The Map Preview tool is used to quickly preview a layer that has been configured in GeoServer. It is based on the OpenLayers library which is a great tool for visualizing layers via WMS. This section covers the use of the Map Preview.
Navigate to the GeoServer Welcome Page.
From the Welcome page navigate to the Map Preview by clicking the Demo link, followed by the Map Preview link.
Viewing the demo page
From the Map Preview page, preview the bay_area_coastline layer by clicking the topp:bay_area_coastline link.
Viewing the OpenLayers map preview
Note
The Map Preview contains a list of all layers currently published by GeoServer. A layer can be previewed in a variety of formats like KML and GeoRSS. The default is an OpenLayers map.
Previewing the bay_area_coastline layer
At this point the shapefile added in the previous section has been verified with the map preview. In the next section the default style for the layer will be changed and the map preview will once again be used to verify.