GIS Plugins

Home › QGIS 4 readiness › Built into QGIS › refFunctions

refFunctions Built into QGIS 3.16 as Overlay expression functions

QGIS 3.16 and later do the main job of refFunctions natively, with Overlay expression functions. You can use that instead of installing the plugin. overlay_intersects(), overlay_nearest() and related expression functions read values from other layers by spatial relationship.

Native featureOverlay expression functions
First releaseQGIS 3.16
Where to find itExpression builder and Field Calculator › Geometry group › overlay_* functions
PluginrefFunctions, last released 2019-03-18
Plugin on QGIS 4Not QGIS 4 ready

How to use Overlay expression functions

  1. Open the Field Calculator, or any expression dialog, on the layer you want to fill.
  2. In the Geometry group, pick an overlay function such as overlay_intersects() or overlay_nearest().
  3. Pass the other layer and an expression to evaluate on its features, for example overlay_nearest('stations', "name"). Without an expression, the function returns true or false.
  4. The result is an array. Wrap it in array_first() when you need a single value.

Sources: QGIS 3.16 changelog entry QGIS User Manual

A native feature can differ from the plugin in details. If you rely on a specific option, read the linked entry before you uninstall.

QGIS plugin news, once a week

GIS Plugins Weekly: new plugins, useful updates and QGIS 4 readiness changes. Free, unsubscribe anytime. See a sample issue.

All plugins built into QGIS Plugin page for refFunctions