QGIS Ghost Points Plugin

Overview

A QGIS plugin that allows users to temporarily hide selected point features without deleting them with a single button click.

Features

• Hide selected point features with a single click
• Reveal all hidden points at once
• Works with both local and PostGIS layers
• Maintains data integrity by using a non-destructive hiding mechanism
• Simple and intuitive toolbar interface

Installation

QGIS Plugin Manager (Coming Soon)

1. Open QGIS
2. Go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins
3. Search for "Ghost Points"
4. Click "Install Plugin"

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release
2. Copy the plugin folder to:
   • Windows: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\.qgis3\python\plugins\
   • Mac/Linux: ~/.qgis3/python/plugins/

Usage

Hiding Points

• Select the point layer you want to work with in the Layers panel
• Select one or more points using any QGIS selection tool
• Click the "Ghost" button (ghost icon) in the toolbar
• Selected points will be hidden from view but remain in the dataset

Revealing Points

• Select the layer containing hidden points
• Click the "No Ghost" button (crossed-out ghost icon) in the toolbar
• Confirm the action in the dialog box
• All previously hidden points will be revealed

Technical Details

The plugin works by:

• Adding a _hidden field to your layer
• Setting _hidden = 1 for features you want to hide
• Applying a layer filter to hide features where _hidden = 1
• For PostGIS layers, the layer is copied locally prior to _hidden field being added (not implemented yet)

Requirements

• QGIS 3.0+
• Python 3.6+
• Internet connection

Compatibility

• Tested on QGIS 3.22
• Tested on Windows 11
• Tested on macOS 15 Sequoia

License

GNU General Public License v3.0

Author

Harry King

Issues

• Currently contains broken databse code that will be removed and replaced with copying to local layer for PostGIS layers.