Map Zones and Quick Links on Location/Event Searches

Overview

 

 

When you create a Location or Event Search, you have the option to include a map as the basis of your search. For example, if you want to create a search of restaurants in Los Angeles, CA, you might want to allow your users to peruse the results on a map.

• More about Location Searches
• More about Event Searches

The map, in this case, acts as a geographic filter for the results that get displayed. So if you create a search of LA restaurants you probably wouldn't want your readers to find restaurants in San Francisco. As a result, you should set the map zoom level for your restaurant search to be some level that gives a reasonable view of the city.

Quick Links

In addition to this basic functionality described above, you can add to your search something called a "Quick Link." A Quick Link is just a collection of links in the form of a pull down that allows your users to jump to other areas or zoom levels on the map.

Quick Links are a convenient way to direct your readers to common places you think they are likely to want to search. For example, they might want to jump to a specific neighborhood in a city.

When you add a Quick Link on your Location or Event search, the search results will include all of the locations within the area of initial map search PLUS all of the locations contained within the area of EACH Map Zone contained within the Quick Link. To learn more about setting up Map Zones and Quick Links go here.

In other words, choosing a Quick Link shifts the mini-map on the List View of Location/Event Search results pages to include pins for all the Locations/Events of the Map Zone they are in.

Additional Locations/Events are listed below those to avoid a potentially empty page and because the mini-map is dependent on the settings for the event search map on the event search edit page in admin.

Below you can see examples of differing types of location searches with Quick Links.  

 

1. Quick Links are all inside of map search area

The search results will contain everything from within the map search area plus ALL the Map Zones.

 

2. Quick Links are inside AND outside of map search area

The search results will contain everything from within the map search area plus Map Zone 03, which is outside.

3. Quick Links are all outside of map search area

The search results will contain everything from within the map search area plus ALL the other Map Zones outside.

 

Creating Map Zones

Quick links are groupings of Map Zones. By adding quick links to your location search, you provide a quick way for your visitors to start browsing locations in the Map Zones you provide them.

To set up Quick Links, such as a list of neighborhoods, you need to set up Map Zones. Once you have set up these Map Zones you can then add them to the Quick Links as items that the site visitor can select from the Quick Links pulldown menu.

There are two types of Map Zones

Custom Map Zone:

1. Click on Map Zones
2. Click on "Custom Map Zone."
3. Give your new Map Zone a name.
4. Move the map to the desired area and adjust the zoom as tight to the edges of your zone as you can. For example, if your Map Zone is a familiar neighborhood, set the zoom level to display the entire neighborhood so that no part of it goes off the screen.

Thanks to Geonames project and it's Database we have now integrated in Metro Publisher, we can search through already defined geographical areas and add them through Preset Map Zones.

To search and add Preset Map Zones:

1. In Map Zones, click on "Add Preset Map Zones."
2. Select a Category of Map Zone, if you're a city magazine, you'd probably select Neighborhood.
3. Set the Country, State, City information by clicking "Change" to adjust (if you have default location set, it will be displayed here).
   - if searching for Neighborhoods, set Country, State and City
   - if searching for Cities, just set Country and State
4. Enter a keyword to limit results.
5. Click "Search."
6. Any results will display with a map preview.
7. Check off as many Map Zones as desired.
8. Click "Add Map Zones" to add all the selected Map Zones.

Creating and Removing Quick Links

Here is a brief example of how locations search, Quick Links and Map Zones work together.

Let's say you're about to create a Restaurant Directory for North Carolina counties.

You already set up Map Zones for each county, like the Durham County, Orange County, and Wake County.

The next thing to do is create a quick link called "Counties" and add all the three counties to it.

When you go to add your location search, your new Quick Links will show up as an option.

 

Adding a Quick Link

1. Go to Locations, click on "Other Options" from the bottom navigation bar and choose "Quick Links."
2. Click on "Add a Quick Link"
3. Name your quick link
4. Click on "Add Map Zone(s)"
5. Select all desired Map Zones by clicking each corresponding row
6. Click "Select Map Zone(s)" when you've selected all the zones your want
7. Click "Save Changes" to complete your new quick link

Removing a Quick Link

To remove an area from your Quick Links dropdown menu, you just need to edit your Quicklink settings under Editor > Locations > Quick Links.

Highlight the state you wish to remove and click on "Delete" at the bottom of your screen next to the "Add" and "Edit" buttons.

If you wish to remove the Map Zone for the respective Quick Link, you can double-click the selected Quick Link and do so on the next page that opens by clicking "Remove Mapzone" next to the "Save" etc. buttons.