|updatedisclaimer|

.. _`label_qgis_browser`:

************
|qg| Browser
************

The |qg| Browser is a panel in |qg| that lets you easily navigate in your
filesystem and manage geodata. You can have access to common vector files (e.g.,
ESRI shapefiles or MapInfo files), databases (e.g., PostGIS, Oracle, SpatiaLite
or MS SQL Spatial) and WMS/WFS connections. You can also view your GRASS data
(to get the data into |qg|, see :ref:`sec_grass`).

.. index:: Browse_Maps, Import_Maps

.. _figure_browser_standalone_metadata:

.. only:: html

   **Figure browser 1:**

.. figure:: /static/user_manual/qgis_browser/browser_standalone_metadata.png
   :align: center

   |qg| browser as a stand alone application |nix|

Use the |qg| Browser to preview your data. The drag-and-drop function makes it easy
to get your data into the map view and the map legend.

#. Activate the |qg| Browser: Right-click on the toolbar and check
   |checkbox|:guilabel:`Browser` or select it from
   :menuselection:`Settings --> Panels`.
#. Drag the panel into the legend window and release it.
#. Click on the :guilabel:`Browser` tab.
#. Browse in your filesystem and choose the :file:`shapefile` folder from
   :file:`qgis_sample_data` directory.
#. Press the :kbd:`Shift` key and select the :file:`airports.shp` and
   :file:`alaska.shp` files.
#. Press the left mouse button, then drag and drop the files into the map canvas.
#. Right-click on a layer and choose :guilabel:`Set project CRS from layer`.
   For more information see :ref:`label_projections`.
#. Click on |mActionZoomFullExtent| :sup:`Zoom Full` to make the layers
   visible.

There is a second browser available under :menuselection:`Settings --> Panels`.
This is handy when you need to move files or layers between locations.

#. Activate a second |qg| Browser: Right-click on the toolbar and check
   |checkbox|:guilabel:`Browser (2)`, or select it from
   :menuselection:`Settings --> Panels`.
#. Drag the panel into the legend window.
#. Navigate to the :guilabel:`Browser (2)` tab and browse for a shapefile in
   your file system.
#. Select a file with the left mouse button. Now you can use the
   |mActionAdd|:sup:`Add Selected Layers` icon to add it into the current project.

|qg| automatically looks for the coordinate reference system (CRS) and zooms to
the layer extent if you work in a blank |qg| project. If there are already
files in your project, the file will just be added, and in the case that it has the same
extent and CRS, it will be visualized. If the file has another CRS and layer
extent, you must first right-click on the layer and choose
:guilabel:`Set Project CRS from Layer`. Then choose
:guilabel:`Zoom to Layer Extent`.

The |mActionFilter|:sup:`Filter files` function works on a directory level.
Browse to the folder where you want to filter files and enter a search word
or wildcard. The Browser will show only matching filenames -- other data
won't be displayed.

It's also possible to run the |qg| Browser as a stand-alone application.

**Start the QGIS browser**

* |nix| Type in "qbrowser" at a command prompt.
* |win| Start the |qg| Browser using the Start menu or desktop shortcut.
* |osx| The |qg| Browser is available from your Applications folder.

In figure_browser_standalone_metadata_, you can see the enhanced functionality
of the stand-alone |qg| Browser. The :guilabel:`Param` tab provides the details of
your connection-based datasets, like PostGIS or MSSQL Spatial. The
:guilabel:`Metadata` tab contains general information about the file (see
:ref:`vectormetadatamenu`). With the :guilabel:`Preview` tab, you can have a
look at your files without importing them into your |qg| project. It's also
possible to preview the attributes of your files in the :guilabel:`Attributes`
tab.