.org, click on "Create an Account" under the login box and follow the prompts to request permission to join from your organization’s LTAnet Admin. Note that we have lifted the limit of Member land trust staff and volunteers who can access LTAnet.

Land Trust Alliance is always looking for more content to share with other land trusts, so if your organization has developed any policy or process documents that you'd like to share, send them to ltanet@lta.org and they will be reviewed by a subject matter expert and uploaded for others to learn from.

Q. In the “Documents” tab, how and why do I “Edit the Selected Type”?

A. Most subject headings allow you to add a link file (a Word document, spreadsheet, photo, etc) that creates a link to a document that you can view and print. 

You can also type in text that describes a document you have linked to.  Sometimes, you may not have a document to link to a subject heading because you don’t have that document or because you have not digitized (scanned) the document and saved it to your hard drive.  In cases like this, you may want to manually type in information beneath a subject heading to indicate that you have a paper copy on file somewhere – or that you are waiting for the document to be finalized.  To enter data manually without linking to a file in the Documents tab:

• Highlight the document type (subject heading) by clicking it once. 
• Then, click the Edit Selected Type button. 
• Then, uncheck the Linking to Existing File box and check the Typing in Data box. 
• Then, click OK. 

To complete the process, click on any of the other document type headings and then click back to the document type heading you are changing.  When you click back to the document type you changed, you will notice that there is no option to link to a file(s).  Now you can click inside the Type In box to type information manually.

Other

Q.  I can't get ELS to keep the "Easement" box checked on the “General Information” data entry screen. It keeps reverting to the "Fee" box as soon as I move to the next screen.  Why?

A. To enter acres under easement, just click on the conservation easement radio button and enter in the number of acres under easement. Even if the button reverts back to “Fee”, the Viewer mode will designate them as acres under easement. To enter the number of acres owned in fee in the Admin mode, click the “fee” radio button and enter in the number of acres.