---
title: outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile
framework: Swift Package Catalog
role: article
path: packages/outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile
---

# outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile

ESRI Shapefile (.shp/.dbf/.shx/.prj) read and write support for Swift, built on top of [**gis-tools**](https://github.com/Outdooractive/gis-tools).

## Features

- Reads and writes Point, PolyLine, Polygon, MultiPoint, and MultiPatch geometry types, including Z and M variants - Reads `.prj` files to determine the source projection (EPSG:4326 assumed if absent) - Writes `.prj` files matching the output projection - Attributes are mapped to and from `Feature.properties` via the companion `.dbf` file - Writes `.shx` index files for compatibility with tools that require them - Multipatch geometries are decomposed into `GeometryCollection` with `Polygon` parts

## Requirements

Swift 6.1 or higher. Compiles on iOS (≥ iOS 15), macOS (≥ macOS 15), tvOS (≥ tvOS 15), watchOS (≥ watchOS 7), Linux, Android and Wasm.

## Installation with Swift Package Manager

```swift dependencies: [     .package(url: "https://github.com/Outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile", from: "1.0.1"),     .package(url: "https://github.com/Outdooractive/gis-tools", from: "2.0.0"), ], targets: [     .target(name: "MyTarget", dependencies: [         .product(name: "GISToolsShapefile", package: "gis-tools-shapefile"),         .product(name: "GISTools", package: "gis-tools"),     ]), ] ```

## Usage

### Reading

```swift import GISTools import GISToolsShapefile

let url = URL(fileURLWithPath: "/path/to/file.shp") let fc = try FeatureCollection(shapefile: url)

// Or via ShapefileCoder directly: let fc = try ShapefileCoder.read(from: url) ```

### Writing

```swift import GISTools import GISToolsShapefile

let url = URL(fileURLWithPath: "/path/to/new_file.shp") try fc.writeShapefile(to: url)

// Or via ShapefileCoder directly: try ShapefileCoder.write(fc, to: url) ```

The shapefile path is constructed from the base URL by replacing the extension: - `.shp` — geometry data - `.dbf` — attribute data - `.shx` — spatial index - `.prj` — projection string

### Limitations

- GeoJSON `id` values are mapped to an `id` column in the `.dbf` file - Maximum field count: 1024 per dBase specification - Maximum record size: 65531 bytes per dBase specification - Field name length: maximum 10 characters per dBase specification - Multipatch geometry is read-only (converted to `GeometryCollection`) - AutoCAD Civil 3D and ArcGIS variants are not supported

## Contributing

Please [create an issue](https://github.com/Outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile/issues) or [open a pull request](https://github.com/Outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile/pulls) with a fix or enhancement.

## License

MIT

## Authors

Thomas Rasch, Outdooractive

Built on top of [**gis-tools**](https://github.com/Outdooractive/gis-tools).

## Package Metadata

Repository: outdooractive/gis-tools-shapefile

Default branch: main

README: README.md