QGIS Introduction: The Attribute Table

When a shapefile is created an attribute table is also associated with the shapefile.  Also, any table (i.e. csv file) users bring into QGIS can be accessed using the Open Attribute table function.

To access the attribute table, right-click the table or shapefile and select "Open Attribute Table."  You will see the following:

• Begin editing and save edits - if you wanted to change numbers or text in a field, you will need to first select the pencil.  See the Create/Edit Shapefiles tab of this guide for more information on editing features.
• Manually select a feature - if you click on this button, it will select the feature.
• Click the drop down button to toggle features you are viewing - if you have selected features using an expression or manually selected multiple features, click the drop-down arrow and click "Show Selected Features."  You will get a table that only shows the features you have selected.
• Pan or zoom to selected features - once you have manually selected features or written an expression to select features, you can click this button to zoom or pan to the features on the map.
• Write expression - by clicking on this button you can write an expression to filter out features that you specifically want.  For the following example, I have a shapefile of beach access points with a field of beach names (the field is named "PLACE") and I want a table of only Wrightsville Beach access points.  In the expression box, type the field name (i.e. "PLACE"), an operation (=, +, <, etc.) and a specific feature (i.e. Wrightsville Beach).  Click Select in the lower right hand corner of the Expression box to select your features.