Hi, I purchased Toolset last week for something we are going to do over wb.synx3demo.com, however I think Toolset might also help us on another website we have been trying to adding some profile functionality into so here's my detailed information.
On another website in development we are trying to show on a map an APPROXIMATE of where users are located as these users showcase there fancy cars. We do not want to show the exact location address of where users are located (for obvious security concerns) so we just want to show the country > state > city > zip code, where they live. We are using a different plugin called ProfileGrid for this purpose but we are thinking about leaving that plugin and instead using Toolset because on the map when there is more than one user in the same location the map does not show the users. It just shows a marker on the map with a number of users on that same location but we want to show all the different users in that same location.
This is a limitation with that other plugin but will it be a limitation with Toolset too?
Here's a video describing the issue so you know what I'm talking about hidden link
Hi, the short answer is yes, Toolset Maps comes with the option to use clusters and a "spiderfy" library to both group and separate overlapping markers. I have created a demonstration here: https://christiancox-22119-rel-1.discover-wp.com/map-search/
Zoom in to the Camden, Delaware area (it's just right of Baltimore). You'll see a cluster indicator until you zoom in to a specific zoom level (the level trigger is configurable), then you can click the single marker to show separated individual markers. Then you can click either individual marker to show specific results in a popup.
Check out this document for more information about clusters and spiderfying markers: https://toolset.com/documentation/user-guides/display-on-google-maps/displaying-markers-on-google-maps/#displaying-multiple-markers-that-appear-on-the-same-location
With this in mind, I want to explain a bit more about how Toolset Maps and Markers work. You can only show markers in specific, geocoded locations. In other words, "approximate" locations aren't possible. This means that someone (either your site Users or your site administrators) must enter a zip code into some custom field to have a marker displayed on the map in that specific location. Validation of this type of data can be tricky. For example, if you use a Types address field to capture this information, there's nothing stopping Users (or admins) from entering a complete address with street and number. If you use a different type of custom field, there's nothing to validate that the data entered can be geolocated and displayed on a map (it could be an invalid zip code, for example).
Hello and thank you for the demo. I saw the pins you referred to in the Camden, Delaware area and that's pretty cool. So as long as we require users to enter their state and zip code we should be able to show map markers in that "spiderfy" manner, right?
So as long as we require users to enter their state and zip code we should be able to show map markers in that "spiderfy" manner, right?
State is not required. As long as your Users enter valid, mappable zip codes, you should be able to create "spiderfied" markers on the map. The tricky part is how you get your Users to enter those valid zip codes. There are basically 3 options for data entry:
- Address custom fields: No validation to prevent Users from entering full addresses, but locations will all be mappable if selected from autosuggest options.
- Numeric custom fields: Only numbers are allowed, so it's not possible to enter zip + 4 format, like 12345-6789. Also there is no validation that the zip code is real or mappable.
- Plain text custom fields: The User can enter anything they want, with no real validation.
