Any information contained in a attribute field associated with a vector object (a shape) can be made to display as a text label. The information will display as a text label in the appropriate position relative to the associated vector - point, line, or polygon. There are two ways to do this:

1) Create, using notepad for example, an *.ini or a project file (such as _mysfile.shp.ini), as follows:

or

2) Programmatically, as follows:

This guidance can be particularly for MapInfo tab or mid/mif data or CAD data such as dxf, dwg, dgn, etc., i.e., data formats that do not follow GIS guidelines for rendering styles, labels, etc. based on attribute values.