wiki:Help

Version 285 (modified by openstreetmap.org-user-d1g, 8 years ago) ( diff )

blind replace " [Help/" with " [wiki:Help/" to fix several broken links, I don't see errors

Welcome to the JOSM online help system

This help can be corrected at josm.openstreetmap.de/wiki/Help
Some information might be outdated, because JOSM is constantly enhanced with more features and tools. Recently implemented features may miss good illustrations, animations, examples and text explanation. Please help improving by adding them or your personal tips and experience - this is a wiki!

Getting Started

Your first edits with JOSM

  • Introduction to JOSM - briefly covers downloading data, enabling and aligning imagery, main menu items, presets, validation, change-set comments and upload dialogue
  • Migration assist from iD, Potlatch2 or Vespucci - only if you have difficulties or questions related to respective editor "I'm used to do (function) in (an editor) but what should I do in JOSM?"

OSM-wiki resources

Other channels

Concepts

OSM data model

Changesets

Changesets exists for every of your "edit". They simply group data creations, modifications and deletions - with additional properties comment, created_by, imagery_used and several others (this information stored as simple tags). Similar to other wiki software, one changeset can affect one object (a single character edit in the text), but may contain big changes (removals of paragraphs, partial or complete rewrite of the text) with the only difference that geo information is edited instead of text. Investigating history of one character is equally hard to comparing text at given point in time. Since complete "text" in OSM is 30-600GB big therefore users speak of history within several changesets and not about complete history every time.

Upload changeset dialog - explains why you create a changeset and low level details about protocol that uploads data to the OSM server

JOSM concepts

Workflow examples

JOSM tools (incomplete reference)

List below contains mosty/only unreplaceable tools with preference to core JOSM tools. "Incomplete" should be stated explicitly to avoid misunderstandings from any part.

Search among all JOSM tools and menu items - Ctrl+Spacebar

Basic shape of objects

Selection

Selection (or list of currently selected objects) is preciesly described in Help/Dialog/SelectionList#Selection (because it is visible from this dialogue), it can be modified with following tools (incomplete list):

Tags

Tags of currently selected objects displayed in Tags/Memberships Dialog.

Topology tools and changes

Geometry tools

Precision in angles

  • Anglesnapping (A, twice) will ease drawing way segments in 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° degrees
  • Extrude (X, with modifiers) tool will ease drawing of strictly perpendicular segments
  • Extude mode used on segments - will move them in parallel, preserving angles when it is needed

Alignment

Viewport control

JOSM interface

JOSM interface overview

Interface terminology (make sure to study bolded items first): Note: Together, 3 and 4 may contain too many items to display at once, use mouse scroll wheel in this case.

1. Main menu

2. Main toolbar (heavily customizable)







3. JOSM modes





4. toggles used to control on/off state of Windows






















5. Status bar






6. Slider and scaler




7. Windows (or dialogs)
Layer List
Tags/Memberships
Selection
Relations List
• (others)



8. Main editing window

















9. Details about current mode

JOSM starting screen

  1. In JOSM, Help/Downloading data step performed first. For example, use simple Download menu
  2. Additional and more complex tools may be activated with Expert mode (also, pay attention to the left side of the screen)

JOSM interface complete reference

JOSM interface - complete reference. Pay attention, that menu pages at this wiki are very deep, just couple of examples below:

JOSM interface customization

See Help/JOSM interface customization for details.

Attachments (10)

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