Preparing your QGIS project

Groundwork reads a standard QGIS project file (.qgs) and reproduces your layers, symbology, and labels in the browser. This page covers how to author a project that publishes well.

Layer data sources

Point each vector layer at a GeoJSON file stored next to the project file (or in a subfolder, referenced by relative path). When Groundwork opens the published folder, it resolves each layer’s file path against the folder contents and loads the data.

For our street-trees example, the project folder looks like this while you’re authoring:

street-trees/
├── street-trees.qgs
├── trees.geojson
└── parks.geojson

If your data currently lives in another format (Shapefile, GeoPackage), export each layer to GeoJSON in QGIS first: right-click the layer → Export → Save Features As… → format GeoJSON, and save it beside the project file. Then use that exported file as the layer’s source.

A project can also contain WFS layers — Groundwork loads those live from the server when they’re made visible. Everything else in this guide focuses on file-backed layers.

Symbology that carries across

Groundwork converts your QGIS styling automatically — no separate style files needed. What carries across:

• Single-symbol and categorised styles — for example, trees coloured by a species field. The categories also become the layer’s legend and filter values in Groundwork.
• Point marker size and outlines — sizes set in millimetres are converted so symbols render close to their QGIS Desktop size.
• Simple field-based labels — the label field, font, size, colour, an optional buffer (halo), and simple offsets.

What doesn’t carry across: expression-based labels, rule-based labelling, masks, callouts, and data-defined overrides. Keep labelling to a single field with straightforward styling.

The display field

Set each layer’s display field in QGIS (Layer Properties → Display) to the attribute that best names a feature — for street trees, the species or an asset name. Groundwork uses it as the feature title in lists, tooltips, and headings, so users see “Lemon-scented Gum” rather than an ID number.

If you don’t set one, Groundwork guesses a sensible field, and users can change it themselves — but setting it in QGIS gives everyone the right default.

Layer visibility

The layer visibility you save in QGIS carries across: layers unticked in the QGIS layers panel load hidden in Groundwork, where users can show them when needed. Use this for context layers you want available but not on by default.

Before you publish

• Open the project fresh in QGIS and check every layer draws (no broken file paths).
• Confirm each file-backed layer points at a GeoJSON file inside the project folder.
• Check the project is saved as .qgs.

Next: Publishing to Dropbox.