Opening and Saving ESRI Shape (SHP) Files

Geographic information system (GIS) software products use ESRI Shape files (.shp) to store graphical information (such as parcels of land, streets, railway lines, areas with buildings, distribution networks, green areas, forests, rivers, lakes, and so on).

The Shape file format is a vector data format developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), which is used as a GIS data exchange format.

Unlike drawing file formats (such as DXF or DWG), Shape files do not contain complete graphical information.

A complete set of the data that makes up a map, landscape profile, or other geographic plan is grouped in a directory where Shape files present geometric vector data. Other file types store attributes and properties.

The entities stored in a single Shape file are always of one type: points, lines, or polygons (which represent geometric information). In Shape files, reference data are associated to the primitive entities.

.shp files are associated with a database file (.dbf) and an index file (.shx), which exist in the same folder and with the same name. In GIS projects, other file types are associated with the .shp file.

When opening Shape files:

• The application detects the type of information to import (points, lines, or polygons) and presents only entities for that type in the drawing. You cannot examine attributes associated with the geometric objects.

  Note: Open a.shp file only if a .dbf and .shx file exist in the same folder and with the same name.

When saving Shape files:

• You can save back Shape files. You can change the position and location of geometry in such files, but you cannot insert new geometry with attributes into the files you write.
• Use SaveAs to save a Shape file under a different name. This creates an associated .dbf and .shx file with the same name.
• You can save drawings as Shape files using SaveAs. Make sure the Shape file contains only entities of one and the same type (points, lines, or polygons). However, this only makes sense if you have post-processing software that can handle the exported data.

Note:  Do not confuse the Shape file format with the font source format, which shares the .shp extension used in CAD software.

To open ESRI Shape files:

1. Click File > Open (or type Open).
2. In the dialog box, from the list of file types, select ESRI Shape file (*.shp).
3. Navigate to the .shp file and select it.
4. Click Open to load the drawing or click  and click Open Read-Only to open the file without modifying it.

To save ESRI Shape files under a different name:

1. Click File > Save As (or type SaveAs).
2. In the dialog box, specify:
   • In Save as type, select ESRI Shape file (*.shp).
   • In File name, type a name for the file.
   • Navigate to where you want to store the file.
3. Click Save.