A group object can have one of the following three shapes:

Polygonal shape

Polygonal groups are defined by the class IltPolyGroup. Polygonal groups are very useful for dividing a network into regions and associating those regions with topographic zones visible on a map.

The shape of a polygonal group is defined by the class IlpPolygon. This class describes a closed polyline made up of an array of points. This polyline can have any number of sides.

Polygonal groups have a semitransparent background (through which a background map can be seen) and a thick outline. When alarms or statuses are displayed, they are grouped in an information cluster that is positioned at the center of the polygon, as shown in the following figure. For more information, see Customizing the group information cluster.

Rectangular shape

Rectangular groups are defined by the class IltRectGroup. Rectangular groups are generally used to hold network elements located in the same place such as a site, a building, or a city.

The shape of a rectangular group is defined by the class IlpRect, which describes a rectangle. Rectangular groups can be resized to create any kind of rectangular container.

Rectangular groups are represented by opaque relief rectangles as shown in the following figure. When alarms are displayed, they are grouped in an information cluster that is positioned at the center of the rectangle. For more information, see Customizing the group information cluster.

Linear shape

Linear groups are defined by the class IltLinearGroup.

Linear groups represent a linear collection of objects and can be used to display, for example, all the repeaters between two line termination network elements.

The shape of a linear group is defined by the class IlpPolyline. This class describes an open polyline made up of an array of points.

When alarms or secondary states are displayed on a linear group, an information cluster appears at the center of its median segment. The median segment is the segment containing the midpoint of the shape.